Wake Up Dead Man’s risky Benoit Blanc change from other Knives Out movies was the right call

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Rian Johnson’s latest mystery, Wake Up Dead Man, the third in the Knives Out series, takes a surprising turn by initially minimizing the role of detective Benoit Blanc – a risk that ultimately works. Whether you’ve seen it in theaters or are watching on Netflix, the beginning might leave you wondering: where is Benoit Blanc?

Daniel Craig’s detective, Benoit Blanc, makes a brief, silent appearance at the beginning of Rian Johnson’s film. Looking stylish as always, Blanc relaxes by the fire and reads a fascinating account of a puzzling murder.

Blanc quickly yielded the floor to Jud Duplenticy, a fiery and emotional man who had traded boxing gloves for the priesthood. Jud reminisced about his challenging first year in Chimney Rock, where he became part of Monsignor Jefferson Wicks’ church – a parish ruled sternly by the demanding clergyman.

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Jud becomes increasingly enraged by the irritating Martha Delacroix, a key assistant to Wicks. Meanwhile, groundskeeper Samson Holt and a group of Wicks’s devoted followers – including a cynical lawyer named Vera Draven, an ambitious politician called Cy, a doctor struggling with alcohol named Nat Sharp, a former cellist named Simone Viviane, and science fiction writer Lee Ross – are all captivated by Wicks’s charm.

At first, viewers notice Blanc is missing from the story. He doesn’t appear until about 40 minutes in, after the murder has happened and the victim is discovered. By that point, you’ve likely become so invested in the other characters that his absence doesn’t feel significant.

Compared to the first two films, Knives Out (2019) and Glass Onion (2022), this newest movie focuses less on the character of Benoit Blanc.

In Knives Out, detective Blanc immediately made a splash, dramatically playing the piano during questioning of the eccentric Thrombey family. Glass Onion took things further, making Blanc central to Miles Bron’s dangerous game from the very beginning and even offering glimpses into the detective’s personal life.

In Wake Up Dead Man, director Johnson takes a bold risk by sidelining his main character for a significant portion of the film, introducing a completely new character to lead the story. He explained to Digital Spy that this departure from the Knives Out formula demonstrates his trust in the audience’s ability to follow along.

Johnson said he always feels a little pressure, wondering if the audience will stay interested and if they’ll notice key elements, like the character Benoit Blanc. He believes it’s his responsibility to make the beginning of a film captivating and introduce a character the audience can connect with.

Josh O’Connor delivers a captivating performance as Jud, making him a truly engaging storyteller. His journey to deepen his faith is powerfully contrasted with Wicks’s self-interest, establishing the young priest as a charismatic figure, regardless of one’s beliefs about religion.

With a new internet heartthrob emerging, similar to Andrew Scott in Fleabag, the character Jud is more than just likable. He actually pushes Benoit Blanc to rethink his approach to the mystery, and ultimately plays a key role in solving it. The storyline could have easily felt disjointed, but it’s handled incredibly well.

While Wake Up Dead Man takes a different approach than the popular Knives Out, it’s not a completely original idea. The film actually draws inspiration from classic murder-mystery novels, and echoes elements found in these stories are present throughout Benoit Blanc’s latest case.

John Dickson Carr’s 1935 novel, The Hollow Man, provides a hint within the story of Wake Up Dead Man. Also included are common elements from Agatha Christie novels, which appear in a strangely curated book club selection. Christie’s mysteries typically begin with a murder happening early on, before her famous detectives, Poirot and Miss Marple, get involved.

I’ve noticed the author really takes her time building up the atmosphere, and Wake Up Dead Man is a perfect example. She actually told Digital Spy she felt more confident with that approach because it’s a classic mystery setup – you know, like a lot of Agatha Christie’s novels. It’s how those stories usually unfold, so it felt right to her.

As a mystery fan, I always love how these stories start. You’ve got the initial setup where you meet all the characters, quickly figuring out who doesn’t get along – basically, who’s likely to become a victim. Then, sure enough, someone bites the dust at the end of the first act, and then the detective finally arrives to solve everything!

I don’t jump ahead in an Agatha Christie novel just to get to Poirot, and that’s important. The way a story is built requires you to have some trust in it. You have to be willing to go with it, thinking, ‘This approach has been successful before, so it can work this time too’.

The lengthy opening sequence of ‘Wake Up Dead Man’ has similarities to Natasha Lyonne’s series ‘Poker Face’. Like the classic detective show ‘Columbo’, ‘Poker Face’ reveals the stories and reasons behind both the victims and the killers before the main character, Charlie Cale, arrives to solve the case.

This time, we don’t learn as much about Detective Blanc’s personal life – and we see less of his friend Phillip and his signature colorful clothes, which is a shame. However, he still solves the mystery with a brilliant explanation, drawing inspiration from the novel The Hollow Man.

However, Wake Up Dead Man is still fundamentally Jud’s story. The Knives Out films always root for the underdog, and this latest installment really emphasizes that. It allows the priest’s journey of hope and finding redemption to develop more fully, all while still delivering plenty of excitement and surprises.

Johnson’s newest stories explore challenging themes, reflecting how we connect with others, both in person and online. While sometimes feeling a bit unbelievable, this installment is a thoughtful and intricate addition to the series, and it gives the character of Jud a particularly strong emotional core.

Completely removing Benoit Blanc from future Knives Out films isn’t a good idea, and shouldn’t happen. Rian Johnson is building a larger world of mystery stories, and giving other characters a chance to shine – both familiar faces and new ones – will allow the series to explore more compelling and emotionally resonant storylines.

Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery is available to watch now on Netflix.

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2025-12-13 10:20