Wake Up Dead Man: Will Rian Never Amount to What He Started?

Knives Out was a film that, in my opinion, jump-started a new era. Whodunit style mysteries had not been in the limelight for a good while, and in 2019 we were still riding the superhero boom that began 11 years prior. So being able to witness this extremely tight script and stylized film in the movie theater accompanied by my whole family (grandparents included) still sticks with me to this day. Daniel Craig had rebranded to a comforting yet witty lead after owning the frosty personality of James Bond over the previous decade, which was really all he was known for. After a period of overly serious, dark, and gritty displays of mainstream stories, Knives Out was something fresh, enjoyable, and joyously made its way into the mainstream crowd. And adding a bonus for business, it is heavily franchisable. After the success of Knives Out, Netflix decided to offer Johnson a two film deal for the next installments in the franchise. Glass Onion, the second in the franchise and first in the Netflix deal, was considered less favored than Knives Out. It was only offerd a two week theatrical window by Netflix, who brands themselves as the superior choice between the two experiences. Now with Wake Up Dead Man, the second and last in the Netflix contract, the audience is warming back up to Johnson's world, favoring the more antique and lived-in setting over the polished modern one in the second film (this is my personal preference as well.) However, after the ongoing success of this franchise, and the developing character of Benoit Blanc, it fascinates me that the first film in this series is still the best, despite being the only one that’s not a murder mystery. Maybe it’s because of Netflix, or maybe it’s because the combination of the Knives Out cast with a script like that just can’t be replicated.

Each film has had a themed setting - first being about a renowned family and mystery writer, to a modern and technical group of friends, to now a priest and his flock in a small church in upstate New York. Considering how religion is portrayed in mainstream media, I appreciate both perspectives of Christianity and the church in this story. I am not really religious, but most stories these days that show the corrupt side of the Christian church (which is valid) don’t really show the alternative, and it just paints Christianity as a whole in bad light. Josh O’Connor, the true lead of this story, played his role as a young priest with a dark past really well and was very touching in his moments. Knives Out had the best use of its supporting cast— maybe it’s because of the characters/situation they played (a family) but that’s something that the next two films in Blanc’s adventures failed to carry on. These supporting characters in this film felt very much like side characters. The focus on Blanc’s and Judd’s relationship felt pleasant and strengthened the film as a whole, but I felt like the rest of the main suspects were pushed to the side, while in Knives Out, every character had their place, their weight, their presence in the story. 

This film did a great job at really keeping you on your toes with who the murderer is. I was second guessing myself at least 5 times throughout the film. On my first watch, I felt as if the flow of the plot fluctuated, like it wasn’t a smooth ride throughout the story; it felt kind of bumpy in some places and kind of flat in others. However, after rewatching the film many months later, I didn't feel this as strongly. But in the end, the pacing was nowhere near as tight as Knives Out. Visually, this film excelled in creativity. Lighting being used as symbolism was very well done and noticable, bringing forth the themes of dark and light. The colored film panels overlaying the lens for an almost stained glass visual was extremely creative. Also, really cool camera work with zooms and lens switching, I can tell they had fun with this one. I didn’t feel much presence from the score - the Knives Out score still sticks with me after 6 years of that films release. I’m still mad it wasn’t even nominated for an Oscar. 

Wake Up Dead Man was a great addition to the Knives Out franchise (really it should be called A Benoit Blanc Mystery), but I felt it was still missing that cherry on top that was delivered to us in that first film. Since Rian’s contract with Netflix ends after this film, I wonder how his 4th will do. Will it gain back its strength that Knives Out had? Or is Knives Out simply a near-masterpiece that truly can’t be replicated?