Wake Up Dead Man

 I sat down to watch Wake Up Dead Man on Netflix expecting another jaunty Knives Out romp. You know the sort of thing: wealthy idiots, extravagant houses, and a murder solved by a man who sounds like a foghorn trapped in a teacup.

What I got instead was a church. In winter. Full of guilt.

This time Benoit Blanc has wandered into a bleak little parish where everyone looks like they’ve either committed a sin, covered one up, or are thinking about doing both before lunch. The colour palette is fifty shades of grey misery, and for a while, you wonder if Netflix has accidentally auto-played a Scandinavian crime drama.

Now, let’s be clear. This is not bad. In fact, it’s very clever. Possibly too clever. Rian Johnson has decided that instead of poking fun at the rich, he’s going to poke faith, morality, hypocrisy, and the human soul. Which is bold. Admirable, even. But it also means that for the first chunk of the film, absolutely nothing explodes, and nobody makes a witty remark while holding a martini.

Daniel Craig eventually turns up, still sounding like a man who learnt English by being shouted at through a megaphone in Louisiana. And once he’s there, the film wakes up. Suddenly, it’s a proper whodunnit again. Secrets. Lies. People who absolutely did it but somehow didn’t. And twists that arrive just as you’re starting to feel smug.

The supporting cast is excellent. Everyone looks haunted. Nobody looks happy. Even the vicar seems like he’s one bad day away from burying a body under the vestry. It’s all very tense, very controlled, and very serious.

Visually, it’s gorgeous in that bleak, windswept, “nothing good has ever happened here” sort of way. Snow, candles, shadows, stone walls. If depression had a tourism board, this would be the advert.

The problem is that Wake Up Dead Man sometimes forgets it’s meant to be fun. It spends so much time contemplating guilt and belief that it occasionally forgets the joy of watching rich or powerful people unravel like cheap jumpers.

By the end, though, it pulls it back. The mystery clicks. The moral point lands. And you realise you’ve been watching a very intelligent film that simply refuses to grin while doing it.

So, is it the best Knives Out? Possibly. Is it the most entertaining? Not quite. It’s less champagne and more strong red wine. Thoughtful. Heavy. And best enjoyed when you’re in the mood to think rather than laugh.

In short, Wake Up Dead Man is a murder mystery that’s gone to church, found God, and come back slightly judgemental. Clever, brooding, and occasionally brilliant.

Just don’t expect a party.