Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery (2025) – The Best Benoit Blanc Yet (Perfect 10/10)

Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery (2025), directed by Rian Johnson, is the third Knives Out film and—hands down—my favorite. Daniel Craig’s Benoit Blanc is back, this time solving a classic locked-room murder inside a crumbling upstate New York church. A controversial monsignor stabbed to death in a sealed room after Good Friday service? Sign me up. I love mystery novels, so watching a masterfully crafted whodunnit on screen is pure joy. This one kept me glued for all 2 hours 24 minutes, never bored, always guessing. Perfect 10/10—no notes.

The Plot: Classic Locked-Room with Modern Bite

Monsignor Jefferson Wicks (Josh Brolin)—charismatic, domineering, and openly prejudiced—is found stabbed in a sealed sacristy. No one in, no one out. The prime suspect is the new assistant pastor, Father Jud Duplenticy (Josh O’Connor), a reformed boxer with a deadly past who’s been clashing with Wicks. The local police call in Benoit Blanc to crack what he calls a true “locked-room mystery,” even name-dropping John Dickson Carr’s The Hollow Man (now I have to read it).

Blanc teams up with Jud to dig through the church’s eccentric parishioners, hidden fortunes, power struggles, and dark family secrets tied to the victim’s ancestors. It’s twisty, clever, and way more intricate than I expected.

What Made It Perfect for Me

• Daniel Craig owns Benoit Blanc. After Bond, this quirky southern genius detective role fits him like a glove.
• Josh O’Connor as Jud is a revelation. Didn’t know him before, but his performance—earnest, haunted, tough—is one of the best I’ve seen this year. I’m now a fan.
• The first half builds the church world in detail: every parishioner, every tension. I thought “where’s the murder?” but it was necessary—paid off huge when the suspects started dropping clues.
• Visuals are stunning. Every shot feels deliberate, moody, beautiful.
• Themes go deeper than just “who did it”: faith vs. hypocrisy, greed, power, the stories we tell ourselves to sleep at night.
• The ending? I expected the classic “gather everyone in one room” reveal. Didn’t get it. Got something better—smarter, more meaningful, tied perfectly to the themes.

My One Tiny Complaint

Early on I wondered when the actual mystery would kick in, but that slow character build was 100 % worth it. Honestly can’t call it a real flaw.

Ratings and Critical Reception

• IMDb: 7.5/10 (43,000 votes)
• Rotten Tomatoes: 92 % critics (262 reviews) / 94 % audience

Critics and audiences agree—this is the strongest Knives Out yet. Limited theatrical run made only $3 million, but it’s crushing it on Netflix.

A Masterclass in Modern Whodunnit

At 10/10, Wake Up Dead Man is everything I want in a mystery movie: smart, surprising, emotional, gorgeous. If you love Agatha Christie, locked-room puzzles, or just Daniel Craig being charmingly brilliant—this is required watching.

Rian Johnson keeps getting better. Can’t wait for number four.

What did you think of Wake Up Dead Man? Did you guess the killer? Was Josh O’Connor’s performance as good for you as it was for me? Drop your thoughts below!

And suggest my next mystery (book or movie)—I’m on a total whodunnit high right now.

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