Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery

Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery continues the franchise’s tradition of assembling an excellent ensemble cast, with Daniel Craig (Knives Out) as Detective Benoit Blanc leading the mystery with his familiar Southern charm. This time, he shares the spotlight with Josh O’Connor, who plays Father Jud Duplenticy, a young priest with a violent past who sincerely is trying to be a good priest, maybe – you never know – you’ve heard stories about those priests.

Josh O’Connor, Daniel Craig and Mila Kunis in the background. © − All right reserved.

The rest of the cast contributes meaningfully to the story—well, almost all of them. The lone miscast character is Mila Kunis as Geraldine Scott the small‑town police chief. Whether it’s the too‑crisp and ill-fitting uniform, her tentative manner for a police chief, or the lack of authority she projects toward Blanc, her character never quite lands. Her only reason to be in the story is to hire Benoit Blanc. The remaining characters are all tightly woven together in the fabric of the story and all add to the outcome.

The mystery kicks off with the death of Monsignor Jefferson Wicks (Josh Brolin, Avengers: Endgame) during Mass, in front of the entire dwindling congregation. Unraveling the murder mystery involves exposing a tangle of religious symbolism and the cultish behavior of the Monsignor and the congregation. Also in the mix is greed related to an alleged stolen inheritance and some pointed political jabs that feel increasingly common in movies these days. Glenn Close (The Big Chill, Hillbilly Elegy) is a particular delight as the manager of Our Lady of Perpetual Fortitude, giving the church a wonderful creepy vibe.

Kerry Washington and Glenn Close

Wake Up Dead Man excels at sowing doubt in various characters with ever changing motives of the murderer exposed. The contrast between Jefferson Wicks’ fire‑and‑brimstone sermons and Jud’s gentler compassion adds weight to the story. The two spiritual leaders are in a juxtaposition to Benoit Blanc’s non-belief providing a counterpoint to the spiritual turmoil around him.

Josh Brolin preaching.

Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery is a clever, easy to watch entry to the franchise, some minor issues, but never dull.