Wake Up Dead Man proves once again that Rian Johnson’s Knives Out films might be one of the few modern franchises that can keep growing without losing their soul. Even with Netflix in the mix, this third outing feels sharp, character-driven, and refreshingly resistant to the usual streaming-era flattening. It’s arguably the best since the original — and depending on what you value in a mystery, maybe even its equal.
This time, Johnson drops Daniel Craig’s beloved detective Benoit Blanc into a world of small-town religion, sin, and buried secrets. The film kicks off not with Blanc, but with Josh O’Connor’s Jud, a young priest whose crisis at his previous parish gets him reassigned to an isolated, offbeat church run by Josh Brolin’s fire-and-brimstone minister, Jefferson Wicks. Their clashing visions of faith set the stage for the story’s central question, especially once Wicks turns up dead in a staging so elaborate it borders on the divine.
From there, Blanc steps in — though notably late, nearly 45 minutes into the film — to unravel a tangle of motives among the church’s uneasy regulars. Jeremy Renner, Kerry Washington, Andrew Scott, Cailee Spaeny, and Daryl McCormack each bring layered, lived-in performances as parishioners who’ve felt trapped under Wicks’ abrasive leadership. Glenn Close is excellent as Martha, the no-nonsense keeper of the church’s day-to-day life, while Hayden Thomas Church and Mila Kunis round out the ensemble with grounded, memorable turns.
If Wake Up Dead Man excels at anything, it’s showcasing actors being actors. Johnson once again assembles a stacked cast and actually gives them room to work. Josh O’Connor, in particular, is a standout — vulnerable, complex, and carrying the film’s thematic weight about faith, forgiveness, and the often-messy purpose of the church. His sincerity becomes the movie’s moral center.
And like any proper Knives Out mystery, the film keeps every clue right in front of you while still managing to conceal the truth until the final reveal. The twists land, the tension holds, and the shifting dynamics between the characters make the story feel alive.
That said, the film does run long. At nearly two and a half hours, it feels like Johnson could have trimmed 15 minutes without losing anything essential. Blanc’s delayed entrance works conceptually, but it contributes to a first act that drags just a touch. A tighter cut would have elevated the pacing to match the sharpness of the writing and performances.
Still, even with a bit of bloat, this movie is an absolute blast: smart, funny, thematically rich, and anchored by Daniel Craig continuing to crush his Foghorn-Leghorn-meets-Poirot energy. If the first film has the best cast and the second has the most flamboyant style, this one might have the most satisfying mystery.
Sold-out theaters despite a Netflix release days away say it all — people want more of this series. And if Johnson keeps making films as confident and entertaining as Wake Up Dead Man, we’ll gladly take ten more.
Wake Up Dead Man = 83/100
