Serving as one of the Centerpiece films for the 26th annual Newport Beach Film Festival, Wake Up Dead Man, the third installment in the Knives Out franchise, was another showcase for the talents of writer/director Rian Johnson, who received the Director Award from the festival on the same night of its screening. Johnson has carved out quite a career for himself, exploring different genres of varying scopes with both his features as well as his TV work. That said, as far as these Benoit Blanc mysteries are concerned, Wake Up Dead Man proves that this series is continuing to only get better as it goes along. Serving as the darkest and most introspective entry yet, it’s also sharp, full of humor, and plotted in such a way that keeps the excitement levels high.
This time around, private detective Benoit Blanc (Daniel Craig, sporting a fuller head of hair and the same Foghorn Leghorn accent) finds himself investigating a case set at a small church, where a young priest, Reverend Jud Duplenticy (Josh O’Connor), has been dealing with the domineering Monsignor Jefferson Wicks (Josh Brolin). Simmering tensions have led to a change in the status quo, and now it’s up to Blanc, Jud, and police chief Geraldine Scott (Mila Kunis) to figure out the truth.
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As is the case in each of these Rian Johnson whodunnits, the film is stacked with actors. Jeremy Renner plays a town doctor. Kerry Washington is a stressed-out lawyer, with a wannabe politician stepson played by Daryl McCormack. Andrew Scott is a sci-fi novelist turned conspiracy theorist. Cailee Spaeny is a disabled cellist. Thomas Haden Church is the church’s groundskeeper. And, finally, Glenn Close is a devout church lady and right-hand woman to Msgr. Wicks. That’s a lot for any film to handle, and I haven’t even mentioned the few wonderful minutes spent with special guest stars Jeffrey Wright and Bridget Everett.
With all of these players in mind, does the notion of having so many recognizable faces do much for the mystery at hand? Is there such a thing as having one red herring too many? It’s of no real matter, as Johnson’s screenplay does plenty to have fun with this crew of largely suspicious and/or obnoxious characters, but never loses track of what’s at the film’s core. Much like the previous entries in this series, Knives Out and Glass Onion, while Craig’s Blanc is the conduit to help the audience figure out what’s going on, he is not the lead character. This time around, it is O’Connor’s Reverend Jud taking the help, and the one-time boxer with a sordid past does plenty to get across his humility, even as the actor leans into the comic value that comes with such a character.
This also means getting a character who has an interesting way of being in opposition to Blanc, despite the two serving as allies throughout the feature. It should not be surprising that the logic-driven detective has nothing but contempt for religion. While the film once again only hints at aspects of Blanc’s personal life, Craig knows the proper ways to lean into his mentality during this case. The former James Bond has shown such clear joy for playing Benoit Blanc, but it’s nice to see him acting a bit tamer this time around, dialing down the comic energy of this man, yet still layering in some fun phrases and getting in time to amusingly banter with the others.
All of this in mind, when moving away from the immediate dilemmas involving Jud, Wake Up Dead Man once again wastes no time in using this broad range of supporting characters as a means for critique and social commentary. It’s what allows Brolin to have one of the most memorable characters in this series yet, as Wicks both pokes at Jud in unexpected ways while showing what kind of tyrannical figure he can be when considering the way his congregation (made up of familiar types) supports him. Given the times we are living in, it’s not too hard to see what other fringe voices are being brought up by this film. Still, Johnson is also smart enough not to linger too long, let alone crack down in more highly specific ways.
In fact, while painting some layers of satire into the material is welcome for a mystery that, if anything, is a bit more conventional than the plotting of the previous film, which felt the need to deconstruct nearly every aspect of a typical murder mystery story, there’s some carefully handled drama at play as well in this story. That’s not merely speaking to the main plot and how that works its way out, but Jud’s own crisis of faith, or at least the lengths he realizes he must go, let alone unexpected moments that have him pushed in ways he would have never expected. It’s this strong characterization that makes the mystery even more satisfying, as the answers serve as more of a treat to accompany a story that cares just as much about who is involved, and not just the “why” of it all.
Looking at the film as a whole, while less extravagant than a private island, this more grounded entry gets plenty of mileage out of its cooler, late winter/early spring, forest setting. All of Johnson’s regulars are here, so Steve Yedlin’s cinematography does plenty with clever angles, framed shots, and more. Nathan Johnson provides an appropriate score that calls to mind the older days of mystery cinema. It may not feel as much like a puzzle, looking to be locked into place, but the effort is here to deliver a clever tale that never looks down on its audience.
Wake Up Dead Man finds the right ways to play into being another entry in a popular series by simply delivering the goods without trying to outdo itself. There are fun characters, and the stakes are strong enough for us to care, but the film still exists in a proper reality that keeps things relatable. Craig is once again game to make us fall in line with the joy that comes from his Benoit Blanc performance, while O’Connor provides a sturdy emotional core. The terrific supporting cast is all fulfilling their duties as well, as we lean in and wonder just where this is all going. Fortunately, despite the dead man in question, the results are all above board.
Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery will be released in select theaters on November 26, 2025, and then on Netflix on December 12.
The 26th annual Newport Beach Film Festival takes place from October 16 to October 23, 2025.
For the full lineup, tickets, and more information, check out the website.
