Wake Up Dead Man Review: Rian Johnson's Third Knives Out Movie Is Sharp, Smart, And All Too Relevant

Rian Johnson's wonderful Benoit Blanc series has never shied away from satirizing our current hellscape. Indeed, characters who reflect our modern topsy-turvy times have been essential to each film. The original, the delightful "Knives Out," focused on an obscenely wealthy, extremely entitled family and the good-hearted immigrant woman at the center of their manipulative drama. The follow-up, "Glass Onion" (a film I liked just as much as the first, if not more) took aim at billionaire tech bros who are prone to grabbing hold of other people's brilliant ideas and claiming them as their own (the COVID-19 pandemic was also directly referenced in the film). Now we have "Wake Up Dead Man," the third film in the trilogy and the most overtly political entry yet. Johnson's approach here is bound to push plenty of buttons, and some will enjoy the satire while others will likely be yelling for his head online.

Donald Trump and his MAGA movement are never directly mentioned (or even referenced) in "Wake Up Dead Man," but it becomes pretty clear early on that Johnson wants to focus on politically divisive figures who use fear and anger to rile up their followers. Johnson wisely avoids dipping into a "Saturday Night Live"-style parody of Trump, and instead uses the institution of organized religion as a starting point. But Johnson's film is not anti-religious. Indeed, there's a surprisingly spiritual element to the film. The writer-director is not taking issue with religion and belief; he's taking issue with those who exploit it for their own nefarious gains.

This is somewhat heavy material, and "Wake Up Dead Man" feels like the most "serious" entry in the trilogy as a result. Sure, there's still comedy here, but while "Glass Onion" felt like it dipped into full-blown farcical territory, "Wake Up Dead Man" dials things back considerably. It's also the film in the series that seems the least interested in its ensemble cast of suspects, which might throw some people off — as it did me. While Daniel Craig's heavily accented Benoit Blanc is the lynchpin holding these movies together, he's never really a main character but rather someone who infiltrates a larger group of people to get to the bottom of a mystery.

There is indeed a large group of suspects in "Wake Up Dead Man," but many of them seem strangely underused. This is primarily because Johnson goes all-in on new main character Rev. Jud Duplenticy, played with pathos and humanity by Josh O'Connor. Each "Knives Out" film gives Blanc a kind of sidekick who may or may not be a suspect themselves: "Knives Out" had Ana de Armas' Marta, "Glass Onion" gave us Janelle Monáe's Helen, and now we have Jud, who has the biggest part to play yet. Johnson is so laser-focused on Jud that he deliberately avoids bringing Craig's Southern fried detective into the mix until the second act.

Jud has a rough background (and the neck tattoo to prove it). A former boxer turned priest, he's just taken part in an unfortunate incident that causes him to be banished to a small Upstate New York church, where he joins the congregation of Msgr. Jefferson Wicks, played with smug, smirking menace by Josh Brolin. Brolin's man of the cloth is a bully in every sense of the word; a hate-spouting demagogue who keeps his devout followers in line through fear and anger. In one of the film's most memorable scenes, Johnson gives us a (mostly) dialogue-free montage of Wicks preaching such (unheard) bile that it scares off any newcomers to his church. We don't know what he's saying, but we can tell from the reactions of certain people in the church pews that it's not pleasant.

Jud, who thinks religion should be used to help people instead of frighten them, instantly clashes with Wicks, as he does with Wicks' worshippers, including a scene-stealing Glenn Close as Martha Delacroix, a true believer in the church; Jeremy Renner as Dr. Nat Sharp, a sad-sack going through a divorce; Kerry Washington as Vera Draven, who acts as Wicks' lawyer; Andrew Scott as Lee Ross, a once-popular sci-fi writer turned internet crank who is turning Wicks' life into a massive, fawning book; Cailee Spaeny as Simone Vivane, a sickly young woman who inexplicably believes Wicks can cure her; and Daryl McCormack as Cy Draven, Vera's brother who longs to break into Republican politics (he also likes to make AI images of Wicks with a ripped, hulking torso, just like a certain politician's supporters do online). There's also Samson (Thomas Haden Church), the laidback groundskeeper and Vera's romantic partner.

This is a great lineup of supporting players, but again, Johnson doesn't quite do enough with them. Other than Brolin's Wicks, Close's Martha feels the most fleshed-out, and Close makes a meal of the part and ends up garnering the biggest laughs (there's a great running gag where she silently keeps popping up behind Jud and scaring the bejesus out of him). This isn't exactly a problem, mostly because O'Connor is so wonderful and sympathetic as Jud that you can't help but want to spend so much time with him. But I kept waiting for Johnson to put his supporting players to better use, and that never happens.

While some marketing has given the game away, I'll be vague to maintain the element of surprise. But you likely know where things are headed: there's a murder at the church, and all eyes are on Jud. Enter Benoit Blanc, a proud agnostic who has no time for religious hokum — a fact that has him clashing with Jud, who is a true believer.

Craig continues to be an absolute hoot in this role, and he and O'Connor play off each other quite well, but then again, Craig has had great chemistry with all his sidekicks in these films; he's just very good in this part, and if he and Johnson want to keep doing these movies together, I will gladly keep watching.

"Wake Up Dead Man" is perhaps a touch too predictable — I figured out one of the biggest mysteries almost immediately; so quickly, in fact, that I thought I had to be incorrect, only to be proven right much later in the film. But like all the "Knives Out" films, it's engrossing and charming, and fun, even with the heavier, darker subject matter. There's just something irresistible about a fine-crafted story like this, full of twists and turns and a gaggle of players bringing their A-game. 

Johnson also creates several stylish filmmaking flourishes here, like having clouds darken the sky outside to suddenly dim the brightness in a room during a conversation — only for the sun to suddenly peek out and shine in some divine-like light. There's also a lot of use of shadows and weather — the entire film has a cozy, "curl up by the fire on a rainy night" feel that serves in sharp contrast to the sunny setting of "Glass Onion." 

Ultimately, though, I'm curious to see how this film plays with the general public. Again: Johnson never directly mentions Trump, but you'd have to be a dead man to miss the implications. Some might wish the filmmaker had avoided current politics at all, but the "Knives Out" films are very much a reflection of our modern times, and Johnson clearly has an uncomfortable but important message he's trying to preach: faith and belief are good things ... until someone starts using them the wrong way.

/Film Rating: 7 out of 10

"Wake Up Dead Man" opens in select theaters on November 26, 2025, and hits Netflix on December 12, 2025.