WAKE UP DEAD MAN: A KNIVES OUT MYSTERY on Netflix is a crime thriller featuring yet another murder mystery. This is the third Knives Out movie and the darkest so far. It has less comedy, or maybe just much darker, and lots of sad fates. Read our full Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery movie review here!
WAKE UP DEAD MAN: A KNIVES OUT MYSTERY is a new Netflix whodunnit crime thriller from Rian Johnson. Once again, Benoit Blanc will have to try an solve a murder mystery that seems unsolvable. This is a crime thriller mystery with a dark comedy vibe, and not nearly as light and breezy as the two previous Knives Out movies. I’m fine with that.
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The runtime of this third movie in the whodunit franchise is 2 hours and 24 minutes. And yet, that is a fairly long runtime, but I have to admit I never noticed. Also, Benoit Blanc doesn’t appear on the screen until almost 40 minutes into it.
Continue reading our review of Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery below. Find it on Netflix from December 12.
Benoit Blanc to the rescue
With Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery, Benoit Blanc (Daniel Craig) is about to attack his most dangerous case ever. That also makes for a much darker movie than the previous two in this glorious whodunnit franchise.
The young and very positive priest Jud Duplenticy (Josh O’Connor) has gotten into trouble and is sent to assist charismatic Monsignor Jefferson Wicks (Josh Brolin). Or, rather, charismatic is way too positive a description for this very sinister and cult like leader, who demands to be worshipped himself.
Monsignor Wicks has a very modest but devoted flock. It’s modest because he scares away any newcomers by attacking them, and devoted because they feel special for having endured. Oh yes, there are many comparisons to the real world in Wake Up Dead Man, but I’ll let you reach those conclusions for yourself.
I will, however, say that I loved how on-the-nose many elements of the Wake Up Dead Man are!
Also, it’s clear that the young priest has been set up… unless he is a murderer. Whatever the case, Benoit Blanc is the one person smart and observant enough to get to the truth.
The cast of Knives Out 3
Among the flock of Monsignor Wicks, we have the very devout church lady Martha Delacroix (Glenn Close), the sober groundskeeper Samson Holt (Thomas Haden Church), the lawyer and proverbial “good girl” Vera Draven (Kerry Washington), and her adoptive aspiring politician son Cy Draven (Daryl McCormack).
Rounding out the flock are local doctor Nat Sharp (Jeremy Renner), bestselling sci-fi author Lee Ross (Andrew Scott), and ailing cellist Simone Vivane (Cailee Spaeny).
Of course, once a murder has happened, we also need the local police to get involved. Especially as it’s a seemingly impossible murder that is very difficult to explain in any logical way. With the lack of an obvious suspect, local police chief Geraldine Scott (Mila Kunis) quickly accepts help from renowned detective Benoit Blanc (Daniel Craig) to unravel the mystery.
Watch Wake Up Dead Man on Netflix
Once again, Rian Johnson is the writer and director of this Knives Out Mystery movie, and I love it. I have been looking forward to Wake Up Dead Man for two reasons: I love these Benoit Blanc murder mysteries and the ensemble casts. And once again, both these elements are what make the movie a wonderful watch.
Sure, you may think you have an idea of who the killer could be, but do you also have the why?
To me, one is as important as the other, and that’s why I love watching them even if I successfully guess (because, honestly, how could it be anything other than a guess?!) who the killer is. With Wake Up Dead Man, I was both spot-on and quite a bit off, and that’s exactly how it should be.
As part of the agreement that Rian Johnson managed to get with Netflix, Wake Up Dead Man premiered in select theaters two weeks before its Netflix release. It originally enjoyed its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival on September 6, 2025. It went on to screen at various other film festivals before its theatrical release on November 26, 2025.
Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery is out on Netflix on December 12, 2025.
Details
Director: Rian Johnson
Writer: Rian Johnson
Cast: Daniel Craig, Josh O’Connor, Glenn Close, Josh Brolin, Mila Kunis, Jeremy Renner, Kerry Washington, Andrew Scott, Cailee Spaeny, Daryl McCormack, Thomas Haden Church
Plot
Detective Benoit Blanc teams up with an earnest young priest to investigate a perfectly impossible crime at a small-town church with a dark history.
📺 Watch trailer
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