Wake Up Dead Man: ‘arch and witty’ Knives Out sequel

Rian Johnson’s detective series “Knives Out” is one of “the most likeable cinematic developments of recent years”, said Patrick Cremona in Radio Times. This “excellent” third instalment sees Daniel Craig return as the brilliant Southern super-sleuth Benoit Blanc, tasked this time with cracking an “impossible crime” that has left local police baffled.

“Weirder”, “darker” and altogether more “unsettling” than its predecessors, it’s arguably the best one yet.

The action unfolds around a small Catholic church in upstate New York, where the “intimidating”, charismatic Monsignor Jefferson Wicks (Josh Brolin) has developed a cultish following. His younger, more principled assistant priest, Jud Duplenticy (Josh O’Connor) can’t hide his distaste; and when Wicks is found knifed to death just seconds after delivering a “fire-and-brimstone” sermon, Duplenticy emerges as the main suspect. Blanc must discover not just who committed the murder, but how they were able to commit it.

“Under the cosy crime trappings, the default mood is riotous dark comedy,” said Danny Leigh in the Financial Times. The political satire is hard to miss, and at times the tone seems a little off: the gags and cartoonish details sit oddly with a serious subplot about faith, in which Craig cedes centre stage to O’Connor.

But the “delicacy and deftness” of O’Connor’s performance gives it “unexpected spiritual depth”, said Robbie Collin in The Telegraph. And he’s supported by “a juicy crew of Cluedo archetypes”, from Andrew Scott’s sci-fi novelist to Glenn Close’s scene-stealing sacristan. Johnson is a great “whodunitician”, and his “watertight” storytelling pays homage to everything from Agatha Christie to “Scooby Doo”. “Wake Up Dead Man” is “typically arch and witty” – and it’s a lot of fun.