To confess to a priest is to be exposed. To confess to the police is to be absolved - "Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery" Spoiler-Free Review

The new Rian Johnson whodunnit "Knives Out" film is quite good. I was very disappointed by "Glass Onion" back in 2022, and I had seen it 3 times by now and I am still not impressed. I think it's just a watchable film, but the plot is overcomplicated with not enough information for the mystery to act as a good mystery. This is a similar gripe I have with the new film "Wake up dead man" but this one is the most thematic, emotionally resonant, deeply meaningful film yet. 

The film chooses to be a film about faith and the search for truth disguised as a whodunnit. Similar to how the first "Knives Out" film is a satire disguised as a whodunnit. I feel like Rian Johnson seems to over complicate the mystery elements of this film. The murder mystery investigation just moves forward constantly at a rate that the audience cannot follow, and therefore we just have to watch Benoit Blanc, played by Daniel Craig, just solve the mystery without us. We don't know what's going on in his mind, because he doesn't explain. We don't know why many characters are saying things and doing things until the reveal happens at the very end. The content of the reveal at the end is once again reminds me of what disappointed me in "Glass Onion," in that, it is not a whodunnit that takes its time to follow every clue and ensures that the audience is intact.

Fortunately, this film decides to also be a religious film along with being a murder mystery. The religious conversation is so much more interesting than the mystery itself. So I wish it focused more on it. It is so brilliant the way Rian Johnson writes about the complex relationship between the people searching for truth through their faith and people searching for truth through reason. Josh O'Connor's character Father Jud expresses a certain empathy that embraces all, and allows people to face their truths and understand that they are not alone. However, Detective Blanc approaches the search for truth through logic and reason, and in a certain way, sort of like a game. The final scene of the film with the reveal and everything is so fantastic as it is able to weave the religious themes throughout the entire film that it is one of the best screenplays of the decade. It chooses not to just be a mystery film but a film with a wide heart.

There are many things in the film that aid in this thematic depth: lighting, ensemble, production design. Everything is quite good and solid here. There's really nothing to criticize other than the plot problem I have mentioned above. The lighting is truly one of the things that stand out the most to me. The light shines into the interior of the church and stops shining at certain moments. Keep in mind which direction the light is shining, what it is shining at, and when it stops shining. It is very important as it communicates a lot of meaning.

Josh O'Connor might be my favorite lead of any Knives Out film. Ana de Armas and Janelle Monae did a good job in each of their films but Josh O'Connor's character is given so much more than the others. Another thing to note is that this film really has a deep emotional core. I really didn't imagine myself digging into the pathos behind many of the characters, but by the end, I was very much emotionally invested.

'To confess to a priest is to be exposed. To confess to the police is to be absolved.' This is my quote for the film. I think it really sums up the themes of the film really nicely and, just in case you were wondering, it is not a typo. Go watch the film, you will know what I mean.

Wake Up Dead Man: 4.5/5.0