Set to reinvigorate the mystery genre, Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery presents Benoit Blanc with a fresh and formidable challenge within a classic whodunnit framework. Directed and written by Rian Johnson, this third installment follows the gentle detective as he navigates through a convoluted investigation, distinct from his previous exploits.
The inaugural film centered on the suspicious death of a renowned author within the confines of his luxurious Massachusetts estate, while the sequel, Glass Onion, engaged audiences with dual murders aboard a lavish Greek island getaway. Both films artfully employed timeless whodunnit elements such as a remote setting, a diverse array of suspects, a contentious inheritance, social commentary, unexpected twists, and strategic flashbacks leading to the grand revelation.
A Deep Dive into the “Locked Room Mystery”
The ensemble cast of Knives Out 3 confronting an enigmatic crime
Recently unveiled, the trailer for Knives Out 3 highlights a gripping scenario, with Blanc labeling the central murder a “classic impossible crime.” This refers to the renowned “locked room mystery, ” a staple in detective fiction that dates back to the genre’s origins.
Locked room mysteries revolve around a murder occurring in a confined environment, typically a room characterized by its secure walls, ceiling, and floor, in which the perpetrator appears to escape undetected after committing the foul deed.
A salient early example of this sub-genre is Edgar Allan Poe’s ‘The Murders in the Rue Morgue, ’ where a double homicide baffles authorities until the unlikely culprit is revealed—an orangutan, which some might argue diminishes the mystery’s integrity.
Arthur Conan Doyle also ventured into this territory, presenting Sherlock Holmes with monumental challenges in his tales ‘The Adventure of the Speckled Band’ and ‘The Adventure of the Empty House.’ Among other authors, John Dickson Carr emerged as a luminary in this specific sub-genre, with his 1935 classic ‘The Hollow Man’ acclaimed as the best locked room mystery by a panel of distinguished crime writers—the plot twisting around a professor murdered in his own study, with neither weapon nor assailant ever discovered by an onlooker stationed outside the room.
The Anatomy of “the Impossible Crime” in Knives Out 3
Moments leading up to Monsignor Wicks’ shocking demise
In this highly anticipated sequel, we follow Monsignor Jefferson Wicks as he delivers a sermon in his church, only to be discovered dead moments after entering a nearby room that appears impervious to intrusion. Benoit Blanc, portrayed by Daniel Craig, remarks on this baffling situation in the trailer: “To understand this case, we need to look at the myth that’s being constructed. A man gives a sermon. He then, in plain sight of everyone, walks into a sealed concrete box. And 30 seconds later, that man is lying dead.”
This intriguing setup presents Blanc’s ultimate test, as he alludes to its significance in the pantheon of whodunnits—underscoring both the complexity and the historical roots of “impossible crimes.”
Mark your calendars: Wake Up Dead Man – A Knives Out Mystery will grace theaters on November 28, followed by its debut on Netflix on December 12.
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