Murder mystery on holy grounds

DETECTIVE Benoit Blanc (Daniel Craig), with his distinctive Southern American drawl and quest for answers, is sent to upstate New York to solve a murder mystery in a religious setting in writer-director Rian Johnson’s threequel comedy drama, Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery (12A), out now at the Regal Picturehouse in Henley.

When holier-than-thou Monsignor Jefferson Wicks (Josh Brolin) is offed midway through a church service, the chief suspect is newcomer, Rev Jud Duplenticy (Josh O’Connor), a former boxer with a tragic past.

Meanwhile, devout organ player Martha Delacroix (Glenn Close), author Lee Ross (Andrew Scott), Dr Nat Sharp (Jeremy Renner), lawyer Vera Draven (Kerry Washington), aspiring politician Cy Draven (Daryl McCormack), concert cellist Simone Vivane (Cailee Spaeny) and groundskeeper Samson Holt (Thomas Haden Church) all fall into the frame and have to be questioned.

Local chief detective Geraldine Scott (Mila Kunis) steps in to support Blanc in a scenario that looks at belief, hypocrisy and goodness, in a story full of twists and turns and punctuated by music from Rian’s cousin, Nathan Johnson.

The film has a running time of two hours and
24 minutes.

Directed by Jared Bush and Byron Howard, animated sequel Zootropolis 2 (PG), out today, sees the return of rabbit cop Judy Hopps (voiced by Ginnifer Goodwin) and friend, fox Nick Wilde (voiced by Jason Bateman).

When Gary De’Snake (voiced by Ke Huy Quan), the first snake in Zootropolis, arrives on the scene, Judy and Nick set out to investigate a reptile underworld, but all is not as it seems.

The film has a running time of one hour and 48 minutes.

Continuing are The Choral (12A), Wicked: For Good (PG) and Nuremberg (15).