Wake Up Dead Man Movie Review: Daniel Craig returns sharper than ever in a Knives Out tale that plays by its own rules

Daniel Craig stars in Wake Up Dead Man

‘Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery,’ directed by Rian Johnson, began streaming on Netflix from 12th December and stars Daniel Craig, Josh O’Connor, Josh Brolin, Glenn Close, Andrew Scott, Kerry Washington, Jeremy Renner, and Mila Kunis.

‘Wake Up Dead Man’ marks a confident and surprising shift in the ‘Knives Out’ series. Rian Johnson once again brings back detective Benoit Blanc, but this time he places him in a world that feels older, quieter, and far more haunted than anything the franchise has attempted before. The film trades the bright, mansion-style chaos of the first two films for a moody town built around a stone church, a graveyard, and a community burdened by secrets that don’t stay buried for long. It is still a whodunit at its core, but the tone leans into something darker and more spiritual, as if Johnson wants to explore not just who committed the crime but what guilt and belief can do to people when no one is watching. This gives the film a unique, bolder, and more mature flavour.

The plot begins when Monsignor Jefferson Wicks (Josh Brolin), the strict head of a small-town church, is found dead under mysterious circumstances during preparations for a Good Friday service. Detective Benoit Blanc (Daniel Craig) is called in to investigate, quickly realizing that beneath the congregation’s calm exterior lies a web of secrets and personal conflicts. Father Jud (Josh O’Connor), a young priest newly assigned to the parish, struggles with loyalty, doubt, and his past mistakes, while longtime church aide Martha (Glenn Close) hides knowledge of tensions within the community. The groundskeeper Samson (Thomas Haden Church), town doctor Dr. Nat Sharp (Jeremy Renner), lawyer Vera (Kerry Washington), her ambitious son Cy (Daryl McCormack), author Lee Ross (Andrew Scott), and cellist Simone (Cailee Spaeny) each carry motives and secrets tied to Wicks. As Blanc unravels alibis, character flaws, and hidden relationships, the mystery unfolds naturally.

‘Wake Up Dead Man’ works because it understands the genre but refuses to be trapped by it. Johnson takes his time, letting silence and shadows do some of the storytelling. The investigation moves at a steady pace, and the film uses its setting: weathered stone walls, flickering candles, fog around the graves—to build a sense of something almost gothic. But the mystery never becomes heavy-handed. The screenplay touches upon themes like the cost of faith, the fear of losing power, and the guilt that people carry for years without speaking. In comparison to the earlier ‘Knives Out’ films, this one feels more personal. Where the first film was sharp and playful and the second one leaned into satire, this third entry reaches for something deeper, almost philosophical. This only shows that the franchise is growing instead of repeating itself.

The performances lift the film even higher. Daniel Craig once again gives Blanc a gentle charm, but he also adds a layer of melancholy that suits the film’s tone. He listens more, speaks less, and becomes almost reflective, as if the case forces him to confront something about himself. Josh O’Connor is the clear standout among the supporting cast—his mix of nervous energy and quiet intensity makes every scene with him unpredictable. The rest of the ensemble fits into the world without drawing attention away from the mystery. Each actor seems to understand that the film is not just about solving a puzzle but uncovering the emotional cracks of a community built on appearances. Even the smallest roles matter, because Johnson gives every character a moment that hints at the truth they’re hiding.

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‘Wake Up Dead Man’ stands tall as both a gripping mystery and a thoughtful character study. It may not have the quick wit of the first film or the glossy, sun-soaked style of the second, but it offers something more enduring: a story that stays with you. The darker tone works because it comes from a place of honesty, not gimmick. Johnson trusts the audience to sit with ambiguity, with silence, with the uncomfortable idea that good people often make terrible choices. This film also shows how a franchise can evolve without losing its soul. As a standalone film, it proves that a murder mystery can be entertaining while still saying something meaningful about the world we live in and the burdens we carry. It is easily one of the strongest entries in the series.