Having continued a successful franchise by appearing as Bond five times, Daniel Craig seems keen focusing on yet another franchise, this time playing Benoit Blanc in the Rian Johnson creation Knives Out.

Craig reaches number three with the release of Wake Up Dead Man, in what is easily the best entry in the franchise.

After getting into an altercation with another priest, young Father Jud Duplenticy (Josh O’Connor) is sent elsewhere in upstate New York, as a sort of penance.

He finds himself in a rural parish, with a dwindling congregation, working under Monsignor Jefferson Wicks (Josh Brolin).

Wicks has a bit of a reputation for being difficult, which Jud feels the brunt of personally, and doesn’t lead to the friendliest of relationships.

It gets worse when Wicks is murdered, in relatively plain sight, and Jud is accused of the dirty deed.

And then a suave, southern gentleman walks into the church, private investigator Benoit Blanc (Craig), and if anyone can solve a murder in the house of God, he can.

This is by far the strongest and most compelling entry in the franchise, for a number of reasons. Perhaps the most obvious is the fact that Craig takes a back seat for the majority of it. Centre stage is, in fact, O’Connor, who even supplies the narration for the first half hour or so.

It’s certainly a spirited performance, one that O’Connor shines in, as he does with everything he’s in, and he has more screen than any other member of this formidable cast – including Craig.

The script is compelling too, set mostly in a neo gothic church as it is, with a pleasingly convoluted plot. It’s easier to digest than most of the other ‘Knives’, mainly due to a sublime cast; Brolin is electric, and ably supported by other suspects played by Glenn Close, Andrew Scott, Cailee Spaeny, Kerry Washington, Mila Kunis, Jeremy Renner, Daryl McCormack, Thomas Haden Church and Jeffrey Wright.

And even Craig’s performance is enhanced by not being wedged into every scene; the space given to his character makes it less intense – in a good way – and certainly raises the awareness of the ensemble.

There’s no denying that O’Connor is the real star of this entry though, with his sensitive portrayal of a young priest, laced with vulnerability and humour, that helps make this so entertaining.

The only thing missing is a cameo from Charlie Cale, played by the effervescent Natasha Lyonne, in Johnson’s other creation, the TV show Poker Face, where she could have uttered at least one ”bullshit” in what have been a satisfying cross-over.

After what we considered quite a lame and disappointing franchise up until this point, Wake Up Dead Man acts like a welcome resurrection to it, and may breathe new life into the franchise, leaving us curious as to where Blanc’s next mystery will take him.