Josh O'Connor (Father Duplenticy) and Daniel Craig (Benoît Blanc) in 'Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery,' directed by Rian Johnson. JOHN WILSON/NETFLIX
From Spencer Tracy to Robert De Niro, Hollywood has always delighted in casting its leading men as priests – cassocks and clerical collars suit them so well. Although director Rian Johnson has slated his films for Netflix since 2019, he clearly belongs to the most traditional of American schools. So, it is not surprising to see him ordain Josh O'Connor, one of the most compelling young actors of the moment, in the third volume of the Benoît Blanc mysteries, brought together under the title of the trilogy's first film, Knives Out.
Wake Up Dead Man offers the same pleasures as its predecessors, Knives Out and Glass Onion: a flawless cast, a fiendishly clever puzzle worthy of Gaston Leroux or John Dickson Carr and a pace that keeps suspense alive while allowing viewers to savor the performances of the cast and director. This time, the film adds a healthy dose of metaphysics, lending Wake Up Dead Man a darker tone and a more anxious mood.
Roles against type
Father Duplenticy (O'Connor) is sent by his bishop to assist Monsignor Jefferson Wicks (Josh Brolin), a prelate who has turned his parish into an unassailable stronghold. Upon arrival, the young Duplenticy discovers a core group of parishioners devoted body and soul to a reactionary priest for whom charity is the least of the cardinal virtues. This situation is described in detail by a local police officer (Mila Kunis) in a letter to Benoît Blanc (Daniel Craig), the Southern, gay and skeptical detective – by both profession and conviction – who allowed Craig to shed his James Bond tuxedo in one fell swoop. This letter allows Johnson, who also wrote the screenplay, to introduce his collection of quirky parishioners, and it is clear that they will all soon become suspects.
