Hallelujah, A Whodunnit: The Third 'Knives Out' Takes Atheist Benoit Blanc To Church

As a card-carrying member of the “Originals are Unbeatable” club, the rationale is that lightning doesn’t strike twice because sequels are usually expensive echoes. We’ve seen it before, Only Murders in the Building, Pitch Perfect and the list goes on. There are exceptions though. Case in point, The Godfather. This minority club, in the relm of whodunnits, has a new member — Rian Johnson's latest offering.

Wake Up Dead Man, the Knives Out franchise doesn’t just evolve, it redeems the shaky ground of its predecessor (Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery) and challenges the OG 2019 masterpiece with a plot as intricate as a cobweb.

The third outing swaps the billionaire’s island for the hallowed, heavy air of a moody gothic church. The third instalment also finds a "boxer-turned-priest" Josh O’Connor (famous for The Crown and Challengers) stepping into this new parish but this isn't your friendly-neighbourhood bake-sale church.

Run by Father Monsignor Jefferson Wicks (a terrifyingly charismatic Josh Brolin of Thanos fame), the grip on the flock is rooted in a toxic cocktail of fear, reactionary vitriol, and high-octane charisma. This "flock" is a mosaic of colourful, damaged gallery of characters ranging from those battling the bottle to those carrying secrets heavy enough to sink the cathedral.

When what seems like a locked-door murder claims Monsignor Wicks, the local police, wisely admitting they are out of their depth go knocking at the door of Benoit Blanc. It’s a favour they did to themselves because the capabilty of the police to handle a local Lazarus is truly limited.

Daniel Craig, who plays the eccentric Blanc, is, once again, a revelation, proving that while the crime scenes change, his genius remains the anchor. This time, Blanc is a "knee that only bows at the altar of rationalism," a necessary corrective in a landscape misted with blind devotion.

His luscious mane and wardrobe? Truly iconic. The dialogue is perfectly peppered with humor and reality checks, ensuring the mystery never feels too self-serious.

Josh Brolin’s sermons are groundbreaking in the most literal sense—they ground the audience in a state of escalating tension, tightening the grip until you’re practically choking on his rhetoric.

Here, we also see Andrew Scott gracefully pass the "hot priest" baton from Fleabag to Josh O’Connor playing Father Jud. Jud serves as a vital shot of reality in the setting where misplaced trust and murky faith wafts freely. The way a "little bit of grace" ultimately shifts the plot line also comes as a thematic nod to the original Knives Out.

Zooming out, the rest of the ensemble is a buffet of stars utilised with precision to build this cathedral of a movie.

Glenn Close effortlessly delivers the complex layeres of Martha while Daryl McCormack’s Cy feels like an annoying social-media-addicted child. Also in the flock is, Simone (brilliant Cailee Spaeny) delivers a masterclass in "faith-filled cynicism" true to her character.

And keep your eyes peeled for Noah Segan, his presence is a welcome Easter egg that is both subtle and significant.

Laced with references to classic murder mystery novels, the story successfully wraps up every twist it throws, proving that in Rian Johnson’s world, even the dead can wake up long enough to tell a good story.