Let’s eschew the type of slow-burning, big reveal that Daniel Craig’s Benoit Blanc excels at in the Knives Out series, and cut to the chase: Rian Johnson’s Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery is another satisfying, impossible-to-predict yarn featuring all the series’ hallmarks. There is a wildly diverse ensemble, including a few stellar character actors and some rising stars. There is a seemingly unsolvable crime carrying a whiff of Agatha Christie (and others, including, this time, Edgar Allan Poe). And there is a reliable whodunit trope; Knives Out had a family of backstabbers with axes to grind, while Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery offered a vacation setting and “friends” with revenge in mind. Wake Up Dead Man presents a “locked-door mystery” in a small town.
So far, so Knives Out. Wake Up Dead Man is, however, the weakest entry in the series—and it’s not even close. It is easy to forget how fresh Knives Out felt in 2019, and it was nearly equaled by the pandemic-set Onion (The latter lost the plot during its final stretch). As for Wake Up being the lesser of the three, blame the church––the church setting, that is. Johnson enjoys riffing on the ever-popular parish mystery genre, but following a stately mansion and a billionaire’s pleasure-filled island, a church is simply not as involving a locale.
The case at the heart of the film unfolds at a calcified Catholic parish in upstate New York. Its new assistant pastor is an ex-boxer with a past, played with humor and wounded grace by Josh O’Connor. His Jud Duplenticy longs to make a difference. But that won’t be easy, as the parish is overseen by the fire-breathing Monsignor Jefferson Wicks (Josh Brolin, channeling the look of Jeff Bridges). Wicks’ domain is a Gothic cathedral that draws a small collection of devotees. There is an alcoholic doctor (Jeremy Renner), a past-his-prime author (Andrew Scott), a cellist in need of a miracle (Cailee Spaeny), and a lawyer who was forced to raise a wannabe politico (Kerry Washington and Daryl McCormack, respectively). Creeping in the shadows is the church’s do-it-all staffer (Glenn Close). All are in thrall to Wicks, and none too happy with the arrival of Jud.
Note that the summary has not yet mentioned Benoit Blanc. That’s a problem, as it takes far too long for the scenery-chewing detective to be introduced. One of the pleasures of the series is the interplay between Blanc and a helper—see LaKeith Stanfield in Knives Out and Janelle Monáe in Glass Onion. This time, Blanc works with the town police chief, nicely played by Mila Kunis, yet saddled with a one-note role and little to do. She deserves more, as does Spaeny, the most wasted member of the cast. Brolin, Close, and O’Connor have more to work with and make the most of the opportunity. As for Craig, well, it is always a delight to see the actor as Benoit Blanc. But outside of one memorable moment at the pulpit (and a genuinely classic moment involving Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Phantom of the Opera), Craig is rather subdued this time around.
It is wise, by the way, to watch Wake Up Dead Man with as little background as possible. To that end, I will refrain from identifying which cast member gets snuffed out on Good Friday. Audiences are once again unlikely to guess how the proceedings will unfold, and—flaws notwithstanding—should be mostly satisfied.
While Wake Up Dead Man fails to reach the highs of Knives Out and Glass Onion, it nevertheless solidifies Johnson’s reliability to deliver thoughtful thrills. Indeed, the most impressive achievement of the director’s career is not Brick or The Last Jedi, although fashioning a high school whodunnit and the most divisive (and bold) Star Wars film both qualify as admirable. It’s clear his greatest success is the Benoit Blanc series, resurrecting a kind of mystery franchise that long felt dormant. It is no spoiler to say that when Wake Up Dead Man concludes, there is little reason to believe we have seen the last of Benoit Blanc. Johnson certainly has more stories to tell, and they will surely entertain the masses at home on a Saturday evening. Next time, let’s hope for a more compelling setting and—please—a more dynamic Benoit Blanc.
Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery premiered at TIFF 2025 and opens in theaters on November 26 and arrives on Netflix on December 12.
The post TIFF Review: Wake Up Dead Man Is a Satisfying Benoit Blanc Romp, But the Weakest Entry Yet first appeared on The Film Stage.
