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.