Movie Review - Wake Up Dead Man

Director: Rian Johnson
Genre: Mystery/ Thriller
Runtime: 144 minutes
Year: 2025
Starring: Daniel Craig, Josh O’Connor, Josh Brolin, Glenn Close, Kerry Washington, Andrew Scott, Jeremy Renner, Thomas Haden Church, Mila Kunis, Cailee Spaeny, Jeffrey Wright, Daryl McCormack
 
Description: Benoit Blanc (Daniel Craig) returns for his most dangerous case yet.
 
Review: Director Rian Johnson has never made a secret of his deep-rooted love for old-fashioned murder mysteries. That make two of us. His “Knives Out” films, this being the third in the series, are a clear tribute to Agatha Christie, with the only regular being Benoit Blanc, as a contemporary Hercule Poiroit.

“Knives Out” became an instant all-time favorite, having rewatched it many times already. The second film, “Glass Onion”, took some time to get used to, mainly because the setting felt less Christie-esk, but loved the mystery jus as much. And I absolutely loved “Wake Up Dead Man”. This film feels a bit more like “Knives Out”, when it comes to vibes and atmosphere, and yet again a clever whodunnit with a stellar cast and lots of humor.

The atmosphere is grim and leans towards a gothic mystery, with a church in New York State as a setting. The script is great, full of humor, witty dialogue and social commentary (the Christian right wing and tolerance being highlighted).

That Daniel Craig is great as Benoit Blanc, is a given by now. I actually think this is his best role ever, and not James Bond. I know, a hot take. The star-studded cast deliver solid performances, such as Glenn Close, Josh Brolin, Jeremy Renner and Kerry Washington. But Josh O’Connor as priest Jud is particularly noteworthy. His complex characters often steals the show and he forms a great duo with Blanc.

Some critics say it’s the best film in the franchise, or at least almost as good as the first film. Well, I am officially giving this film a 5-star rating, just like the other two. Making it a strong, solid, amazing murder mystery series. And I will be rewatching this film many time over.

Rating: 5/ 5

In the Picture: The Characters from "Django Unchained"

With "Django Unchained" director Quentin Tarantino delivered another masterpiece and created again some memorable and unique characters. Here they are.

Django Freeman
Played by: Jamie Foxx
Django has been soled as a slave and is seperated from his beloved wife Broomhilda. When he meets King Schulz he gets the oppertunity to find her and to get his life back. Django is a strongwilled man and does everything to get his wife back.

Dr. King Schultz
Played by: Christoph Waltz
Schultz is the one that frees Django and offers him a better life by helping Schultz as a bountyhunter. In return he will help Django find his wife. Schultz is a loyal man, with a strange sence of humor and he can outsmart anyone.

Calvin Candie
Played by: Leonardo DiCaprio
Calvin Candie is the owner of Candyland and he's the one that has Broomhilda in his possession. Although he is a very charming man, Candie is very brutal and relentless. He's a fan of Mandigo fighting, which forces two men two fight each other to the death.

Broomhilda Von Shaft
Played by: Kerry Washington
Broomhilda is Django's wife and she lives with Candie and works for him. She is obedient, because she has no choice. She wants to survive so she can reunite with her husband someday.

Stephen
Played by: Samuel L. Jackson
Stephen works for Candie and is the worst of them all. He's a snitch en extremely cruel. Although he's black himself, he can act like a racist toward fellow black people.

Favorite Character: Dr. King Schultz