In Knives Out: Wake Up Dead Man, Rian Johnson returns once again to the delightful world of the Knives Out mysteries he’s created, centered as always on the enigmatic, devilishly smart Benoit Blanc and the cases he unravels. “Devilish” is on brand for this film too, because although Blanc—ever the skeptic—mostly brushes off religion, Wake Up Dead Man grapples with it head-on. The film introduces us to our POV character, Josh Connor’s Rev. Jud Duplenticy, a young priest who found redemption through the church, paired with Josh Brolin’s Msgr. Jefferson Wicks, a clear stand-in for any self-important modern figure (Trump being the most obvious comparison). The two increasingly butt heads as Duplenticy tries to make inroads with the community—at first to improve the church, and then, increasingly, to counter Wicks’s pontificating. When tensions finally boil over, Brolin’s character is found dead in a seemingly impossible murder. All the suspects witnessed the crime, suggesting no one could have done it. Naturally, Blanc appears and guides us through the ruses, lies, and counterfeits as we uncover more about the community and its secrets.
Connor is the natural place to start, as he’s the centerpiece of the film and our narrative anchor. He’s been on a remarkable run these past few years—The Crown, Challengers, and critically praised work in The History of Sound and The Mastermind this year alone—not to mention this new Knives Out entry. Unsurprisingly, he’s excellent. We follow his character even more than Blanc this time, though the two are a delight whenever their paths intersect.
Connor is far from alone in this murderer’s-row of a cast. Glenn Close should once again be in Oscar-nomination territory for her portrayal of Martha Delacroix, a deeply devoted parishioner of both the church and the monsignor. Andrew Scott shines as Lee Ross, a bestselling author turned evangelist for Wicks’s strange and sour message. Thomas Haden Church disappears into the role of the groundskeeper. And I could keep going: Jeremy Renner, Mila Kunis, Kerry Washington, Cailee Spaeny, Jeffrey Wright, and more—all delivering memorable performances, many of them as potential suspects.
Daniel Craig and Josh O’Connor in Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery (Source: Netflix / John Wilson)
And of course, this is as much a Knives Out film as it is a Benoit Blanc outing, and Daniel Craig excels as ever. He plays more of a second fiddle to Connor than to the prior films’ narrators or suspects, but he still delivers one of the film’s most compelling performances and much of its humor.
Unlike the first two films, Wake Up Dead Man is a significantly darker tale—closer in tone to Christie’s grimmest works. Johnson has always skewered modern politics and personalities, but the urgency and sharpness of his send-up of Brolin’s Wicks is part of what gives the film its foreboding tone. Even before the murder, much of the story unfolds through Wicks’s bleak sermons and a congregation absorbing his vitriol with the enthusiasm of spectators at a bullfight. Pair that with the setting—an isolated village in the woods, shot hauntingly by Steve Yedlin—and the mood settles into something far heavier than the previous entries. It remains enjoyable, but the darker pall unquestionably shapes the experience.
As for the puzzle itself—one of the most consistently excellent and sometimes overlooked aspects of Johnson’s Knives Out films—I was excited knowing he’d be tackling a locked-room mystery this time. Naturally, he layers the crime like a many-skinned onion. The “unsolvable” murder is great fun to decipher, but the film is full of smaller mysteries that unwrap into a perfectly interlocking puzzle. Johnson even upends the reveal in its delivery—a choice that fits the story, though as a classic mystery fan I do miss some of the traditional touches. Still, it’s deeply satisfying. And as always, the rewatch is a joy; Johnson plays fair every time.
Ultimately, despite the excellent performances and characters, the darker tone and somber reflection of our present moment place this entry slightly lower in my personal Knives Out ranking. But that’s like saying “lesser Christie.” Maybe it’s weaker, but it’s still Christie. And here, it’s still what we love: Rian Johnson crafting modern mystery marvels; actors like Close and Connor delivering Oscar-worthy work; and a puzzle wound so tightly I can’t wait to rewatch it when it hits Netflix this Friday.
(Knives Out premieres on Netflix on December 12th, 2025 at 3:00 AM EST)
