Wake Up Dead Man - Killer Mystery

It's another Knives Out mystery.

Benoit Blanc (Daniel Craig) comes to the aid of an associate priest Jud Duplenticy (Josh O'Connor) at a local church when Monsignor Jefferson Wicks (Josh Brolin) is murdered, and Reverend Jud is the prime suspect.

Whenever I'm watching a movie like this, I ask of only a few things: a great story, a great cast, and a clear answer as to whodunnit and why. I love puzzles and mysteries, so when I watch mysteries I'm always sitting there running through the info we're given to try and solve it before the "Here's what happened..." reveal.

Rian Johnson knows how to write a compelling mystery. A mystery that seems so impossible only one man can solve it...Adrian Monk. Wait, no. Benoit Blanc, but let's face it, Monk and Team Psych could put it together too.

The cast, as per usual, is fantastic in their roles. You feel for Rev. Jud because he already has a past. Before becoming a priest he was a boxer and killed a guy in the ring. O'Connor wants to do good for his parish, but a select group of church members are almost cult like under Monsignor Wicks. As a newcomer wanting to make small changes to carve out his place there does not go very well with them and Wicks.

After being spotted threatening Wicks, O'Connor natural becomes suspect numer one. Brolin is chilling as this "fire and brimstone" type priest. He verbally attacks (subtly and not so subtly) parishioners, especially newcomers.

REDDIT

There is an added layer to the mysterious death of Mon. Wicks...there's a hidden inheritance somewhere on the grounds. Motive for murder. Things take a strange turn when Wicks seemingly raises from the dead...hence the title.

Like any good mystery our cast of characters have a motive to kill Wicks. The night before his death, he was going to go scorched earth on them before leaving the parish.

As the reveals start coming in you bounce around from suspect to suspect, questioning if the death was faked to begin with. So, who was the killer? Who killed Wix in that tiny room with no secret entrance where he was alone?

That'd be telling and it'll be on Netflix soon. Will say this...

I'd grade my solving of this movie to be 60-70%. I knew the precise location of the inheritance when it was announced. I knew who the killer was. I did NOT get the motives and the how. Because there were a lot of little things that you find out at the very end where you're like "oooohhhhhhh".

Rain Johnson always gets a great cast for his Knives Out movies. They're always at the top of their game. The only thing I kind of don't like is you have the great Daniel Craig, with the smooth British accent, and he's forced to do a Foghorn Leghorn accent. Fully know that it's part of the book series, but still. This Sherlockian detective with a thick southern accent coming out of Daniel Craig? It's just slightly offputting.

The story was good, if not a little convoluted in parts. You want to know the who and why and will sit there until all the answers are revealed.

I know in today's society we tend to play with our phones while watching movies and tv shows. You cannot do that with movies like this. It's a mystery. Even the smallest detail, the slightest camera angle, will help you figure it out and its hard to truly enjoy and appreciate a mystery movie if you're glued to your phone.

So, if you want to enjoy the ride, enjoy the mystery, I have one thing to say:

Put. The. Phone. Down. And. Watch.

Immerse yourself in the mystery, it's a good one. You'll be questioning it until the very end. And no, this movie doesn't bash the Catholic Church with how Wicks acts. It shows how it can go to far in that right, but the newbie priest? He truly cares and wants to help.

There's a part in the movie where he calls a company to get some information, information that would exonerate him as the killer. The woman he talks to helps by tracking the info and would have later, but she was also troubled. He stops and leaves Benoit behind to talk to her in private, to help her through it as any good priest would. Showing compassion and love to people even outside the congregation.

You don't have to see this one in theaters. Because it's Netflix produced it'll be available on December 12th. If you want to take a break from the holiday movie watching because you're tired of seeing the big city girl head back to her hometown after being fired and fall in love with the small-town guy who she ignored in high school and became a hunk shows her how great Christmas is...a Knives Out mystery is the perfect antidote.

Highly recommend.

4/5