In a few days, a few theaters will have what we might call “Knives Out 3” from Rian Johnson.
But “Wake Up Dead Man” isn’t titled as a “Knives Out” movie the way “Glass Onion” was. It may so in the ads, but on the title cards at the beginning and the end there’s no mention of the original movie that started this series.
I’m not surprised. The original “Knives Out” oozed charm and cleverness. The second, “Glass Onion,” had too many celebrities and not enough story. It was if someone said, Here’s a huge budget, waste it as you wish.
Now comes “Wake Up, Dead Man,” which I see on Rotten Tomatoes almost every blogger has liked a lot. I wish I could count myself in that group. But despite Glenn Close giving an acting class, the movie feels like a long episode of “Grantchester,” the PBS imported English series in which a young priest goes around solving crimes. (And that show was almost non sectarian compared to this.)
In this case, the priest is played by John O’Connor as Father Jud Duplenticy, a former boxer who killed someone long ago. His last name feels like it’s supposed to mean “Duplicity,” I think. After he clocks someone at his own church, Jud is sent to a small upstate New York village, assigned to one with few parishioners left and a cult like Monsignor named Wicks (Josh Brolin) who is so resentful he keeps confessing pleasuring himself to Jud..
Immediately Jud realizes the Monsignor is dangerous and crazy but armed with a group of eccentrics in his midst. Monsignor has an ardent employee played by Glenn Close as if she were Mrs. Danvers from “Rebecca.” You know she’s up to no good immediately. There’s also a cast of loosely connected churchgoers that includes Kerry Washington, Jeremy Renner, and Andrew Scott (so much better in this season’s “Blue Moon”). Geoffrey Wright is the wise local bishop. Milas Kunis is the cute village sheriff, sort of filling the Ana de Armas role from the first film.
After a murder occurs, Daniel Craig arrives on the scene as the trim and dandy private detective Benoit Blanc, speaking in his magnolia-dripping Southern accent. Unlike in the other films, little background about him is given. As we know Blanc has a reputation as a case solver extraordinaire. He’s a famous mystery author. But little by little, in each movie, he’s become less interesting. In “Wake Up,” he’s actually plays second fiddle to O’Connor’s Jud, and it’s really weird.
Nevertheless, the murder must be solved, and everyone is a suspect — sort of. But director-writer Rian Johnson has made a very talky film that relies on O’Connor in almost every scene. He’s also invested “Wake Up” with a lot of Christian theology to the point where many in the audience may feel like they’ve walked into a faith based film. There are a lot of deadly boring philosophical diatribes that could have been replaced with more interaction among the parishioners. (They barely seem to know each other.)
Indeed, with O’Connor giving dimply smiles and flirting with everyone, the movie feels like a set up for a series of “Father Jud Mysteries” rather than Benoit Blanc adventures. It’s not until late in the film when Blanc suddenly takes the reins of the film in hand and sets out to identify the killer. If you’ve waited, this is the payoff. But in almost every beat leading up that, Blanc is sidelined, mostly by Jud.
Of course, there are some jokes– not a lot. The humor comes from a lot of wink wink. In this episode there are plenty of little Easter eggs and asides, references to Oprah’s book club and “Star Wars.” Kunis, who is Jewish in real life, gets to say “oy vey” at one point, ha ha. As they say these days, If you know, you know.
Many of the stars have little do to but look mysterious. Their characters are rushed and underdeveloped. Kerry Washington could have so much more. She lights up the screen. Thomas Haden Church as a small role, so does Caelee Spaeny. Bridget Everett’s Louise is a total non sequitir, only there to show that Jud is a sympathetic priest. A lot of the story is strapped to the back of Daryl McCormack, the least well known of the group.
The joys of the first “Knives Out” may never be resurrected. The casting was perfect, and the characters were drawn sharply. Christopher Plummer’s patriarch may not have been sympathetic but at least he was the central motivating reason for the film’s plot. Brolin’s Monsignor, however, is just awful. I kind of wished every suspect had killed him.
“Wake Up, Dead Man” will play in a very limited run for a week or so before heading to Netflix, where it belongs. I think the Netflix folks know that. They’ve got bigger fish to fry with “Frankenstein” and “Jay Kelly.”