Wake Up Dead Man, A Knives Out Mystery Movie Review (2025)
Stylized and fun, Wake Up Dead Man, A Knives Out Mystery, about a murder at a small-town church with lots of eccentric suspects, is just super enjoyable.
The Knives Out series has been a really great addition to the cinematic collection of films. They are great modern murder mysteries with large ensemble casts that keep you entertained from beginning to end. Even if it’s not quite your thing, they are easy films to watch. Nothing too serious (you know, other than murder) and a great guide in Daniel Craig’s detective, Benoit Blanc.
Wake Up Dead Man, A Knives Out Mystery centers around Father Jud, a boxer turned Catholic priest who formerly killed a man in the ring. When he has an altercation with another member of clergy at his current parish, he is reassigned to a small parish led by oddball priest, Monsignor Jefferson Wicks. With a very small staff and around a dozen parishioners, a murder takes place, and Benoit Blanc, now a famous detective, is called in to help solve the crime.
This is just a really fun film. The camerawork is interesting, the angles conveying slightly over-the-top suspicion and mystery, and you enjoy watching it. There are several laugh-out-loud moments in the first 15 minutes of the film, but it continues to be amusing throughout, even with a heavy-handed theme of “Eve’s original sin” dominating the narrative (although it’s clear that the audience is supposed to roll their eyes, so it’s also a bit of a chuckle).
All of the characters are suspicious and feel as if they’ve fallen out of a modern Agatha Christie novel. You’ve got the local doctor, the groundskeeper, the ailing cellist, the church secretary, the church lawyer; Each one is a suspect, and there are various reasons that any of them could have committed the crime.
Benoit Blanc brings his own kind of energy to the film, breaking through any tension or seriousness with his off-hand remarks in a southern drawl. You never tire of him.
The cast is stacked, with Daniel Craig, Josh O’Connor, Glenn Close, Josh Brolin, Mila Kunis, Jeremy Renner, Kerry Washington, Andrew Scott, Cailee Spaeny, Daryl McCormack, and Thomas Haden Church. If anyone dominates the screen time, it’s O’Connor’s Father Jud and Craig’s Blanc because they are investigating, but overall, it’s a strong and well-balanced ensemble that doesn’t pull focus from anyone else.
One other theatre nerd moment for me that you may notice – there are references to both Cats (the soundtrack plays) and Phantom of the Opera (the opening is played on the church organ. I was waiting for the third nod to Andrew Lloyd Weber when I realized that Glenn Close was the star of Sunset Boulevard in the 90s. Most theatre things come in threes (To be, or not to be, that is the question), and as Gus from My Big Fat Greek Wedding would say, “So, there you go.”
With nods to our current politics, conversations within the church, and different views on religion, Wake Up Dead Man, A Knives Out Mystery is an incredibly entertaining time. Nothing overly serious, just a fun movie.
Runtime: 146 minutes
Motion Picture Rating: PG-13
Languages Spoken In The Film: English
Should You Watch It? Yes
Did I Cry? Nope
My Rating: 3.75/5 Stars
Available: Free on Netflix
