'Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery' Review: Rian Johnson Revives the Truth in His Smartest Knives Out Yet
- Alex Gilston
- Oct 9
- 5 min read
Updated: Oct 28
By Alex Gilston - October 9, 2025
The denouement of a murder mystery is its most integral moment. Particularly in Rian Johnson’s critically acclaimed series Knives Out. The moment where Benoit Blanc (Daniel Craig) comes to unravel the narrative, leaving nothing but satisfying answers in its wake, has become a tentpole reason to not only revisit these films but to get excited for new ones. There is no greater representation of the truth, as we know it, in these films than in these resolving monologues. Truth is at the heart of Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery, and in a world where falsehoods rule the day, Rian Johnson couldn’t have told this story at a better time. This kind of high-stakes, twisting adventure threaded with a social consciousness has become his bread and butter.
If this isn’t your first foray into the world of Benoit Blanc, then you’ll know the drill, but if it is, then it usually goes as follows. Benoit Blanc, an internationally famous consulting detective, finds himself stuck in the web of a rogues gallery of characters, one of whom has committed a murder. As he starts to investigate and unravel people’s stories, he gets closer and closer to the truth, usually with the help of the story’s anchor - previously Ana De Armas and Janelle Monae in Knives Out and Glass Onion, respectively. Wake Up Dead Man’s anchor is Jud, played with the utmost grace by Josh O’Connor. In a first for the series, it’s Jud that welcomes us into the story, setting the scene, introducing us to the suspects, and even recalling the details of the murder. Benoit doesn’t show up until the second act properly, which is a bold move considering the film thrives on his centrality to the plot. However, having Jud as a protagonist as true to the word as possible is something that ultimately pays off as Wake Up Dead Man progresses.
Jud is a fresh-faced priest with a murky past. His hot-headed actions get him sent to a small town church headed by Monsignor Wicks (Josh Brolin) to be the second in command. What Jud finds on his arrival is that Wicks has curated a very specific and very devout congregation. His followers are made up of Vera (Kerry Washington) a lawyer, her stepson Cy (Daryl McCormack), the local doctor Nat (Jeremy Renner), Lee (Andrew Scott) a famous sci-fi novelist, Simone (Cailee Spaeny) a concert cellist who can no longer play due to a disability, and Martha (Glenn Close) Wicks’ right-hand woman. On Good Friday, Monsignor Wicks is murdered in broad daylight after performing his sermon, and that is where Blanc comes in.
With the Knives Out films, Rian Johnson has always had more on his mind than trying to emulate and build upon his favourite murder mystery films and novels. Each film before Wake Up Dead Man has had ties to current and real-world issues, usually a takedown of the rich and privileged, but in Knives Out, a criticism of racism in modern America, and in Glass Onion, the very real dangers the super-rich pose to society. Wake Up Dead Man is no different, as it tackles the topic of a resource that seems to be very scarce these days - the truth. The congregation is a microcosm of America, and Josh Brolin’s charismatic devilish preacher, a representation of those in power who promise us everything and give us nothing, who keep us angry with other people to distract us from their own evil nature.
Jud is the complete antithesis of Monsignor Wicks. He has no ego, no care for material riches for himself, just a dedication to his faith and to helping people. Knives Out has always been about that singular character who drives the narrative forward beyond the expert hands of Benoit Blanc, and Jud’s presence and role within the plot feel like the most impactful out of the whole series. Which is why, when Jud becomes the central force in Wake Up Dead Man’s denouement, it doesn’t feel we’re being robbed of a Benoit Blanc masterclass but more an insight into the hopeful message Johnson is trying to preach himself.
It wouldn’t be Knives Out without Benoit Blanc, however, and Daniel Craig is on top form as the suave southern, clever man. Craig is flowingly comfortable in the role now, and he slips back into the shoes with ease. His usual quirks and frank dialogue cut through, and it’s definitely time to add him to the fictional detective hall of fame. It’s also fun to have more information about Blanc drip-fed throughout. Sure, he’s still an enigma, but he’s an enigma we now know has met Whoopi Goldberg. It’s as though every detail we learn about him is the perfect amount to keep him as the figure we all hold in high regard.
The cast of Wake Up Dead Man is just as strong as the previous iterations. Josh O’Connor is leading man material as Jud, and the ensemble all have their moments to shine. Glenn Close is movie magic as an overly devoted woman of the church, with much more to do than sit about on the side-lines. There was a worry for a time that this cast didn’t hold up to the previous instalments but it is suffice to say that they have proved otherwise.
Johnson also gets the most out of Wake Up Dead Man’s religious trappings, by leaning into some gothic aesthetics and surreal miracle-fuelled visuals, it becomes the most striking in the series. Faith within the film becomes something fallible as lighting changes on a whim, brightness comes as epiphanies are experienced, and darkness falls as harsh truths are realised.
Wake Up Dead Man could be considered the best of the series because the mystery is compelling, and the message of love is strong. Johnson makes it clear that in a world where we are constantly made to feel divided by the people above us through the lies that they tell us about each other that the way to salvation is through kindness and love for our fellow man.
Wake Up Dead Man will release in select theatres on November 26 for a two-week run until it comes to Netflix on December 12.
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