{"id":311392,"date":"2025-11-27T04:06:09","date_gmt":"2025-11-27T04:06:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/311392\/"},"modified":"2025-11-27T04:06:09","modified_gmt":"2025-11-27T04:06:09","slug":"wake-up-dead-man-a-knives-out-mystery-movie-review-2025","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/311392\/","title":{"rendered":"Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery movie review (2025)"},"content":{"rendered":"

If people thought that \u201cGlass Onion<\/a>\u201d was a bit too much of a lark following the breakout success of \u201cKnives Out<\/a>,\u201d the third Rian Johnson film in what is now a full-blown franchise, \u201cWake Up Dead Man,\u201d is a correction to that \u201cvacation mystery\u201d tone. It\u2019s chilly, windy, and overcast in this entertaining gem, but there\u2019s a light for every darkness.<\/p>\n

Inspired by \u201clocked door mysteries\u201d like The Hollow Man and The Murders in the Rue Morgue, \u201cDead Man\u201d sees Daniel Craig<\/a>\u2019s Benoit Blanc investigating an impossible case that allows Johnson to explore themes of faith vs. logic, greed vs. sacrifice, and even the need for all kinds of storytelling in our lives, from those of faith to those of film. It\u2019s one of several recent examples of talented writers trying to meet the moment of life in the 2020s not head-on but from the side, incorporating themes of the current \u201cState of Things\u201d into a fascinating mystery that also plays with timeless chords. It\u2019s an ambitious delight, a movie that doesn\u2019t divide the faithful from the heretic but reminds them of their common needs.<\/p>\n

The lead this time is one Reverend Jud Dupenticy (Josh O\u2019Connor<\/a>), a young priest who is sent to a troubled New York parish after he punches a deacon. Jud ends up working with the irascible Monsignor Jefferson Wicks (a powerful Josh Brolin<\/a>), a monster of a man who believes in ruling with anger instead of hope. He preaches from a pulpit of fire, using tools like shame and guilt to keep people under control. He argues with Jud that their very faith is under attack, and the only way to stay relevant is to fight back. Despite his introductory right jab, Jud operates from the opposite side of the church aisle, preaching hugs over fists. There are several dualities in \u201cWake Up Dead Man,\u201d but the one at its core is this idea that factions have emerged not just in this church but in this country, and that fighting for your tribe isn\u2019t going to save us\u2014welcoming outsiders into it is the only way forward.<\/p>\n

We also meet the monsignor\u2019s most loyal followers, who will, of course, become suspects in this edition\u2019s twisty mystery. They include Martha Delacroix (Glenn Close<\/a>), Wicks\u2019 most loyal servant, and a part of the church since she was only a child. Groundskeeper Samson Holt (Thomas Haden Church<\/a>) is a quiet man, loyal to his love for Martha and grateful to Wicks, who saved him from the demons of alcoholism. Dr. Nat Sharp (Jeremy Renner<\/a>) lost his wife to a Phish message board, seeking companionship in the bottle. Lee Ross (Andrew Scott<\/a>) is a former hit writer who has become obsessed with internet conspiracies. Simone (Cailee Spaeny<\/a>) believes Wicks can cure her chronic pain. Vera Draven (Kerry Washington<\/a>) resents taking care of her awful half-brother Cy (Daryl McCormack<\/a>) an aspiring politician who believes in weaponizing online outrage, using social media as his own kind of pulpit. Jeffrey Wright<\/a>, Mila Kunis<\/a>, and a wonderfully effective Bridget Everett<\/a> fill out an expectedly great ensemble.<\/p>\n

For much of the first act of this one, Blanc isn\u2019t even on the scene, allowing O\u2019Connor to be the undeniable lead as he finds the conflicted core of one of Johnson\u2019s most complex characters, delivering a performance that is both playful and grounded. Jud killed a man in the boxing ring and has been not only trying to atone for that act ever since but also to understand the anger that produced it. The roots of anger weave through the plot of \u201cWake Up Dead Man,\u201d whether it\u2019s Jud\u2019s background, Wicks\u2019 brutality, Martha\u2019s judgment, Cy\u2019s opportunism, or Nat\u2019s resentment. Of course, this is Johnson looking at the divided world around him and incorporating it into an old-fashioned mystery subgenre, but \u201cWake Up Dead Man\u201d is somewhat shockingly optimistic, a film that champions understanding over conflict, and yet never in a way that feels preachy or sentimental either. It\u2019s such a razor-sharp script, one of the best from one of the best writers of his generation.<\/p>\n

Everyone expects a Johnson script to be sharp, but too few words have been spent on the increasing mastery of his craft as well. \u201cWake Up Dead Man\u201d will largely be watched on a small screen, but make no mistake about it: This looks like a film. Johnson\u2019s regular cinematographer, Steven Yedlin, delivers some of his best work, offsetting the cool light of an old New York church with key moments of sunlight streaming through its windows. It\u2019s a gorgeous-looking film, which may not sound like much for a mystery, but it elevates it above so many underlit films made for streaming services. On that note, Bob Ducsay\u2019s editing is as essential to this production as any element, especially as the case unravels.<\/p>\n

About that case, it\u2019s arguably a beat or two too convoluted, and just about impossible to solve, but, as with all of the \u201cKnives Out\u201d movies, that\u2019s not really what it\u2019s all about. These movies are not WHOdunits as much as WHYdunits, and it\u2019s everything that\u2019s under the murder and its resolution that makes this sermon so entertaining and so powerful. At one point, it becomes essentially a buddy comedy as a man of faith in Jud and a man of logic in Benoit approach the case from their unique perspectives, but its true power lies in its hope that they, and all of us, have more in common than we think. And only when we figure that out will we be able to wake up.<\/p>\n

In theaters now. On Netflix on December 12th.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"If people thought that \u201cGlass Onion\u201d was a bit too much of a lark following the breakout success…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":311393,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[27],"tags":[64,63,134,344],"class_list":{"0":"post-311392","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-movies","8":"tag-au","9":"tag-australia","10":"tag-entertainment","11":"tag-movies"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/311392","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=311392"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/311392\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/311393"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=311392"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=311392"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=311392"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}