'Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery' Review: Daniel Craig returns to solve a murder in star-studded sequel

There's nothing like a good murder mystery It's perhaps the only genre that involves mental multitasking absorbing what's unfolding in front of you while also attempting to jump ahead and crack the event yourself That's what's so fun about the Knives Out film franchise which successfully revived the niche genre in Viewers can expect three things from each installment laughs twists and a stellar cast And Netflix's Wake Up Dead Man A Knives Out Mystery delivers Daniel Craig returns as Benoit Blanc a detective with southern charm and an accent that could make Foghorn Leghorn blush His newest episode takes him to Upstate New York to the fictional small town of Chimney Rock specifically to the church run by Monsignor Jefferson Wicks Josh Brolin HAMNET REVIEW JESSIE BUCKLEY PAUL MESCAL LEAD MOVING SHAKESPEARE FAMILY DRAMAWicks can be charismatic one minute and intimidating the next His fiery anger-induced sermons can easily deter prospective congregants but he maintains a small group of parishioners there's his loyal right-hand Martha Delacroix Glenn Close the groundskeeper Samson Holt Thomas Haden Church the town's physician Dr Nat Sharp Jeremy Renner the uptight lawyer Vera Draven Kerry Washington her viral-hungry adoptive son Cy Daryl McCormack a has-been best-selling author Lee Ross Andrew Scott and the disabled concert cellist Simone Vivane Cailee Spaeny Rocking the church is the arrival of Rev Jud Duplenticy Josh O'Connor a former boxer struggling to find his way in the priesthood Wicks doesn't exactly roll out the red carpet he tells the young priest Welcome to my church and his acolytes don't take too kindly to him either ZOOTOPIA REVIEW DISNEY'S ANIMATED CRIME CAPER DELIVERS FUN FOR THE LITTLE CRITTERSTensions rise yada yada yada Wicks ends up dead And wouldn't you know it All of them had good reasons to kill him It's up to Detective Blanc with the help of Rev Jud and police chief Geraldine Scott Mila Kunis to figure out who did Wake Up Dead Man the third installment in the Knives Out saga is certainly the darkest of the three films but still provides plenty of levity throughout It marks an improvement from 's light but overly silly Glass Onion but it's laborious to reach the freshness of Blanc's first mystery WICKED FOR GOOD REVIEW ARIANA GRANDE CYNTHIA ERIVO WORK THEIR MAGIC IN A DARKER FINAL ACTWriter-director Rian Johnson who has helmed all three Knives Out films does a brilliant job in creating a universe that weds intensity and absurdity The franchise's star detective doesn't even enter the plot until roughly minutes into the film giving Johnson time to set the tone with a grim backstory and a proper introduction to the murder victim and the individuals He is truly becoming our generation's Agatha Christie Craig clearly has fun playing Blanc a hilarious and perhaps slightly overdramatic detective But the real MVP of the ensemble cast goes to O'Connor a rising star who gives Dead Man its heart as the earnest rookie priest serving as Blanc's Watson in his analysis Brolin and Close also deserve honorable mentions for their performances JAY KELLY REVIEW ADAM SANDLER OUTSHINES GEORGE CLOONEY IN NETFLIX'S GLOSSY BUT HOLLOW SHOWBIZ DRAMEDY Wake Up Dead Man is a strong gothic turn in the Knives Out series and cementing it as one of Netflix's best film franchises Johnson has mastered the craft of the Whodunit with the help of Craig and a witty cast of characters If you missed it in theaters then start heating up the popcorn Wake Up Dead Man a Knives Out Mystery is rated PG- for violent content bloody images strong language certain crude sexual material and smoking Running time hours minutes Streaming on Netflix now