Posted: December 14, 2025
If you’ve seen and enjoyed the previous Knives Out films, chances are you’ll feel right at home with Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery. As someone who loves mystery thrillers that keep you guessing from start to finish, this one absolutely delivers. I always try to guess the killer early on, and for once, I actually got it right. That said, it wasn’t obvious at all. My guess was more of a shot in the dark, and even after making it, I kept second-guessing myself right up until the final fifteen minutes when everything was finally revealed.
I’ll keep this review fairly short, as going in blind will give you the best experience. What I will say is that the story focuses on a priest named Jud, played by Josh O’Connor, who is sent to a new church. He believes the current priest, Monsignor Wicks (Josh Brolin), is losing his congregation due to the way he delivers his sermons. When Monsignor Wicks is murdered in what seems like an impossible scenario, Benoit Blanc (Daniel Craig) arrives to uncover the truth.
That’s really all you need to know plot-wise. What stood out most to me was the cast, which was phenomenal across the board. Every actor fit their role perfectly, and I honestly can’t point to a weak performance. Josh Brolin’s character was probably my favorite, thanks to his humor and presence, though Daniel Craig’s Benoit Blanc is a very close second.
It’s rare for me not to find something that feels slightly off in a film, but I genuinely enjoyed almost everything here. When I say “almost,” there was one small element involving a character’s repeated desire to confess that left me a bit confused. I won’t go into details to avoid spoilers, but it didn’t entirely make sense to me. It may have been included simply to keep the audience guessing, though I’m not convinced it was necessary. You’ll know exactly what I mean once you see it.
All that aside, Wake Up Dead Man is easily one of the best films I’ve seen this year. The acting, music, and storytelling are all carefully crafted, and it never feels like a rushed or soulless studio project. At around two and a half hours, it’s definitely on the longer side, but the time flies by. Nothing drags, and every scene feels purposeful.
Bottom line: if you’re in the mood for a strong, well-made whodunit, this is an easy recommendation. There’s plenty of humor, a little something for everyone, and even a mildly gross moment for horror fans. And despite already knowing how it all ends, I can confidently say this is a movie I’ll be watching again.
Overall Verdict: If you enjoyed the other Knives Out films, this will be right up your alley as well. And if you haven't seen them yet, you're missing out on a some great Scooby Doo mystery movies.
Posted: December 15, 2025
I love a good whodunnit mystery, but I wasn’t terribly impressed with the first two movies in this Knives Out series. The stories are fine, but something in how they are acted or presented just didn’t land right with me. The characters just seemed a bit too out there and over-the top. I think I liked the idea of the movies more than the movies themselves, if that makes sense. So when I saw that there was another one out, I balked at first. Ultimately I held my breath, put it on, and hoped for the best. I’m glad I did. It was a pleasant surprise.
After former boxer turned priest Jud (played by Josh O’Connor) gets reprimanded for punching a rude deacon, he is reassigned to a rural church where he acts as the assistant pastor to Monsignor Wicks (Josh Brolin), who is a bit of an agitator. During a Good Friday service Wicks falls over dead in a small storage closet off to the side of the stage while taking a break from his sermon. Jud becomes an immediate early suspect, but eventually private detective Benoit Blanc (Daniel Craig) is called in to investigate the death, and Jud helps him with the investigation.
One of the things that stood out to me about this one was that while each of the characters had their own quirks, none were too over-the top or eccentric as I felt they were in the first couple movies. Even Benoit Blanc himself was more subdued. He still had his southern accent, but this time he played the part more like an actual detective than some larger-than—life animated play-detective. The rest of the all-star cast was superb as well. I feel like there was great casting – each actor played their part very well.
This one seemed to focus more on the story and the mystery rather than the need to make it a comedy. Of course there were comedic elements to it but those parts seemed to come naturally and for the most part didn’t feel forced just for the sake of it. The only issue I had was in an early scene where Jud and Wicks first sit down to talk and Wicks gives his confession to Jud. There’s a joke that plays out rather quickly but instead of moving on, they keep going with it for some reason. It was almost cringey. In fact, this was early on in the movie and I really thought I might be in for a disaster of a film. Fortunately things turned around after that.
There were a few scenes that actually had some well written philosophical dialogue as well. I was impressed with the thought that was put into some of the writing. The more serious religious themes and conversations nicely counter-balanced with the comedy aspects of the rest of the movie.
Overall the movie did a good job of keeping you guessing throughout. Even clocking in at nearly two and half hours, it never felt slow and kept my attention the whole time. I will say I was correct in my prediction of who did it, but I didn’t exactly know why or how until it was revealed at the end. If like me you are on the fence about this one, give it a watch. It was a lot more fun than I thought it was going to be.
Overall Verdict: Third times a charm for this series. A clear step above the first two installments with a good story that will keep you guessing throughout. If you liked the first two, you will likely enjoy this one more. If you didn’t care much for the first two, this one should win you over.
Congrats! You Can Be The First To Write A Review!
You Must Be Logged In To Post A Review
Releasing: January 2, 2026
Releasing: January 9, 2026
Releasing: January 16, 2026
7.4/10