Movie Man Darian Watching All Night Long

Wake Up Dead Man : A Knives Out Mystery 

This is one of the best films of the year! Now this film I think will be the most divisive film of the trilogy due to the themes this film discusses and it is not as comedically strong as the previous films as the direction this film goes into is a far more dramatic depth which I think is really cool as it refuses to repeat what it has already done. Now people will say the formula is getting repetitive but these are murder mysteries but it is all about how we get to the destination that matters and the way Rian paints these characters and the over arching look of the the plot is riveting and gives one of the most unpredictable ways to the revel you genuinely do not see coming. Wake Up Dead Man is a blast to be had with truly solid performances from the entire cast involved. 

Firstly, This is Rian Johnson’s most personal story he has written as he explores the themes of faith and devotion to religion in this film that has some of the most polarizing writing he has put to the page. We see a lot of Rian Johnson’s personal feelings about his thoughts on faith really shine through the frame in a way that comes across really exciting in his feelings on the subject. As Josh O’ Connor’s character is someone who has had a troubled past and feels finding his faith has saved him from continuing down that troubled path and Josh Brolin’s character uses his platform to spew anger to his followers and those two clash constantly on how they use their power within the church to preach very different outlooks on faith. As one is coming out of a place of anger another coming from a sense of calm and seeing both sides of that coin was very intriguing to watch unfold. You can see how this film is far more dramatic in its execution compared to the films that came before it as the first two are yes Murder mysteries but it has very smartly placed humour within the narrative this film felt more like a straight forward murder mystery in a sense and the comedy seemed to take a backseat this time around which I didn’t mind but I feel some will feel it is less good in comparison to the other two due to the lack of comedy that is here. I love that 3 films in Rian Is still bringing such fresh ideas in where he wants these films to go and what themes they can tackle and having it take on faith and beliefs I think was such a great way into this murder mystery while also not repeating the same patterns of the previous entries so it never becomes repetitive. This film takes as I mentioned a more serious approach to the subject matter and the way they go about expressing it was brilliantly tackled. The writing is still as sharp as the other two films but it is a tall order to try to top the first film as that is in many ways a perfect film that is impossible to try to recapture that magic again. But I love how episodic these films feel what I mean by that is none of these films are continuing plot lines that carry over to the next they start fresh in each film so you can watch them in any order you want. Wake Up Dead Man has razor sharp dialogue that opens up conversation about deep discussions on faith and religion while still giving that signature style of murder mystery we have come to love from this franchise. 

Secondly, The performances of the entire cast is solid but I have to say the single best performance from the ensemble is Josh O’ Connor! Now I will say a minor gripe I had with the cast here this time around they were good but they didn’t stand out to me as memorably as the past few cast we have gotten now to be fair the biggest draw of the performances aside from Daniel Craig as I mentioned is Josh O’ Connor who gives a sensational turn as a priest trying his best to be the most clear headed priest that wants to spread pure forms of faith that represents positivity in a very difficult time where it is easier to spread hate instead of joy. He brings such emotional tenderness to the role that has you invested into who he is within the first Frame Josh O Connor is magnificent in this film! Then you have Daniel Craig stepping back into the role that I will say is his second most iconic role of his career and he still finds new things to reveal about the character within the the mystery without taking away the mystique of who he is and keeping us in the dark of who he is. We for the first time see his stance on religion and the topic of faith while also delivering another sensational turn as the detective we love and here he seems more grounded in drama instead of comedy while he gives great laughs his performance of the iconic detective he played a lot more straight and I think it was amazing to see Craig still find new things to peel back about this wonderfully written character. Craig is tremendous and has a great back and forth chemistry with Josh that results in crackling chemistry onscreen. Overall the performances are all solid but Josh O Connor did steal the show with his magnetic turn as the conflicted priest in this film. 

Lastly, Wake Up Dead Man is one of the years best films that has some of the sharpest dialogue I have seen as well as Rian Johnson has crafted a film that makes him come to terms with his personal feelings on faith and giving it a fantastic platform through this film and giving great twists and turns you genuinely do not see coming and again brings another great cast together all of which give solid performances with a scene stealing Josh O’ Connor! Now the film pulls back on the comedy and grounds itself with more dramatic depth this time around and I think it is one of Rian’s best written films he has ever put to the screen and another truly fantastic entry in the Knives Out brand with Daniel Craig also giving another great charismatic and magnetic performance this film is phenomenal and will make you want to watch it over and over again! I recommend seeing it on the big screen if you can and if you’re a fan of the Knives Out films you will love this next chapter in the franchise. 

This film centres on a murder that occurs in a church after a Monsieur gives his sermon and they have to get to the bottom of who committed this heinous crime

Rated PG - 13 : Some Crude Sexual Material|Smoking|Bloody Images|Strong Language|Violent Content

Josh O’ Connor : Josh gives a sensational turn as the priest with conflicted feelings of emotional torment going on in his heart! I first really took notice of O Connor in 2024 when he did the tremendous film Challengers and his amazing turn in that film made me keep a look out for anything he does moving forward as he is a terrific actor with fantastic emotional range. He plays Father Judd who is doing his best to follow the way of Christ within a time where there are shady people everywhere he turns. You can see that he has been working his best to try to cleanse himself of his past and write a better path for himself moving forward as he yes acknowledges the person he was in the past which was angry and even hateful but he dose not want to associate himself in that emotional frame of mind anymore and instead wants to help lead people into a peaceful and loving way and unfortunately when he is transferred to a new church and the current Priest that resides there spews anger and toxic ways of using his platform to persuade people into this negative mindset and Josh O’ Connor’s character takes serious offence of using the image and representation of Christ and his faith in a negative way in any form instead of the way he was intended to be represented as in his beliefs. The two clash over their ways of speaking their views on faith and you can see how his character will stop at nothing to make sure people see the good in others and not to feel lied to and or mislead in their pursuit for finding answers that help them on their path to enlightenment. Then when a death shakes the place he is the person everyone turns to as suspect number one due to his strong disliking for the priest but even though he didn’t like him he wouldn’t go as far as ending his life to rid of him. Josh O Connor gets to play in the arena of emotional back and forth with this personality that is done in such an incredibly nuanced way that has you glued to his arc the moment he comes onscreen. You can see that he is trying his best to see the best in others even when people refuse to see the light in him he is doing his absolute best to be a shining example of how redemption in others can be shown with a troubled past. He tries not to let others shake him and he takes emotional hit after hit and their is a point where he is almost in tears within the house of god but when the detective we love comes in played by Craig it gives him someone to confide in that isn’t corrupted by the thoughts of the priest in town but sees him as a person that wouldn’t do these horrible things he has been found to be accused of. They also share differences in views on religion but they can still respect each other despite their differences which is what he can’t do with the other priest. Josh O Connor tries to prove that his past dose not define him as a person and he truly has changed into a better person and that in so many ways faith saved his life and the way O’ Connor channels into the emotional depth of the character is truly terrific to watch as you see the raw emotional pain he is for a good portion of the film for being the number one suspect but still feeling the need to prove that he isn’t the person people view him as. Josh has this way of showing the vulnerability to who he plays with great honesty through his ability to read it all over his face and his eyes and he is truly outstanding in this film I think it is one of the best pieces of acting he has shown so far and with every performance he seems to prove upon the last one as he is an amazingly talented actor that I hope goes on to do big things. Josh O Connor plays the conflicted priest who’s heart is in the right place and the amount of layers that are peeled back about this character is magnificently shown by O’ Connor in a truly sensational turn in this film. 

Daniel Craig : Craig gives another strong turn as the southern detective we all love! Now Daniel Craig has played Benoit three times now and what I love about his approach to the role each time is he finds new ways to explore sides of him we have yet to see and keep him fresh each time we see him onscreen which makes it so fun to see what fun antics he will be up to. I love the approach of not revealing everything about this amazingly well written role that is one of the most compelling original characters we have seen in the last 30 years. He does not want to tell you each aspect about him but keeping that mystique about him is part of the fun of seeing him is not knowing everything is part of the fun. Instead of just laying out his entire personality for us to know all about him he instead gives tidbits of sides to his personality within every film and case. Like we learn his stance on religion and how he does not believe and we learn why but that there is not revealing too much about him but it gives you enough to find out something new to be intrigued by and Daniel Craig gets those new bits of his personality that is revealed that he gets to play within of the detectives arc. We see him grapple with his thoughts on how faith how impacted himself personally and that Father Judd isn’t trying to convert him but try to listen to why he thinks the way he does about faith. Both of them also have amazing onscreen chemistry and they bounce off one another so well Craig does not overstay his welcome with his character which I think is important to talk about because he lets the conflict that is going on with Father Judd be explained in great detail first before dropping into the story and I love that Rian only injects Benoit into the story when he feels it is the right moment. Craig also is not as comedic as he usually is which I think was a great change of pace he does sure have moments of comedic wit for sure but it is not the driving tone of his performance this time around and I love that he will find new ways into the character to explore we don’t know about him and even if it means changing up how we have seen him in the past is amazing. Craig once again delivers another great turn as the southern detective he may not be in the film for as long as people expected but he does such a great job with the screen time he does have and shines a hole through the frame in each scene he’s in Craig is magnificent and even though Benoit may not be a believer by the end of the film you can see his newfound respect for religion and faith Daniel Craig is amazing once again. 

Rian Johnson : Rian has crafted truly one of the best films of his career with the writing on this third entry in the Knives Out Brand he has carved out for himself. Now these films he has given us over the course of 6 years have been amazing as he surrounds each film with such a terrific set of actors and all of which give their absolute all while capturing such great dialogue that perfectly suits each character and layers it with mystery and intrigue that you have no idea where the film will turn next. I wrote back in 2019 in my first review for Knives Out how incredibly hard it is to craft a well thought out murder mystery and Johnson has cracked that formula and knows exactly how to give some of the greatest murder mystery stories we have seen in over 30 plus years. Each film he has given us has had commentary on something larger at hand as the first one was about immigration and the rich and the power dynamic between the two the second film was about the pandemic and out of touch billionaires and tech bros and then with this film it is about religion. I think the way he tackles his thoughts on faith is very profound as Rian Johnson has been very vocal about his conflicted feelings on that specific subject since his early upbringing and how his relationship with faith has changed over the course of his life so incorporating those complex personal thoughts and injecting it into the narrative was a smart way for him to come to terms with his thoughts on the matter. The film is about being a better person through the prospect of faith and the way he opens the film up with Father Judd and how he has had a troubled past but wants to be better then what he was in the past is so touching and so he turned to faith for a recourse of his life going forward and how he wants to show people how they can as well be shown the positive ways of religion. When he is met with a very hostile person who uses the subject of faith in a very negative way he finds that he has to protect the church in anyway he can to preserve the pure message of what the church is supposed to represent and Rian is able to tackle all of that all before Daniel Craig even enters the frame is is amazing as he wants the audience to become emotionally so drawn into father Judd and his journey before he drops Craig into the narrative which I think is such a genius idea. As then the moment Craig is in the film we see how his relationship with Blanc is and how Blanc is not a believer of the subject of religion and despite their differences can still respect one another and the film still wraps the audience in the murder mystery you come to expect from these films but it is not just a retread of what we have seen before. He is able to pack such a powerful emotional punch with the themes of faith, redemption and religion that yes I was deeply satisfied with the way he was able to incorporate the two in a way that complimented one another and worked thematically so well. The film at times I felt this old fashioned gothic mystery element to the frame because of where the film’s location takes place. Some people will knock this film for not having a more detailed Mystery element in the sense the first film made motives on how each character could of potentially of done the murder where as this film is more about a meditation on religion and the way the murder mystery element is done is from the perspective of a locked room mystery which they actually point out within the film. I think this is right next to the first film for being the second best Knives Out Story as a film but in terms of wiring this is his sharpest Knives Out film. Rian Johnson only seems to get better and better with each entry and I cannot wait to see what direction the next one can go into As Rian Johnson has cemented him as the modern day Murder mystery genius writer overall great direction and phenomenal writing by Johnson that is about the fragility topic of religion wrapped in a murder mystery.