The third instalment of the Knives Out series, does not disappoint says Giles Gough. It’s a cracking whodunnit - but it’s the depiction of one priest that will make this film an enduring hit
Prior to its release in 2019, few could have predicted how much of a runaway success Knives Out would be. Perhaps it was seeing a whodunnit back on the big screen, or Daniel Craig having so much fun putting as much distance as possible between himself and 007. Either way, the film grossed over $300m from a modest $40m budget, making a sequel inevitable.
Glass Onion, released in 2022, built on themes from the first film by looking at the hubris of billionaires and the coterie of right-wing influencers they surround themselves with. The film’s success on Netflix once again demanded a sequel. But after taking on the richest people on the planet, where can you possibly go from there?
Why, God of course.
That is to say, those who claim to be God’s representatives on earth. It’s not Christianity per se that writer and director Rian Johnson is aiming at in this latest film, it’s the people who use Christ in their quest for dominance.
Preach it
Wake up Dead Man follows the murder of firebrand preacher, Monsignor Wicks (Josh Brolin) who is found dead in the latest spin on the locked door mystery. His small congregation obey him with an almost cult-like devotion. The only possible suspect is the newly arrived young priest, Father Jud Duplenticy - played by the compelling Josh O’Connor, who shot to fame after playing a young Prince Charles in the third series of The Crown.
Not since the ‘Hot Priest’ hit our screens in the second series of Fleabag has a fictional member of the clergy so captured the public’s imagination. Author and speaker Michael Frost called Father Jud “one of the best depictions of a man deeply devoted to his calling to Christian ministry” - and it’s easy to see why.
A former boxer, the first time we meet Fr Jud is when we see him knocking out a deacon for saying something horrendous. At his disciplinary, a senior priest chastises him, saying: “We need fighters today, but to fight the world, not ourselves. A priest is a shepherd; the world is a wolf.”
Jud bluntly but earnestly replies: “No…I don’t believe that Father, respectfully. Start fighting wolves and, before you know it, everyone you don’t understand is a wolf…Christ came to heal the world, not fight it.” It’s an exchange that will stay with viewers long after the film has ended.
Two kinds of faith
Dr Kevin Carnahan, a theology and philosophy professor at Central Methodist University, called the scene an example of the conflict between two kinds of Christianity: “One of the Christianities is a dualistic Christianity, which sees God and the world in competition with each other, and the world needs to be defeated for God to be victorious.
”The other is a version of Christianity in which God is not competitive with the world, but God is redeeming the world.”
InWake up Dead Man there is no doubt as to which type of Christianity is believed to be truly authentic. Brolin’s Monsignor Wicks is a violent, hateful, misogynistic bigot who, from the moment he refers to the building as “my church”, we know is the villain of the piece, even if he is dead.
After taking on the richest people on the planet, where can you possibly go from there? Why, God of course
In contrast, O’Connor’s Jud manages to deftly balance strength and compassion, mercy and drive. In one scene, he calls a small, family-run company in an attempt to discover a vital clue. Upon hearing that he’s a priest, the administrator asks if he will pray for her mother. When time is of the essence and every second counts, Jud does indeed stop to pray with someone who is worried about their mother. Not because it advances the plot or because she’s one of his parishioners, but simply because it is a soul in need. Honestly, it’s beautiful.
Some Christian critics may take issue with Craig’s detective, Benoit Blanc, and his “God is a fiction” dismissal of Christianity. But that’s OK. We don’t need every fictional character to believe – and, if they did, it would be kind of boring. What is enjoyable is watching Craig’s Blanc have his own crisis of faith. But crucially, it’s his faith in himself to solve any crime that is momentarily shaken.
Whether you’re looking for a discussion over what role the Church has to play in society, or simply after a really good murder mystery, this is the best Knives Out film yet.
Wake Up Dead Man is available to stream now on Netflix
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