Summary

Wake Up Dead Man. A Knives Out Mystery finds Rian Johnson taking his Benoit Blanc saga to church, literally, and the result is a sharp, moody, funny meditation on faith, power and murder. Many critics are calling it the richest and most ambitious entry in the trilogy so far. 🕵️‍♂️⛪

Positioning Within The Trilogy

The trilogy has evolved like a genre masterclass.
Knives Out (2019) revived the classic country house whodunnit with New England shadows, a fractured family and razor sharp class satire. It landed 97 percent on Rotten Tomatoes with strong audience scores.
Glass Onion (2022) exploded the format with a Greek island, tech billionaire antics and broad social satire, holding around 91 percent on RT.
Wake Up Dead Man (2025) goes inward and darker. Set in a small upstate New York parish, it introduces a murdered monsignor discovered inside a sealed concrete chamber during Easter preparations.

Where the first film had a Christie by way of Altman vibe and the second leaned into sunlit satire, this one brings in tones reminiscent of Graham Greene and The Exorcist. It is still playful but uses its mystery to explore guilt, belief and institutional decay.

Story And Themes

The mystery begins when Monsignor Jefferson Wicks, played with volcanic menace in flashbacks by Josh Brolin, is found dead in a supposedly impenetrable room beneath the parish. Benoit Blanc arrives to assist the investigation and forms an unlikely connection with Father Jud Duplenticy, played by Josh O Connor.

The film layers in parish politics, financial misconduct, moral hypocrisy and the tension between sincere belief and corrupt institutions. Several critics note that the film is not simply about the killer but about what people do with faith, power and moral authority.

Some reviewers argue that the thematic weight slows the pacing. One major outlet accused it of heaviness and over-symbolism. Others praise its ambition and emotional resonance. This is the clearest dividing line in reviews.

Performances

The cast may be the strongest ensemble Johnson has assembled. Daniel Craig, Josh O Connor, Glenn Close, Josh Brolin, Mila Kunis, Jeremy Renner, Kerry Washington, Andrew Scott, Cailee Spaeny, Daryl McCormack and Thomas Haden Church all contribute dynamic performances.

Daniel Craig deepens Benoit Blanc into a gentler, more introspective figure. His humor remains intact but there is more reflection and moral weight.
Josh O Connor delivers the breakout performance. Critics consistently highlight him as the emotional center of the film. His arc as a conflicted young priest who grapples with belief, rage and responsibility is one of the franchise’s most compelling character studies.
Glenn Close is both warm and calculating as the parish’s unofficial ruler.
Brolin, despite limited screen time, casts a long shadow over the community, playing Wicks as a charismatic but unsettling religious figure.

The ensemble supports the story with eccentricity and precision, maintaining the franchise’s tone while elevating its emotional stakes.

Direction And Script

Rian Johnson’s career trajectory makes him uniquely suited to craft this kind of mystery. Brick, Looper, Star Wars: The Last Jedi, the Benoit Blanc films and Poker Face all exhibit an interest in structure, subtext and character-driven genre play.

Wake Up Dead Man pushes that even further. Johnson uses time jumps, reframed scenes and shifting perspectives while weaving in conversations about conscience, community and the nature of truth.

Some critics feel it loses the propulsive clarity of Knives Out. Others consider it his most mature mystery and praise the boldness of the thematic approach.

If you appreciate Johnson’s willingness to blend genre entertainment with moral complexity, this film will resonate.

Music

Composer Nathan Johnson returns with a score that leans into liturgical tones without ever becoming parody. Organs, bells, choral textures and dissonant harmonies create a spiritual atmosphere that reflects the characters’ internal conflicts.

The music is less playful than the first film’s brassy motifs and more somber and psychological, especially in scenes between Blanc and Father Jud.

Cinematography

Cinematographer Steve Yedlin delivers stunning visual work.

The lighting shifts from warm candlelight to cold blue shadows depending on characters’ intentions.
Confessionals are shot like wooden prisons.
Stained glass scenes glow with almost operatic symbolism.
Location photography adds realism and texture.

The visual palette sets this film apart from the warm wood of Knives Out and the glassy brightness of Glass Onion. It is gothic, autumnal and painterly, and arguably the most beautiful film in the series.

Comparisons To Other Whodunnits

If Knives Out resembled Gosford Park and Glass Onion felt like a radical Columbo style satire, Wake Up Dead Man drifts toward more literary territory. It evokes the moral unease of films like Gone Girl or the social examination found in Parasite, though still within the whodunnit frame.

This is a slower burn, less of a party mystery and more of a character driven theological noir.

Ratings From Major Review Sites

Rotten Tomatoes. 95 percent critics and 94 percent audience.
IMDb. Approximately 8.0 out of 10.
Metacritic. 82 out of 100 with a user score near 7.9.
Letterboxd. Approximate 4.0 average with polarized commentary.

The majority of critics praise it as bold and emotionally richer than expected. A minority call it overstuffed or too thematically heavy.

External Links And Resources

Official Website. https://www.knivesout.movie
Official Netflix Film Page. https://www.netflix.com
IMDb Page. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt28066717
Rotten Tomatoes Page. https://www.rottentomatoes.com
Metacritic Page. https://www.metacritic.com
Rian Johnson’s Production Notes and Interviews. https://www.rian-johnson.com
Nathan Johnson’s Official Composer Page. https://www.nathanjohnsoncomposer.com
Steve Yedlin’s Cinematography Notes and Visual Demonstrations. https://www.yedlin.net

Our Verdict

Wake Up Dead Man is the most ambitious and visually accomplished film in the series. It is less breezy than the previous installments but more emotionally powerful. Craig and O Connor deliver some of their finest work and the film proves the Benoit Blanc franchise still has room to evolve.

Star Ratings

Overall. ★★★★☆
Acting. ★★★★★
Story. ★★★★☆
Music. ★★★★☆
Directing. ★★★★☆
Cinematography. ★★★★★