Refine Reviews: ‘Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery’

The third installment of Rian Johnson’s Knives Out mystery series dropped on Netflix on Dec. 12. Daniel Craig returns as the infamous detective, Benoit Blanc, when a murder of a small town monsignor is pinned on his assistant pastor, Father Jud Duplenticy (Josh O’Connor). Viewers of faith are right to wonder how a mystery deeply intertwined in the faith of a parish and the leadership of its pastors will land, but shockingly, this secular film touches on deep questions about the nature of faith and the depth of God’s mercy with a healthy dose of entertainment value!

The Faith of a Shepherd

The character of Fr. Jud is a rare gem to find in a secular film. The young priest is portrayed as deeply human, yet with profound and mature faith. Although humanly imperfect, Fr. Jud is an example of what a priest ought to be. Not only does he articulate throughout the film his love of the priesthood, the vocation is shown respect even by Detective Blanc who remains agnostic and skeptical throughout the story. The sacrament of confession appears frequently in the film (albeit flippantly at times) but is ultimately poignantly central to the climax of the film. True healing can only come from God and Fr. Jud, as priest, is the vessel.

Mercy and forgiveness found in the Sacred Heart

The Sacred Heart of Jesus is a pleasantly prominent motif in this film. It is evident that the director intends to prompt viewers to think deeply about forgiveness, mercy, and even Jesus Himself. Early in the film, Fr. Jud declares that “Jesus didn’t come to fight the world…He came to heal it.” Benoit Blanc is focused on solving the case, winning the game, and bringing justice. By contrast, Fr. Jud is interested in true healing. This is an unexpected theme to find in a murder mystery, to say the least, but it is done with subtlety that is sure to prompt even skeptical viewers to dwell for a moment on the healing love of Jesus.

Sacraments, storytelling, and the “true myth”

The masterful storytellers, J.R.R. Tolkien and C.S. Lewis, are credited with expressing Christianity as the one “true myth.” Lewis writes, “Now the story of Christ is simply a true myth: a myth working on us the same way as the others, but with this tremendous difference that it really happened” (Letter to Arthur Greeves, 1931). Without including spoilers, Fr. Jud has a compelling monologue that touches on this same idea. The sacraments and liturgy are part of a grand storytelling. The ceremony is not an empty sign but rather tells a story that is so rich and profound that it cannot be told with words alone. A sacramental worldview is often the first thing that the secular world scoffs at, so a film that legitimizes this belief is an unexpected reprieve from Hollywood’s materialistic norm.

Viewers should be aware that the film is PG-13, but it may require additional maturity. Besides the obvious blood and violence to be expected from a murder mystery, there is also sexual vulgarity and an intense scene of violence within the church sanctuary. One priest confesses frequent and serious sexual sins to another priest, so there is an additional element of scandal added to the crudeness. The mature content is heavily weighted into the first 15 minutes, so skipping certain scenes at the outset could make the remainder of the film much more suitable for teens.