After 10ish days and 23 movies my TIFF 2025 has come to a close. There are still plenty more reviews to come, but this was the big final movie of the festival I had been looking forward to so I want to get this review out now. This is the third Knives Out movie to premier at the festival but the first I've had the chance to see, so I'd say it was the perfect way to end out the fiftieth edition of TIFF.
Wake Up Dead Man is the latest instalment in the Rian Johnson's tales of renowned detective Benoit Blanc. This latest entry starts off following a young priest Jud Duplenticy (Josh O'Connor) who is sent to assist a radical preacher Monsignor Wicks (Josh Brolin). Tensions within the pews rise until a mysterious murder throws the small town's church goers into disarray. Enter Benoit Blanc (Daniel Craig), the modern day gentleman sleuth with the smoothest southern drawl you ever did hear.
This is probably the least we've gotten of Craig in these movies so far. For most of the first act we're following Jud as he tells the story leading up to the murder. This gives us some time to meet the supporting cast as well, and it isn't until a decent while into the film that Blanc actually shows up. When he is on screen though, he's as great as ever, delivering hilarious monologues and some of the funniest moments he's had in the franchise. Sadly I do think the ensemble was the worst we've gotten so far, not because of the actors but because of the limitations they were given by the script. Cailee Spaeny and Andrew Scott in particular felt very underserved by the screenplay, and while they had a bit more to do, Darryl McCormack, Kerry Washington, and Jeremy Renner all had much smaller roles than I expected. That being said, Josh O'Connor as Jud is the best supporting character we've had so far. He essentially takes on the role of Watson to Blanc's Holmes and O'Connor's talents as an actor are on full display. He's funny but also extremely easy to empathize with. On the other side of the coin is Brolin, whose Monsignor Wicks is as over the top as a fictional priest can get, but it suits the story perfectly. The other noteworthy cast member is of course the magnificent Glenn Close, who delivers as awesome as a performance as you would expect from her here.
Stylistically I think this took a fun turn in terms of visuals. The first film had the big old school manor, Glass Onion was in an ultramodern island mansion, whereas this film takes on a kind of gothic style with its church setting. The church and religion are used really interestingly in the story but even aside from that, the spooky vibe the church gives at times makes for a fresh vibe compared to what has come before. There's an eeriness that even allows Johnson to pull a pretty great jump scare, and play with the idea of the supernatural just a little bit. The film focusing so heavily on a character other than Blanc early on is also something new and I really loved that shift. Part of that is because of how great Josh O'Connor was, but it also just allows us to care deeply for a character other than the detective in a way I don't think we've gotten before. Naturally the sets and costumes are fantastic here, as is the score once again.
Some will definitely say there are moments the film drags, especially with how long it takes to properly introduce Blanc to the story, but the final act is electric and as always I found Johnson's twists and turns to be too much fun. Really my biggest complaint is that there are so many underused actors that I love, but Josh O'Connor's character and performance make up for that in my eyes. 4.5/5
Comments
Post a Comment