“Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery” is a comedy about a murder that nobody can explain, and it mostly earns that premise. Rian Johnson directs and writes this follow-up to the Knives Out films, and he keeps the same template: a locked-room puzzle, a dead body, and a detective who talks too much. What changes is the setting. This time the crime happens inside a church, and the suspects include priests, a bishop, and a police chief who wants to solve the case herself.
The movie opens with a young priest named Jud Duplenticy being sent to help a man of God named Monsignor Jefferson Wicks. Right away, things feel off. Then a murder happens, and the local police chief, Geraldine Scott, joins forces with the famous detective Benoit Blanc to figure out who did it. The tagline sums up the whole thing: “He works in mysterious ways.”
Trailer, via Netflix.
The Case That Won’t Quit
The murder is the engine of the film, and Johnson spends a lot of time building the mystery around it. Nobody knows who did it, and nobody admits to having done it. That’s the point. The movie is less interested in solving the case quickly than in letting the tension build while the characters talk over each other.
Benoit Blanc, played by Daniel Craig, is still the center of attention. He’s loud, he’s confident, and he’s wrong about almost everything at first. His job is to talk through the clues, and Craig delivers that with the kind of energy that made him famous in the Knives Out movies. The jokes land because they’re built on the character’s own stubbornness.
Josh O’Connor plays Fr. Jud Duplenticy, the priest who gets pulled into the investigation. He’s younger, more nervous, and he’s the one who sees the strange behavior that the others miss. His performance gives the film its moral center, even though the story doesn’t let him solve anything on his own.
Glenn Close plays Martha Delacroix, and she’s the kind of character who knows more than she lets on. Josh Brolin plays Mons. Jefferson Wicks, and he’s the man of God who seems to be hiding something. Mila Kunis plays Chief Geraldine Scott, and she’s the one who refuses to believe the case is simple. Jeremy Renner plays Dr. Nat Sharp, and Kerry Washington plays Vera Draven, Esq., and Andrew Scott plays Lee Ross, and Cailee Spaeny plays Simone Vivane, and Daryl McCormack plays Cy Draven, and Thomas Haden Church plays Samson Holt, and Jeffrey Wright plays Bp. Langstrom. All of them get moments to be suspicious, and all of them get moments to be innocent.
The Church Setting
The church itself is a character in the film. It’s a closed space, full of rooms and secrets, and Johnson uses that to keep the audience guessing. The camera moves through corridors and confessionals, showing the small spaces where people can hide and lie. The setting adds weight to the mystery, making the crime feel more serious than a typical locked-room puzzle.
The film also treats the religious figures with a kind of respect. They’re not caricatures, and the movie doesn’t make fun of their faith. Instead, it uses the church’s rules and traditions as part of the puzzle. The murder could be a sin, or it could be a crime, and the film never settles on one answer.
The Detective’s Style
Benoit Blanc solves mysteries by talking. He listens to everyone, he repeats himself, and he draws conclusions that aren’t always correct. That style worked in the first Knives Out film, and it works here too. Craig plays the character with a mix of charm and arrogance, and the audience learns to trust him even when the other characters don’t.
The humor comes from the contrast between Blanc’s certainty and the chaos around him. He’s the only one who seems calm, and that makes him the focus of the story. The other characters argue, hide, and lie, but Blanc just keeps asking questions.
The Supporting Cast
The supporting cast does a lot of the heavy lifting. Josh O’Connor’s Fr. Jud Duplenticy is the audience’s stand-in, and his nervousness keeps the tension alive. Glenn Close’s Martha Delacroix and Josh Brolin’s Mons. Jefferson Wicks are the two figures who seem to know the most, and the film keeps the audience guessing about both of them. Mila Kunis’s Chief Geraldine Scott is the one who pushes the investigation forward, and her scenes with Craig are some of the best in the film.
Jeremy Renner’s Dr. Nat Sharp is a doctor who knows more than he lets on, and Kerry Washington’s Vera Draven, Esq., is a lawyer who isn’t afraid to push back. Andrew Scott’s Lee Ross and Cailee Spaeny’s Simone Vivane add depth to the smaller roles, and Daryl McCormack’s Cy Draven and Thomas Haden Church’s Samson Holt round out the cast. Jeffrey Wright’s Bp. Langstrom closes the circle, bringing the religious angle into sharp focus.
The Puzzle Pieces
The mystery itself is the strongest part of the film. Johnson sets up the clues carefully, and the solution arrives late enough that it feels earned. There’s a twist near the end that changes the whole reading of the case, and that twist is the reason the film holds together.
The film also includes a few red herrings, suspects who seem guilty and then turn out not to be. Those false leads keep the audience engaged, but they also slow down the pacing in the middle act. Some viewers might find the middle stretch slower than the opening and the finale.
The Humor
The film is a comedy first, and the jokes land more often than they miss. The humor comes from the characters’ reactions to the situation, not from cheap gags. The tone stays light even when the stakes are high, which is a difficult balance to pull off.
Craig’s delivery is the key to this. He’s able to say ridiculous things and make them sound reasonable, and that skill carries the film through its quieter stretches.
The Final Stretch
The ending brings everything together, and it does so with a twist that changes the whole reading of the case. It’s a satisfying conclusion, even if it leaves some questions open. The film ends on a note that suggests there’s more to come, but it also stands on its own.
The final scene brings the whole cast together in a way that feels earned, and it gives each character a moment to matter. The resolution is clever without being unfair, and that’s a hard line to walk.
Where It Falls Short
The middle act drags slightly, and some of the clues are explained through exposition rather than shown. The film also leans on its established formula, which means it doesn’t break new ground for the series. Still, it’s a solid entry that respects the intelligence of its audience.
Here’s how the pieces rank:
- The mystery — the strongest element, with a satisfying twist.
- The performances — especially Daniel Craig and Josh O’Connor, who carry the emotional weight.
- The humor — consistent and well-timed throughout.
- The pacing — strong in the beginning and the end, slower in the middle.
- The originality — a solid entry, but it follows the Knives Out formula closely.
The film is a good example of a director working within his own strengths. Johnson knows how to build a mystery, and he knows how to fill a screen with personality. The result is a movie that’s entertaining, smart, and occasionally funny, even when the plot gets complicated.
The Bottom Line
“Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery” is a worthy addition to the series. It doesn’t reinvent the wheel, but it doesn’t need to. The mystery is well-built, the cast is excellent, and the humor lands. It’s a solid, enjoyable watch for anyone who enjoyed the previous films.
The score is 7.2 out of 10.
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