New Year, New You. At least that is the slogan every person who greets the incoming year says, a hope for some prosperous future we can all attain. Hello all, hope your winter break was good, that the holidays were a moment of stress-free reprieve. I, for one, feel that now is the real escape. My day job being in retail, the month of December contains a different power over me than it once was. Although I don’t prescribe to the notion that Christmas/Holiday music is annoying. Unless it is “Grandma Got Run Over By A Reindeer.”
But enough about that, here we are in the beginning of January. Possibly you are reflecting on what you didn’t do in 2025. Maybe a crisis came up that made you reevaluate your priorities, bring more focus to what is lacking. A crisis of faith, one might say. However, maybe it wasn’t that dramatic. That is just the dilemma at the emotional core of Rian Johnson’s latest in his Knives Out series.
Daniel Craig is back as our favorite quirky detective Benoit Blanc, his heavy Southern drawl spouting clues and proclamations faster than Foghorn Leghorn on speed. Craig claims that he could play this character forever, and I believe him. Each installment has added facets to him, beyond what a seasoned mystery writer can. Johnson continues this rich tradition by testing Blanc’s atheism against a fervent congregation in upper New York State.
As is with all these films, Craig isn’t the focus. No, there is always a protagonist in trouble that he has to exonerate. Josh O’Connor’s Father Jud is a former boxer turned priest who is assigned to a parish with a colorful personality at the helm. Reverend Jefferson Wicks (or Monsignor as he prefers) brings a new meaning to fire and brimstone preaching. His pulpit is a gun turret, hurling rounds at every parishioner he despises until there is only a few left. And these make up our suspects when Wicks is found dead.
Johnson knows how to craft very engaging characters on the periphery that come to the forefront at just the right time. A modern-day Agatha Christie, he even gives a classic locked door plot as the primer here. But it wouldn’t work without a game cast, which Johnson has in spades. Besides the principals I mentioned; we are treated to no less than Mila Kunis, Andrew Scott (Hot Priest from Fleabag himself), Jeremy Renner, Thomas Haden Church. The list goes on. Glenn Close is a standout (and an awards shoe-in) as Wicks’ right hand in church operations.
The cast of Kerry Washington (who is phenomenal in her short screen time) all but kills the chances she would be cast in the Raquel Welsh role in the long in development The Last of Sheila remake. Her spars with Darryl McCormick (as her brother) are biting and hilarious. He knows how to turn that innate charm of his cold when needed.
But ultimately, this is O’Connor’s film which Johnson serves on a platter. All the other amazing performers aside, his Father Jud makes this film work. A two-hander with Benoit, Josh’s affable first impression gives way to the pain this beleaguered soul has experienced. This actor has had a hell of a year, one for the ages in roles both major and minor. And 2026 seems to continue that with the arrival of the new Spielberg film Disclosure Day in June.
I had the pleasure of watching this in the cinema which is sad that it wasn’t allowed more time for viewing. The crowd I saw it with was lively, laughed and gasped along with every reveal. Note to Ted Sarandos, people enjoy experiencing films together. You might want to keep your top movies out in theaters longer. Who knows, you might actually make a little more money that way. But I’m just one well-meaning idiot; what do I know? My suggestion, invite people over to watch on Netflix. Make it a murder mystery party, perfect for these cold winter months.
