'Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery' Review — Rian Johnson Builds His Best Puzzle Yet

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️½ (4.5/5)

The Art of the Modern Mousetrap

If Rian Johnson spends the rest of his career building the perfect cinematic mousetrap, it will be time well spent. His ongoing pursuit of crafting the most entertaining, tightly constructed mysteries in modern film has now produced three sensational entries. With Wake Up Dead Man, Johnson once again delivers a gleefully clever puzzle anchored by the most likable fictional detective since Agatha Christie left us.

I may be a little hyperbolic, but I genuinely believe Johnson is providing a service: making mysteries that reward attention, respect the audience, and remain wildly entertaining throughout.

An Impossible Murder in a Declining Church

Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery centers on Josh O’Connor as Fr. Jud Duplenticy. After a messy fallout at his home parish, Father Jud is reassigned to a shrinking rural church led by Monsignor Jefferson Wicks (Josh Brolin), a fire-and-brimstone preacher whose flock is now more cult than congregation.

The plot snaps into place when Monsignor Wicks is murdered in an utterly impossible scenario. He’s found stabbed in the back inside a tiny, windowless closet several feet from the pulpit—a place he used to sneak a mid-sermon drink. The room has one door, no escape route, and no way anyone could have slipped inside unseen.

Naturally, suspicion falls on Father Jud, the first person to get to the body. The implications are damning—unless, of course, the impossible can be explained.

Enter Benoit Blanc

Thankfully, there is one man who thrives on the impossible. Benoit Blanc (Daniel Craig) is summoned by local sheriff Geraldine Scott (Mila Kunis), who seems dangerously close to pinning the murder on Father Jud simply because she has no other suspects.

Blanc sees something different—something honest, wounded, and genuinely confused in Father Jud. Blanc believes there is a larger scheme at work, and he intends to pull the thread until the truth reveals itself.

Daniel Craig continues to radiate pure joy as Benoit Blanc. The comfort, charisma, and almost musical rhythm he brings to the role feel effortless. I’ll say it again: Craig seems far more at home playing Blanc than he ever did playing James Bond.

A Perfectly Cast Gallery of Suspects

Johnson once again assembles a cast of potential suspects you could only call a murderer’s row.

• Glenn Close shines as Martha Delacroix, a fiercely pious parishioner who hides sincerity beneath layers of secrets.

• Kerry Washington is excellent as Vera Draven, a wealthy skeptic of Monsignor Wicks who keeps her motives buried deep.

• Andrew Scott provides sharp comic relief as a fallen sci-fi author turned conspiracy-fueled true believer.

• Jeremy Renner gives a wonderfully sadsack turn as Dr. Nat Sharp, a man who has sacrificed everything for Wicks’s apocalyptic teachings.

• Cailee Spaeny plays Simone Vivane, a wealthy cellist whose chronic pain Wicks promises to “heal.”

• Daryl McCormick is Cy Draven, a failed influencer who believes Wicks’ brand of right-wing faith can resurrect his career.

Each character feels like a full human being—and a fully believable suspect.

Josh O’Connor’s Gentle, Wounded Heart

O’Connor is everywhere this year, and this may be his warmest, most bruised performance. A genuinely good man shaped by a tragedy he caused, Father Jud believes in a church built on kindness and service—not shame and fear.

He’s been sent to this dying parish to counter Wicks’s corrosive influence, attempting to soften the Monsignor’s harsh gospel. Instead, he walks into a breeding ground of paranoia, hero worship, and spiritual manipulation. Even after Wicks dies, the flock’s faith doesn’t waver—it intensifies.

O’Connor brings sincerity without sentimentality, grounding the film’s emotional center.

A Mystery That Moves Like Music

Wake Up Dead Man is packed with story, but it never drags. Johnson keeps the pacing light, buoyant, and playful, even while exploring dark corners of faith, power, and belief. The film leaps from scene to scene with the thrill of following a trail of clues in a classic paperback whodunit.

The scenes between O’Connor and Brolin especially crackle—surface politeness layered over simmering conflict, ready to boil over.

This is Rian Johnson at the top of his game. He’s not running out of ideas. If anything, he’s only getting sharper.

Final Thoughts

Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery is a clever, funny, and richly satisfying third installment in a franchise that still feels fresh. Anchored by Daniel Craig’s magnetic performance and supported by an impeccable ensemble, it’s a mystery that rewards attention without ever forgetting to entertain.

Johnson isn’t just keeping the whodunit alive—he’s reinventing it for the modern age.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️½ (4.5/5)

Tags

Knives Out • Wake Up Dead Man • Rian Johnson • Daniel Craig • Josh O’Connor • Movie Review • Mystery Movies • Whodunit • Netflix 2025 • Film Criticism • Vocal Review