Having given a five-star review to writer/director Rian Johnson‘s first Knives Out (2019), an absolute comedic masterpiece, the first whodunit in the mystery franchise, and then feeling slightly deflated with the second, Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery (2023), which was not a complete fail, but certainly did not repeat the glory of its progenitor — I admit I was a bit nervous before I switched on to view the third instalment, Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery (2025), but, boy did I press that play button as soon as the film dropped on Netflix.
Anxiety is not the expected feeling when preparing to watch an almost guaranteed high-quality Xmas feel-good fare, however, I really loved the original (still probably my top comedy of the progressing decade), and we do want the things we love to do well.
Sadly, the third one was not the charm, repeating the mistakes of its lacklustre predecessor, which means that Johnson’s underlying strong sentiment on the topic at hand (yet again) sidelined the whodunit at its centre, rendering the tale increasingly shambolic, as the screws of the hyperbolic story of religious mania and church shenanigans in Trumpian America grew tighter, bursting midway into myriad disjointed narrative shards, pasted together in the film finale by the cinematic force of the star-studded cast in attendance, with standout performances by the inimitable Glenn Close, in the role of the stern chief acolyte of Josh Brolin‘s rockstar hellfire preacher, and Josh O’Connor, as his reluctant ecclesiastical sidekick, and appalled nemesis.
Daniel Craig, as gentleman detective Benoit Blanc, remains the franchise treasure, evidently immensely enjoying the highly stylised plum role, which fits him as perfectly as Bond, so I will undoubtedly be watching whatever drops next, despite my current disappointment, in hope that it will hit the jackpot, and repeat the brilliance I had first encountered, that illusive alchemical mix of morals, smarts, mystery, and pure joie de vivre.
In conclusion, Knives Out remains sugar-grade addictive.
★★★☆☆
Author: ©Milana Vujkov
Lola On Film 