‘Wake Up Dead Man’ Review: Daniel Craig Stars in the Dark, Fun ‘Knives Out’ Sequel

There’s nothing like a good murder mystery. It’s perhaps the only genre that involves mental multitasking: absorbing what’s in front of you while simultaneously trying to jump ahead and solve the case yourself.

That’s what’s so fun about the “Knives Out” film franchise, which successfully revived the niche genre in 2019. Viewers can expect three things from every episode: laughs, twists, and a great cast. And Netflix’s “Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery” delivers.

Daniel Craig returns as Benoit Blanc, a detective with Southern charm and an accent that could make Foghorn Leghorn blush. His latest case takes him to Upstate New York, to the fictional town of Chimney Rock, specifically to the church run by Monsignor Jefferson Wicks (Josh Brolin).

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Wicks can be charismatic one moment and intimidating the next. His fiery, anger-induced sermons can easily turn off would-be congregants, but he maintains a small group of parishioners: there’s his faithful right-hand man Martha Delacroix (Glenn Close), the gardener Samson Holt (Thomas Haden Church), the town doctor Dr. Nat Sharp (Jeremy Renner), uptight lawyer Vera Draven (Kerry Washington), her virus-hungry adoptive son Cy (Daryl McCormack), best-selling author Lee Ross (Andrew Scott) and disabled concert cellist Simone Vivane (Cailee Spaeny).

The church is turned upside down by the arrival of Rev. Jud Duplenticy (Josh O’Connor), a former boxer struggling to find his way in the priesthood. Wicks doesn’t exactly roll out the red carpet; he says to the young priest, “Welcome to Mine church.” – and his acolytes are not so friendly to him either.

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(L-R) Andrew Scott, Jeremy Renner, Cailee Spaeny, Kerry Washington, Thomas Haden Church, Glenn Close and Daryl McCormack in “Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery.” (John Wilson/Netflix © 2025)

Tensions rise, yada yada yada – Wicks ends up dead. And wouldn’t you know it? They all had good reasons to kill him. It’s up to Detective Blanc, with the help of Reverend Jud and Police Chief Geraldine Scott (Mila Kunis) to find out who did it.

‘Wake Up Dead Man’, the third installment in the ‘Knives Out’ saga, is certainly the darkest of the three films, but still offers plenty of levity. It marks an improvement over 2022’s light but overly silly “Glass Onion,” but it’s hard to achieve the freshness of Blanc’s first mystery.

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Josh Brolin in ‘Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery’. (John Wilson/Netflix © 2025)

Writer-director Rian Johnson, who directed all three “Knives Out” films, does a brilliant job creating a universe that combines intensity and absurdity. The franchise’s star detective doesn’t enter the plot until about 35 minutes into the film, giving Johnson time to set the tone with a grim backstory and a good introduction to the murder victim and suspects. He truly will be the Agatha Christie of our generation.

Craig clearly has fun playing Blanc, a hilarious and perhaps slightly overdramatic detective. But the real MVP of the cast goes to O’Connor, a rising star who gives “Dead Man” his heart as the earnest novice priest who serves as Blanc’s Watson in his investigation. Brolin and Close also deserve honorable mention for their performances.

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(L-R) Andrew Scott, Mila Kunis, Daryl McCormack, Glenn Close, Kerry Washington and Cailee Spaeny in “Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery.”

The verdict:

‘Wake Up Dead Man’ is a strong, gothic twist in the ‘Knives Out’ series and makes it one of Netflix’s best film franchises. Johnson has mastered the craft of the “Whodunit?” with the help of Craig and a witty cast of characters. If you missed it at the movies, start heating up the popcorn.

★★★½ — STREAM IT NOW

“Wake Up Dead Man: a Knives Out Mystery” is rated PG-13 for violent content, gory images, strong language, crude sexual material and smoking. Running time: 2 hours and 20 minutes. Now streaming on Netflix.

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