'Wake Up Dead Man' review: Another sharp 'Knives Out' mystery

WHAT IT'S ABOUT Detective Benoit Blanc (Daniel Craig) returns to the screen in "Wake Up Dead Man," the third entry in the "Knives Out" movie series from writer-director Rian Johnson.

The expert sleuth with the Southern drawl takes second billing to Jud Duplenticy (Josh O'Connor), a Catholic priest sent to an upstate New York parish lorded over by the firebrand Monsignor Jefferson Wicks (a ranting and raving Josh Brolin, complete with long hair and a bushy beard).

Wicks has maintained a small but devoted following. The inner circle consists of Martha Delacroix (Glenn Close), who helps run the parish; local doctor Nat Sharp (Jeremy Renner); attorney Vera Draven (Kerry Washington); sci-fi author Lee Ross (Andrew Scott); Simone Vivane (Cailee Spaeny), a cellist with a nerve condition; and failed political candidate Cy Draven (Daryl McCormack). Other characters include the police chief, played by Mila Kunis, and the parish's groundskeeper (Thomas Haden Church).

All of them, and Duplenticy himself, become suspects when Wicks is found slain just off the altar during a Good Friday service.

MY SAY This is a different "Knives Out" than its predecessors: the Agatha Christie-adjacent original, which took place largely on the grounds of a lavish estate, and the sequel, "Glass Onion," with its Greek island setting and satirical depiction of the world of tech billionaires.

Johnson shifts the focus inward in "Wake Up Dead Man" and comes away with a movie that investigates questions about faith and forgiveness just as effectively as it does the whodunit plot.

It's quieter than its predecessors and more restrained. At its heart lies the story of Duplenticy, a former boxer who joined the priesthood after killing someone in the ring. He's sent to Wicks' parish after punching a deacon. The movie finds its most affecting drama in its depiction of the conflict between the character's primal impulses and his desire to be the best version of himself through helping others in his ministry.

O'Connor captures this by combining genuine kindness and strength with a palpable sense of fear, the fear that comes with wondering if you're really up to the mission that you've made your life's calling. The actor has been busy for the past half-decade or so, including playing a young King Charles in "The Crown" and co-starring with Zendaya in "Challengers." But this is a true star-making performance; he commands attention in every scene, and without relying on a scenery-chewing flourish.

"Wake Up Dead Man" has its share of the broad comic touches that defined the first two movies. We've already addressed Brolin's Wicks. Close plays Martha as if she's possessed with demonic fervor. Craig does his usual droll thing, while Johnson again adds little notes of idiosyncratic humor to the character.

There's enough here to make "Wake Up Dead Man" a "Knives Out" movie in the expected sense. But audience members looking for something more will also find it. The soul is the real mystery and a small but meaningful personal revelation is the real reward.

BOTTOM LINE There's plenty of life left in the continuing adventures of Benoit Blanc.