26 Years Online
••• The International Writers Magazine - Film Review

Wake Up Dead Man: Knives Out 3 Starring Daniel Craig, Josh O’Connor, Andrew Scott, Mila Kunis, Josh Brolin, Jeremy Renner, Glen Close Directed by Rian Johnson • Sam North review

This is the final Benoit Blanc movie. The first was a fun and refreshing take on the Christie's whodunits and still a favourite starring the wonderful Ana de Armas.  The second was a bit too clever and now here’s number 3 – which is in fact a mirthless straightforward impossible to solve murder mystery.

The full first half of the movie is taken up with setting up the fully deserved murder of Monsignor Wicks (played with demonic vigor by Josh Brolin). It’s a Catholic ‘Murder in the Cathedral’ type of thing, only it’s a gothic church in upstate New York at a fictional Chimney Rock (a perfect setting for a dark theme). A nice surprise to see Mila Kunis playing a local cop chief.

A newly arrived priest (Josh O'Connor) with a violent past is sent to nurture the diminishing flock who are in the grip of Wicks’ wicked preaching. It’s enough to keep us busy for an hour and this young priest called Father Duplenticy (which is rather close to duplicitous) begins to realise how evil and scheming Wicks is.

Of course, we the audience are waiting for the murder and the much-delayed arrival of the famous detective Benoit Blanc.

Rian Johnson has been a favourite director of mine since his neo-noir Brick and the manic Looper, but his sense of humour seems to have deserted him here and it’s always a worry when someone casts Glen Close as a devoted follower of Christ. She seems to ooze evil no matter what she does. 

To our amazement and Mr Blanc he can’t seem to solve this impossible murder. Which rather negates the purpose of a crime fiction detective story.

 After arriving in the cinema with high hopes I left disappointed and rather glad this series has come to an end.
© Sam North December 1st 2025
author of 'Another Place to Die: The Endtime Chronicles'

Trailer: On Netflix nowish

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