Pure Cinema Podcast Films That Influenced WAKE UP DEAD MAN with Rian Johnson
Dec 12, 2025
Join filmmaker Rian Johnson, known for his work on the Benoit Blanc series, as he shares insights on the films that shaped his new mystery, *Wake Up Dead Man*. He reminisces about Alec Guinness’s *Father Brown*, highlighting its character depth and tone. Discover how *Green for Danger* and *And Then There Were None* influenced his narrative structure. Rian also examines the class themes in *Sleuth* and the game-like elements from *The Last of Sheila*. With a gothic touch inspired by *Ladies in Retirement*, this conversation is a treasure for mystery fans!
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Third Film Lets The Series Reinvent Itself
- Rian Johnson frames Wake Up Dead Man as a gothic, locked‑room whodunit that stretches the Benoit Blanc series tonally.
- He intentionally used the third film to show the series can attempt radically different moods and structures.
Digging Up A Rare Father Brown
- Rian Johnson hunted down a 1954 Father Brown film on import and reread G.K. Chesterton while writing.
- He loved Father Brown’s empathetic detective approach as an influence on character nuance.
Locked‑Room Raises Tonal Stakes
- Locked‑room mysteries form a distinct subgenre that raises the puzzle stakes by making the crime seem impossible.
- Johnson used that puzzle type to push Wake Up Dead Man toward darker, more gothic territory.
