Wake Up Dead Man Review: A Spiritual, Gothic, and Brilliantly Unusual Whodunnit

Rian Johnson’s Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery doesn’t preach, but it certainly feels touched by something divine. Instead of delivering a sermon, the third film in the Knives Out franchise uses gothic ambiance, spiritual metaphors, and a literary sensibility reminiscent of Edgar Allan Poe and G.K. Chesterton’s Father Brown stories to explore the sacred hidden in the mundane.

At its core, Johnson’s latest entry elevates the classic murder mystery by weaving spiritual themes into its genre DNA—truth, redemption, forgiveness, and the corruptive chase for power. It’s not just a clever whodunnit; it’s a reimagining of what a whodunnit can be.

Benoit Blanc Returns—and So Does the Soul of the Genre

After three long years, hearing Daniel Craig slip back into Benoit Blanc’s honey-dripped Southern drawl feels like a cinematic homecoming. But interestingly, Blanc takes a backseat at first as the story introduces new faces—chief among them Josh O’Connor’s Jud Duplenticy, a young priest with more bruises than blessings.

Jud writes to Blanc after troubling events shake his parish, Our Lady of Perpetual Fortitude. Once a boxer who left the ring after accidentally killing an opponent, Jud embraced the priesthood to seek redemption. But his fighting spirit hasn’t entirely softened—especially evident when he punches a deacon and gets reassigned to a troubled church under the fire-and-brimstone leadership of Monsignor Jefferson Wicks (Josh Brolin).

A Fiery Church, A Deadly Sermon, and a Murder That Feels Biblical

Wicks commands his congregation with the energy of a battle cry, preaching wrath and warfare rather than grace. His sermons evoke modern real-world pastors known for combative rhetoric, and Jud quickly recognizes the harm such leadership causes.

The church’s flock is brought to life by an eclectic ensemble:

• Glenn Close as meticulous bookkeeper Martha

• Thomas Haden Church as stoic groundskeeper Samson

• Kerry Washington and Daryl McCormack as a lawyer-son duo

• Jeremy Renner as the hometown doctor

• Andrew Scott as a paranoid novelist with a moat

• Cailee Spaeny as a gifted cellist

Each character is sharp, memorable, and quietly suspicious.

When Wicks is mysteriously killed during the Good Friday service, Jud becomes the obvious suspect. Benoit Blanc and local police chief Geraldine (Mila Kunis) step in to uncover the truth—but whispers in town insist the death may have been “an act of God.”

Faith vs. Reason… Or Something Deeper?

Blanc wastes no time dismissing supernatural explanations, declaring his allegiance to “the altar of the heretic.” But the film isn’t about disproving miracles—it’s about recognizing the sacred in the ordinary.

Johnson’s script pushes beyond the typical mystery structure. It suggests that faith isn’t just spiritual—it’s embodied in action, compassion, and community. One of the film’s standout moments comes when Jud pauses a crucial investigation to pray with a distraught congregant. It’s wildly impractical. And perfectly human.

Jud’s messy, flawed, passionate nature makes him the heart of the story. His commitment to caring for broken people—even those who repel him—is portrayed not as naïve, but deeply courageous.

The Cinematography: Gothic Beauty with Purpose

Steve Yedlin’s cinematography gives the church an almost mythic presence. Sunlight spills through stained-glass windows like clues; shadows hide motives; flickering candles turn confession into spectacle. Every frame feels charged with symbolism.

On rewatch, viewers will likely spot how light and darkness subtly point toward the final twist—proof that the visual language is just as integral to the mystery as the script.

Stories, Myths, and the Desire for Something Greater

In one early exchange, Jud jokes that modern churches feel “more like Disneyland than Notre Dame.” It’s a sly commentary on how ritual can become performance—but also a reminder of why stories matter. Stories can deceive, but they can also illuminate truth.

Wake Up Dead Man ultimately invites the audience to reflect on the narratives we anchor our lives to—faith, identity, community, justice—and how those stories shape us. Johnson asks us to consider whether embracing something bigger than ourselves might change the way we see the world.

Maybe even bring us a little closer to grace.

Final Thoughts

Wake Up Dead Man premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival and arrives in select theaters on November 26 before streaming on Netflix December 5. It’s not just another clever detective yarn—it’s a soulful, atmospheric mystery that blends wit, theology, gothic flair, and human vulnerability into something truly unique.

Rian Johnson hasn’t just revived the whodunnit.
He’s resurrected it.