Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery | Official Trailer | Netflix - A Review
Rian Johnson (movies and tv series) returns with a movie that feels like he pushed the Knives Out playbook into darker corners. It's still a whodunit at heart, but this one smells of candle wax and confessionals. Think small-town church secrets, a brilliantly odd congregation, and a murder that refuses to feel ordinary.
And yes, Daniel Craig (movies and tv series) is back as Benoit Blanc (movies and tv series) - still charming, still sly, still the character you want in the room when people start lying. But here's what surprised me: Josh O'Connor (movies and tv series) really owns large stretches of the film. He isn't just another face in the ensemble; he gives the story an emotional center. Glenn Close (movies and tv series), Josh Brolin (movies and tv series), Jeremy Renner (movies and tv series) and the rest of the cast build a congregation that feels lived-in and dangerous in equal measure.
What works
- Tone: The movie leans into Gothic atmosphere in a way the earlier entries didn't. Moody lighting, slow-burning dread, and a sense that faith and doubt are active players in the mystery.
- Visuals: Steve Yedlin (movies and tv series)'s cinematography is deliberate - lots of texture, lots of shadows. It helps the film feel bigger than a talking-room mystery.
- Score: Nathan Johnson (movies and tv series)'s music quietly ratchets tension. It doesn't shout; it suggests, and that fits the story's religious undertow.
- Ensemble acting: This is genuinely an ensemble piece. Daniel Craig anchors it, but the film often shines when it gives other actors room to breathe.
What doesn't
- Sometimes the plotting loves its own cleverness a little too much. You can admire the mechanics and still wish it trusted the emotional stakes more.
- At roughly 140 minutes, the pace drifts in the middle. But stick with it - the atmosphere pays off in the final third.
- Maybe it's just me, but the church setting raises questions the movie doesn't fully answer. Intentionally ambiguous? Sure. Frustrating? Also true, depending on what you expect from a Knives Out mystery.
But there are scenes that land like weather. A quiet confession. A public sermon that doubles as a reveal. Moments where the camera lingers and everything else drops away. Those are the scenes that make the runtime feel earned.
This isn't just another sequel that re-skins the same puzzle. Johnson plays with theme - faith, devotion, mortality - in ways that give the plot extra weight. And again: Josh O'Connor. He's the kind of presence that can make you pay attention to small moments, which is exactly what this movie wants.
Final take
Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery | Official Trailer | Netflix is likely the boldest Benoit Blanc picture yet. It's moodier, a little more somber, and occasionally overthought - but it's alive, too, and full of performance choices that keep it humming. If you come for the mystery, you'll get it. If you come for atmosphere and a cast that digs in, you'll get even more.
Watch it in a dark theater if you can. Or settle in at home when it hits Netflix - either way, expect a Knives Out film that isn't content to repeat itself.
