Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery (2025) Reviews: What Critics Said

Editorial note: This is a roundup of published criticism of Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery. Celluloid has not screened the film for this piece, and it carries no Celluloid rating. The critics are named and linked under Sources.

Is Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery worth watching?

Most critics say yes: Rian Johnson’s third Benoit Blanc mystery is a darker, more reflective entry that still delivers the series’ wit, and at least one reviewer rated it the best of the three. Josh O’Connor’s young priest drew near-universal praise, as did the film’s handling of faith. The main reservations concern its two-and-a-half-hour length, a crowded ensemble and, for one dissenting critic, a mystery that takes a back seat to spiritual drama.

What is Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery about?

Young priest Jud Duplenticy is sent to assist Monsignor Jefferson Wicks, a charismatic firebrand at a small-town parish in upstate New York, and it quickly becomes clear that all is not well in the pews. When a sudden and seemingly impossible murder shakes the community and no obvious suspect emerges, local police chief Geraldine Scott joins forces with detective Benoit Blanc. Johnson writes and directs. Daniel Craig returns as Blanc, with Josh O’Connor as Jud, Josh Brolin as Wicks and Mila Kunis as Chief Scott, alongside Glenn Close, Jeremy Renner, Kerry Washington, Andrew Scott, Cailee Spaeny and Daryl McCormack. The film runs 145 minutes and was released in 2025, playing briefly in cinemas before arriving on Netflix.

What critics praised

O’Connor was the reviewers’ common ground. In TheWrap, Chase Hutchinson called the performance outstanding, funny and full of genuine grace, and argued that this is the strongest film in the series: preoccupied with death yet somehow the most alive, and willing to take on right-wing extremism and religion’s capacity both to heal and to shelter hatred. He also admired Steve Yedlin’s cinematography and a supporting cast he considered perfectly pitched. Jacob Oller of the AV Club likewise found O’Connor carrying the film’s thematic weight with a soft-spoken, goofy warmth, enjoyed Brolin’s imposing turn and felt Johnson’s blend of self-awareness and sincerity had matured.

For Empire, John Nugent saw the film as completing one of the most consistent and rewarding trilogies in recent cinema. He praised its gothic atmosphere, its sly swipes at modern America and its humour, and credited Johnson with treating religion respectfully while still skewering it. Nugent also noted Craig settling ever more comfortably into Blanc, and O’Connor walking a difficult tonal line as a decent, complicated man.

In Sight and Sound, Kim Newman found the film intellectually satisfying and highly entertaining, balancing an intricate puzzle with rich character work. He placed its engagement with faith in the tradition of G.K. Chesterton, noting that Blanc is confronted, for once, with mysteries that may resist rational explanation, and praised the ensemble for giving each suspect memorable quirks.

Where critics were divided

Length and crowding were the most common complaints. Oller felt the running time becomes a burden, with detours that tread water and so many characters and subplots that the story loses momentum. Nugent, though enthusiastic, warned that much of the starry ensemble is left with little to do, that Blanc is kept largely offstage until the second act, and that its structure does not quite match the ingenuity of Glass Onion. Newman noted the darker tone than earlier entries, though he did not count it against the film.

The strongest dissent came from Joe George at Den of Geek, who argued that Johnson’s religious themes strain against the mystery formula. In his view the film prioritises Jud’s spiritual journey over detective work, reduces Blanc to a supporting player and gives the puzzle scant attention, while characters played by Renner and Scott are wasted in one-note parts. He also found the film’s geography unclear, making Blanc’s reasoning hard to follow. George still praised Craig’s charm, O’Connor’s kindness and several striking images, and admired the respectful exchanges between Blanc’s rationalism and Jud’s faith.

Who is it for?

Fans of the earlier films will find most critics recommending this one, particularly anyone who responded to the series’ social satire. Viewers who come mainly for the clockwork of the puzzle may side with George’s reservations. The film is rated PG-13 in the US and 12 in the UK. It belongs alongside the site’s other mystery titles and follows Knives Out; cast, age ratings and streaming details are on the film’s page.

The critical verdict

The critical consensus is strongly positive. Reviewers welcomed a darker, more personal Blanc mystery anchored by O’Connor and enriched by its serious interest in faith, and TheWrap’s critic ranked it the best of the trilogy. The recurring caveats are its length, an underused ensemble and, for a minority, a puzzle that matters less than it should.