WAKE UP DEAD MAN Restored My Faith in Rian Johnson’s Whodunits (Review)

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Okay, I’ll be honest: I wasn’t a huge fan of Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery. It was good, and I enjoyed the acting, but it didn’t live up to the original Knives Out, which I’ve watched multiple times. It just felt a little silly, and I started to worry about where the series was going with Netflix. More money doesn’t always mean a better story. However, I still wanted to give the third movie, Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery, a chance. And I’m so glad I did! I absolutely loved it – it felt much more like the first film.

The popularity of cozy mysteries is easy to understand – they’re comforting and enjoyable! We love a good ‘whodunit’ with interesting characters and a charming detective, and we want to feel satisfied by the end. That’s why I didn’t fully connect with Glass Onion; a luxurious setting on a private island doesn’t feel ‘cozy’ to me. Mysteries should be clever, but too much cleverness can feel contrived. Thankfully, Wake Up Dead Man avoids that, delivering a murder mystery that respects the genre while still offering a fresh and intriguing take.

The film Wake Up Dead Man is set in Upstate New York. Josh O’Connor stars as Fr. Jud Duplenticy, a young priest with a troubled past who is eager to lead his own church. He’s assigned as an assistant pastor at Our Lady of Perpetual Fortitude, a small parish overseen by the stern Monsignor Jefferson Wicks (Josh Brolin). From the start, Monsignor Wicks resents Fr. Jud’s arrival and actively hinders his attempts to connect with the church’s most loyal members. These members aren’t particularly devout, however; their loyalty lies more with Monsignor Wicks himself.

The movie features a diverse cast including Glenn Close as the church secretary, Kerry Washington as the lawyer for the victim, Jeremy Renner as a doctor battling alcoholism, Andrew Scott as a sci-fi author hoping to write a book about the case, Cailee Spaeny as a musician living with chronic pain, Daryl McCormack as an aspiring far-right politician, and Thomas Haden Church as the quiet handyman. As you can imagine from Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery, each of these characters has secrets to conceal.

When Jud confronts Monsignor Wicks about his dangerous words, the monsignor is later found dead in a locked room – a room no one could have entered or left unseen. Suspicion immediately falls on Father Jud, and local police chief Geraldine (Mila Kunis) calls in the renowned detective Benoit Blanc (Craig) to investigate this seemingly impossible crime in the new film, Wake Up Dead Man.

Like other films by Johnson in this series, the story mainly focuses on a character who acts as both a stand-in for the audience and a potential suspect. In this case, it’s Father Jud, played by O’Connor, who brings sincerity and emotional depth to the film. While some characters are more detached, Jud remains genuine and becomes the emotional center of Wake Up Dead Man, making the question of his guilt particularly gripping. Despite being set in a world of church and faith, it’s Father Jud’s struggle to find meaning and hope—even in a bleak and cynical world—that feels most real.

I was really struck by how the movie shows Monsignor Wicks – Josh Brolin plays him with this intensity, just delivering one harsh sermon after another. It’s like he’s deliberately trying to push people away until only the most devoted are left. Director Johnson balances this with a weird mix of humor and genuine fear, because honestly, it feels like a really unsettling reflection of how divided and nasty America could be in 2025.

Daniel Craig is fantastic as the detective Benoit Blanc, and he remains captivating in this film. He and another character, Jud, have interesting conversations about belief and logic, which fits perfectly with Blanc’s personality from Knives Out. The movie doesn’t push any religious or non-religious agenda; instead, it allows characters to hold different beliefs without judgment. Ultimately, the film suggests that dishonesty is the real problem.

The most striking parts of Wake Up Dead Man create a genuinely creepy, almost supernatural atmosphere, which really enhances the mystery. The story’s use of old Catholic churches and cemeteries immediately feels unsettling. And the title itself isn’t just for show—the question of whether someone returns from the dead is central to the plot. Personally, I’m drawn to colder, fall settings, and I really enjoyed how this story revisited that kind of mood in Wake Up Dead Man.

I found Wake Up Dead Man to be more emotionally impactful than the previous films in Rian Johnson’s mystery series. While I still consider Knives Out the strongest of the three, I could easily see this one becoming a close second after a few more watches. The performances from Craig, O’Connor, Brolin, and Close are all fantastic, and the story is full of clever twists and a satisfying resolution. I really hope we see more of Benoit Blanc in the future, because Wake Up Dead Man has definitely renewed my enthusiasm for the series.

⭐ (4.5 of 5)

Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery hits Netflix December 12.

Kyle Anderson is a Senior Editor at TopMob and the host of the weekly podcast, Laser Focus, where he explores pop culture in depth. He also writes film and TV reviews, and you can find him on Letterboxd.

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2025-12-08 19:04