WAKE UP DEAD MAN: A KNIVES OUT MYSTERY
Starring: Josh O'Connor, Daniel Craig, Glenn Close, Josh Brolin, Mila Kunis, Jeremy Renner, Kerry Washington, Andrew Scott, Cailee Spaeny, Daryl McCormack, Thomas Haden Church, and Jeffrey Wright
Director: Rian Johnson
NICK
I hate to pigeonhole a director, but if Rian Johnson continues making murder mysteries for the rest of his career, I'd be fine with that. Johnson has a knack for this, and his pairing with the now iconic Benoit Blanc (Daniel Craig) is magic. Although Blanc takes a backseat to Rev. Duplenticy (Josh O’Connor) here, he still has moments to shine as Johnson tries his hand at creating a gothic horror film. It's ambitious, but it works, though not quite as well as the previous two entries. That said, I will still gladly take a fourth film on the work of one Benoit Blanc.
ADRIANO
Wake Up Dead Man is Benoit Blanc's (Daniel Craig) most ambitious mystery yet. Continuing the trend of writer/director Rian Johnson's Knives Out films, Johnson flips audience expectations on their heads in ways that had my eyes glued. Even if you guess who the killer is, the “how” will still shock you. Easily the darkest of the franchise so far, it has great Poe-esque iconography and an interesting take on the radicalizing power of organized religion, all while keeping that Knives Out humour intact. You could argue this is the best of the franchise, and I wouldn't fight you on that.
QUENTIN
By default, one of the Knives Out movies must be considered the “least good,” a mantle that falls upon Wake Up Dead Man. Don’t get me wrong, it’s a worthy franchise entry, but it’s so different that it’s comparatively weaker. The biggest change is that Benoit Blanc (Daniel Craig) isn’t really the main character, playing second fiddle to Rev. Deplenticy (a fantastic Josh O’Connor). Also, although it maintains a sense of humor, it’s much heavier and somewhat predictable, which makes it less lively and fun. Lastly, Josh Brolin aside, the ensemble cast mostly fades away as glorified cameos. Still, it’s a highly recommendable mystery.
This film was reviewed by Nick and Adriano as part of Bitesize Breakdown's coverage of the 2025 Toronto International Film Festival.