I’d hoped that Daniel Craig might make Benoit Blanc his big “post Bond” role, and now we have a trilogy!
I do wish they could/would give up on the “A Knives Out Mystery” though. It doesn’t make sense. Knives Out was one story and named so for a reason. It’s not the name of a series. “A Benoit Blanc Case” or similar would make far more sense.
With that particular bugbear of mine out of the way, Wake Up Dead Man is another decent entry in the series. Looking back it was clear to me that Glass Onion wasn’t quite as good as Knives Out, and I’d put this latest entry above it too. A one three two. And that’s down to three main things.
One. Daniel Craig wears suits that fit and suit him more than any of his Bond ensembles.
Two. Josh O’Connor is brilliant in the main role. As fun as Blanc is, he isn’t the main character of these films. O’Connor’s Priest Jud is the protagonist, and he manages to bring a mix of faithful understanding with a steely centre to the story. Jud’s backstory is lightweight in terms of what we’re told but clearly takes a toll. To see him fight for his faith and continually return to it ties into three.
Three! I found it very interesting how the film discusses religion. Jud is an extreme counterpoint to Blanc in how he views religion. Their conversations, and both sides acknowledgement of the pros and cons of it all, makes it clear that the story isn’t trying to make you think anything. It doesn’t have a stance on it all. It just uses it to show us more about the characters. There isn’t the cute look into Benoit’s life this time, but his feelings on God tell us a lot about him too.
As both a who done it and a how did they did do it, Wake Up Dead Man is another intriguing Benoit Blanc case.
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