LONDON:
The knives were not the only things glittering as London rolled out the red carpet on Wednesday night for the 69th BFI London Film Festival that opened in grand style with the world premiere of ‘Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery’
The third instalment in Rian Johnson’s wildly popular detective series features Daniel Craig as the silver-tongued sleuth Benoit Blanc.
But beyond the glamour and flashbulbs, the evening carried a darker undercurrent. Johnson’s latest whodunit is not merely another stylish puzzle box — it is, in the director’s own words, a mirror to “the moment we’re living in”.
Speaking to AFP, Johnson explained that his newest film is “unapologetically set and tuned into this moment in the United States,” adding that the Trump-era collision of politics, religion and truth deeply influenced the story.
The movie, which premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival before arriving in London, unfolds in a small town in upstate New York, where a charismatic and tyrannical priest, Monsignor Wicks (played by Josh Brolin), holds his congregation in thrall.
When Wicks is found dead, suspicion falls on one of his flock — and on a young priest, portrayed by Josh O’Connor, accused of being a “PINO”: a “Priest in Name Only”, a tongue-in-cheek nod to the Trump-era insult “RINO” (Republican in Name Only).
Faith, guilt, and political dogma entwine as Blanc peels back the layers of hypocrisy and human weakness. Johnson, once an evangelical himself, channels that insider knowledge to craft a story that probes not only the mystery of a murder, but the murkier mysteries of belief and power.
Critics have called ‘Wake Up Dead Man’ the “most Gothic” of the ‘Knives Out’ films — a description Johnson embraces. Drawing inspiration from both Agatha Christie’s golden-age puzzles and the brooding prose of Edgar Allan Poe, he infuses the film with shadows and symbolism. “Faith and human sin and guilt – it clicks together like two gears with a murder mystery form,” he explained.
Craig, meanwhile, appears to relish his return as Benoit Blanc — the genteel Southern detective whose intelligence hides behind charm and eccentricity. “They’re all different from each other — that’s the fun of it,” Craig told Reuters. “I wouldn’t do it unless I had fun doing it.”
This time, Blanc finds himself entangled in a web of moral corruption rather than mere greed, giving Craig more to work with than just clever deduction. “There’s something richer here,” he said, “a kind of moral fog.”
Joining him are Glenn Close, Mila Kunis, Jeremy Renner, Daryl McCormack and Cailee Spaeny — an ensemble cast that, according to Johnson, helped him explore new tonal depths. “Anytime you get to work with a legend like Glenn Close, it feels like something special,” he said.
O’Connor, best known for portraying a young Prince Charles in The Crown, plays a boxer-turned-priest wracked by guilt and faith in equal measure. Johnson said Daniel Craig himself had suggested O’Connor for the part after watching him in La Chimera and Challengers. “The camera loves him,” Johnson said. “You look through the lens at him, and — boom — it’s there.”
After the commercial and critical success of Knives Out (2019) and Glass Onion (2022), Netflix famously paid a reported $400 million for two sequels. ‘Wake Up Dead Man’ marks the second of that lucrative deal, set for limited theatrical release in November before streaming globally from December 12.
Johnson, 51, hinted that while he plans to take a break from the franchise next, both he and Craig are open to returning. “I’ve had a great time doing three of these, but I think it’d be healthy to do something else next,” he said. “That said, as long as we both want to do it, Benoit Blanc isn’t going anywhere.”
Pakistani presence
The London Film Festival runs until October 19, featuring 247 titles from across the world. Alongside ‘Wake Up Dead Man’, audiences can expect appearances and premieres from heavyweights including George Clooney, Julia Roberts, Emma Stone, and Daniel Day-Lewis — the latter returning from retirement to star in Anemone, directed by his son.
Also featured are Guillermo del Toro’s much-anticipated ‘Frankenstein’, Yorgos Lanthimos’ ‘Bugonia’ with Emma Stone, and ‘Hamnet’, directed by Oscar-winner Chloé Zhao. Forty-two per cent of the festival’s films were directed by women or non-binary filmmakers, underscoring the organisers’ goal of diversity and representation. “We really want the programme to reflect the city we’re in,” said festival director Kristy Matheson, “and to represent the world around us.”
That global vision extends beyond Hollywood and Europe. This weekend, London’s Rich Mix Cinema will host the second edition of the London Pakistani Film Festival, taking place on October 11 and 12.
The two-day event promises a showcase of films that highlight Pakistan’s growing creative energy and its complex, layered storytelling tradition. Screenings will be followed by virtual sessions with filmmakers, creating a forum for cultural dialogue and creative collaboration between Pakistan and the United Kingdom.
Supported by a jury of acclaimed artists and filmmakers, the festival continues its mission to serve as a cultural bridge, celebrating the shared human experiences that cinema makes visible.
“Pakistan’s film scene is brimming with bold voices,” said one of the festival organisers. “The stories coming out of Karachi, Lahore and beyond deserve a global stage — and London is the perfect platform for that exchange.”
From the moral battlegrounds of Wake Up Dead Man to the cultural storytelling of Pakistani filmmakers, this year’s London Film Festival embodies both introspection and inclusion. Rian Johnson’s Gothic mystery interrogates truth and faith in a divided America, while the London Pakistani Film Festival celebrates the power of cinema to connect worlds apart.
