Rian Johnson’s highly anticipated third whodunit, Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery, is now streaming globally on Netflix, bringing detective Benoit Blanc (Daniel Craig) into his most emotionally charged and darkest case yet.
Released on Friday, December 12, 2025, the film has already garnered overwhelmingly positive viewer reviews, with many calling it a return to the roots of the first film while deepening the franchise’s thematic complexity.
The New Mystery: Faith, Sin, and an Impossible Crime
The third installment trades the tropical island setting of Glass Onion for a much more Gothic atmosphere: a small-town Catholic parish in upstate New York with a troubled past.
- The Setup: Benoit Blanc is called in to investigate the “perfectly impossible crime”—the murder of Monsignor Jefferson Wicks (played by Josh Brolin), a toxic and abrasive head priest, who is found dead in a sealed chamber during a sermon.
- A New Emotional Core: The story heavily features an idealistic young priest, Father Jud Duplenticy (played by Josh O’Connor), who becomes the emotional anchor for the film. Critics and viewers are praising O’Connor’s “heartbreaking” performance, which anchors the film’s deeper themes of guilt, morality, and faith.
- Darker Tone: Director Rian Johnson has confirmed he aimed for a darker, more gothic horror-inspired aesthetic this time. Unlike the lighter satire of the previous sequel, Wake Up Dead Man delves into serious questions about the intersection of faith and cultural power.
Star-Studded Ensemble and Critical Reception
In true Knives Out fashion, the film features an ensemble cast of high-profile suspects:
| Actor | Role |
| Daniel Craig | Benoit Blanc |
| Josh O’Connor | Father Jud Duplenticy (Priest) |
| Glenn Close | Martha Delacroix (Church Assistant) |
| Josh Brolin | Monsignor Jefferson Wicks (The Victim) |
| Andrew Scott | Lee Ross (Sci-Fi Novelist) |
| Jeremy Renner | Dr. Nat Sharp |
| Mila Kunis | Geraldine Scott (Police Chief) |
| Kerry Washington | Vera Draven (Attorney) |
- Audience Praise: Social media reaction has been immense, with viewers calling it “Johnson’s most powerful film yet” and praising the intricately engineered plot, which many found harder to guess than the previous two films.
- The Blanc Factor: Fans are also reacting strongly to the film’s delayed entrance of Daniel Craig’s detective, who doesn’t appear until about 40 minutes into the movie. However, his presence is credited with grounding the complex, sprawling narrative.
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