. 

This is clearly now the third film in the series that takes its recurring subtitle from the first 2019 movie. That original was an Autumnal stately home, family murder mystery and it was followed by the tonally contrasting Summer set killer caper Glass Onion. This new instalment once again mixes things up, with its distinctly wintery feel and its deeply religious and political themes. If they follow the seasonal atmosphere and the borrowing of song titles/lyrics for the names then next up might be Cherry Blossom Ending or Spring Can Really Hang You Up. Either way it is sure to feel very different from what has come before and it will still have Daniel Craig’s eccentric detective at the heart of it. 

With the shifting characterisation of its lead player and the inclusion of some spirituality, Wake Up Dead Man put me quite strongly in mind of Branagh’s third Poirot movie A Haunting in Venice. This is a lot tighter than that film though. Whereas Branagh seemed to be trying speculatively to find a new vibe, here director Rian Johnson is totally in control. Yes, Craig’s Benoit Blanc has evolved significantly since his first appearance, but for the accent feeling like a slightly different person to the one we initially met (we’ve gone from OCD in Knives Out, to borderline autistic in Glass Onion, to perhaps just mild ADHD here). Still though this is a filmmaker completely in command of his craft. 

This movie is the first of the three to openly reference Agatha Christie, along with several other famous crime writers. Whether Johnson felt this or not, this is fitting as this is the first time he can genuinely be named alongside these authors. The intricacies of the murder here is truly worthy of being held up in this company and the structure of the narrative that lays it out is excellent. The running time well exceeds two hours but it is enthralling and each chapter brings nice revelations and developments. This is definitely the best of these films and in this context at least it might be the director’s masterpiece. 

The story doesn’t actually centre on Blanc, focusing instead on Josh O’Connor’s newly appointed priest in a church run by a prejudiced and boorish preacher. The length of the movie means that Craig doesn’t really turn up for forty five minutes yet he is not missed. This follows the pattern of having Benoit Blanc team up with a potential suspect in an enclosed community to solve the crime but more than Ana de Armas or Janelle Monáe before him, O’Connor is the ostensible lead. The notable actors in the rest of the cast all play second fiddle to this but their performances are delightful too. Of all of them Andrew Scott feels most underused and Jeremy Renner, returning to the screen after his debilitating accident, seems a little muted. Everyone though, from Josh Brolin and Glenn Close to Mila Kunis and Cailee Spaeny, brings huge value to the now de rigueur ensemble. 

As is also typical of Rian Johnson there is subtext here too. The church is challenged but respectfully so, politics and certain party machinations are given a fly by and the whole thing is almost meta in how it deals with the internet more broadly and Netflix specifically. 

I cannot recommend Wake Up Dead Man enthusiastically enough. It continues a tradition in genre cinema that the series had already earned its place in, but cements itself as being at the absolute top of this game. It tells its story with precision and grips from beginning to end, rewarding its audience with every step. Whatever comes next, and while I suspect there will be more Benoit Blanc my guess is that Johnson might take a break from this, I am going to investigate. To take another line from the U2 song that this film at least partially takes its name from; I’m waiting here boss… tell me the story.