The sharpest Knives Out yet skewers weaponised religion with empathy and wit

Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery (M18)

146 minutes, showing on Netflix

★★★★☆

The story: In the third movie of the Knives Out murder mystery series, the setting is the Catholic church of Our Lady of Perpetual Fortitude. It is the parish of Monsignor Wicks (Josh Brolin), a priest whom his followers view as a living deity. Church authorities assign young Father Jud (Josh O’Connor) to Monsignor Wick’s parish, but the older man resents the intrusion. An impossible crime occurs – someone is murdered while alone in a tiny room – drawing the interest of investigative consultant Benoit Blanc (Daniel Craig).

The latest brain-tickler from American film-maker Rian Johnson could not find a more traditional setting for a murder mystery. The village parish is where, in countless books and television shows, bodies turn up with alarming regularity.

Johnson adds his own twists. For one thing, there is a fight for the soul of the congregants, a battle that reflects a wider struggle in the United States. One side believes in a masculine warrior God intent on punishing the weak and struggling, and another believes that God helps the poor.

Monsignor Wicks and Father Jud represent both sides of the spectrum, but their presence would mean nothing if they failed to come across as real people. This is where the film shines. Wicks and Jud are palpably present, helped by the strong performances of Brolin and O’Connor respectively. Wicks is as muscular as his beliefs, and his bullying of Jud provides some of the film’s best comic moments.

Often, the easiest way to spot a bad movie is when it passes off a character as charismatic without the need to depict a trace of that quality. Johnson lays out the techniques behind cult charisma and why so many fall for it. Wicks shifts, like a chameleon, from delivering sermons damning non-believers to becoming a parishioner’s best friend or comforting older brother.

His followers are not brainwashed sheep, as outsiders would like to believe. Their faith is founded in their own contradictory set of psychological needs.

The personal and religious conflict would not matter if the central mystery were dull. This locked-room puzzle has all the trimmings: A corpse is found in an enclosed space with no means of entry or exit for a killer, leading to speculation about divine intervention, especially when the setting is considered.

Benoit is a man of science whose worldview leaves no room for miracles, but cracking the case requires him to empathise with, and respect, those who do believe in them.

After a dip in quality in Glass Onion (2022), a big, showy skewering of tech oligarchs, Johnson’s third movie is a return to form. It feels more personal and layered, while providing a sharp blackly comedic look at weaponised religion.

Hot take: The third Knives Out murder mystery is a layered locked-room mystery which respects faith and reason while exposing religious manipulation.