Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery

"What is it about Catholics?" Rian Johnson seems to ask. Catholicism equals moral ambiguity, which is really useful for mysteries and thrillers. Who dunnit? The priest? The nun? The gravedigger? They’re all willing to split hairs, keeping those doubts and grey areas lingering until the very end. Per this franchise, there’s a big ensemble of pros to help twist up the story. Getting to the resolution is half the fun, even if it is (spoiler alert) just a conventional McGuffin in a “pitchy pitchy woo-woo” game of hot potato. It’s fun to watch, but you don’t necessarily walk away with your soul filled to the brim with virtue.