Directed by Rian Johnson.
Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery premiered in select theaters on November 26, 2025, and was released for streaming on Netflix on December 12, 2025.
Distributed by Netflix.
Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery (2025) Review
Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery is an engaging and easy-to-enjoy mystery movie.
Detective Benoit Blanc returns to solve a strange case in a small town connected to a local church.
Daniel Craig is once again fun to watch, bringing charm and calm intelligence to the role.
Josh O’Connor stands out as a troubled priest with secrets, giving the story emotional depth.
The supporting cast, including Glenn Close and Mila Kunis, adds tension and personality, keeping viewers guessing.
The movie slowly reveals clues, twists, and surprises without feeling confusing.
It focuses more on people and secrets than big action, which works well.
The setting feels quiet but tense, adding to the mystery.
Overall, this film is smart, entertaining, and satisfying.
It’s perfect for fans of detective stories and anyone who enjoys clever mysteries with heart.
CR Rating – 7.5/10
Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery Actors
Daniel Craig as Benoit Blanc
DOB: March 2, 1968.
Bio: English actor whose career spans theatre, independent cinema, prestige drama, and global franchise filmmaking.
Trained at the National Youth Theatre and Guildhall School of Music & Drama, he built an early reputation for intense, grounded performances before achieving worldwide recognition as James Bond.
Role: Benoit Blanc is the famously eccentric, Southern-accented private detective whose reputation for unraveling impossible crimes has made him a legend in modern mystery storytelling.
In Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery, Blanc is drawn into a case rooted in faith, secrecy, and moral contradiction, investigating a death that sends shockwaves through a tight-knit religious community.
Interesting facts: This marks Craig’s third appearance as Benoit Blanc.
He has described the role as one of the most creatively freeing of his career, allowing him to lean further into comedy, philosophical inquiry, and character eccentricity with each new film.
Notable works: Casino Royale, No Time to Die, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, Logan Lucky, Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery.
Josh O’Connor as Fr. Jud Duplenticy
DOB: May 20, 1990.
Bio: English actor who rose to international prominence through his breakout performance in God’s Own Country before achieving global acclaim for portraying Prince Charles in The Crown, a role that earned him multiple major awards.
Known for his emotional transparency and understated intensity, O’Connor frequently portrays characters marked by internal conflict, moral uncertainty, and quiet decency.
Role: Fr. Jud Duplenticy is a former boxer who has reinvented himself as a Catholic priest, newly assigned to a small upstate New York parish.
Outwardly gentle and sincere, Jud carries the weight of a complicated personal history that resurfaces when the church’s senior figure is found dead.
Interesting facts: O’Connor has been praised for grounding Jud’s spiritual crisis in human detail rather than melodrama.
Notable works: The Crown, God’s Own Country, Challengers, Emma.
Glenn Close as Martha Delacroix
DOB: March 19, 1947.
Bio: American stage and screen actor with a career spanning more than five decades.
Renowned for her precision, intensity, and psychological depth, she has delivered some of modern cinema’s most indelible performances, often elevating supporting roles into defining elements of a story.
Role: Martha Delacroix is the longtime church secretary and institutional backbone of the parish at the center of the mystery.
Outwardly devout, efficient, and deeply embedded in daily church life, Martha knows every history, grievance, and unspoken alliance within the congregation.
Interesting facts: Critics praised Close for stealing scenes with physical detail and sharp comic timing, making Martha one of the movie’s emotional centers.
Notable works: Fatal Attraction, The Wife, Dangerous Liaisons, Damages.
Josh Brolin as Monsignor Jefferson Wicks
DOB: February 12, 1968.
Bio: American film and television actor whose career spans independent cinema and major studio franchises.
Known for his commanding physical presence and ability to convey moral ambiguity, Brolin frequently portrays authority figures shaped by inner conflict.
Role: Monsignor Jefferson Wicks is the magnetic and authoritarian head of the parish at the center of the film’s mystery.
Publicly revered and deeply influential, Wicks’ sudden death becomes the inciting incident that draws Benoit Blanc into the case.
Interesting facts: The character’s family legacy and secrets form much of the film’s emotional and plot backbone — Brolin plays it with a mix of charm and menace.
Notable works: No Country for Old Men, Sicario, Milk, Avengers: Endgame.
Mila Kunis as Chief Geraldine Scott
DOB: August 14, 1983.
Bio: American actress who transitioned successfully from early television fame into a versatile film career spanning comedy, drama, and psychological thrillers.
Known for her naturalistic delivery and grounded screen presence, Kunis has demonstrated an ability to balance humor with emotional seriousness, often anchoring ensemble casts with credibility and restraint.
Role: Chief Geraldine Scott is the local police chief tasked with managing the immediate fallout of the church-related death that drives the mystery.
Pragmatic, methodical, and initially skeptical of outside interference, Geraldine brings procedural discipline to a case that quickly spirals beyond routine policing.
Interesting facts: This role positions Kunis as the procedural counterweight to Blanc’s flair, a neat inversion of authority and method.
Notable works: Black Swan, Forgetting Sarah Marshall, That ’70s Show, Bad Moms.
Jeremy Renner as Dr. Nat Sharp
DOB: January 7, 1971.
Bio: American actor acclaimed for intense, psychologically layered performances across independent drama and blockbuster cinema.
He gained critical recognition for portraying morally conflicted men pushed to extremes, while also becoming a global star through high-profile franchise work.
Role: Dr. Nat Sharp is the town’s physician and a quietly burdened figure within the church-centered community.
Outwardly professional and dependable, Sharp is privately wrestling with ethical compromises and personal pressures that draw him into the web of secrets surrounding the central crime.
Interesting facts: Dr. Sharp is written as a deliberately ambiguous figure, and early reactions highlighted how Renner balances subtle humor with a slow-burn moral unraveling, making the character unpredictable and unsettling.
Notable works: The Hurt Locker, The Town, Arrival, The Avengers (MCU).
Kerry Washington as Vera Draven, Esq.
DOB: January 31, 1977.
Bio: Kerry Washington is an award-winning American actor and producer known for performances that blend emotional precision with commanding authority.
Her career spans film, prestige television, and stage work, with a particular strength in portraying intelligent, high-stakes professionals navigating moral and political pressure.
Role: Vera Draven is a formidable attorney whose legal expertise and political instincts make her one of the most controlled figures in the parish community.
Highly strategic and keenly aware of public optics, Vera understands how narratives are shaped both in courtrooms and civic life.
Interesting facts: Vera Draven introduces a legal and political layer to the film’s institutional landscape, expanding the scope of the mystery beyond the church itself.
Notable works: Scandal, Little Fires Everywhere, Django Unchained, Ray.
Andrew Scott as Lee Ross
DOB: October 21, 1976.
Bio: Irish stage and screen actor widely praised for his ability to inhabit psychologically layered, emotionally volatile characters.
Trained at Trinity College Dublin, Scott built a formidable reputation in theatre before breaking through internationally with television and film roles that balance intellect, vulnerability, and menace.
Role: Lee Ross is a member of the church community whose outward demeanor contrasts sharply with his inner turmoil.
A man with a complicated personal history and fading public standing, Lee occupies an uneasy place within the congregation.
Interesting facts: Scott’s casting aligns with Rian Johnson’s tradition of selecting actors known for destabilizing audience expectations.
Notable works: Fleabag, Sherlock, All of Us Strangers, 1917, Ripley.
Cailee Spaeny as Simone Vivane
DOB: July 24, 1998.
Bio: American actor known for her compelling performances across film and television.
She gained recognition for her ability to bring emotional depth and subtlety to complex young characters, blending vulnerability with quiet strength.
Role: Simone Vivane is a former concert cellist who is physically disabled, yet emotionally resilient.
Her presence in the parish introduces both tenderness and mystery, with personal history that intersects with the film’s central conflicts.
Interesting facts: Spaeny has been recognized for her ability to hold her own alongside established stars, and her casting reflects the filmmakers’ trust in her capacity to convey complex inner life and subtle emotional cues.
Notable works: Priscilla, Alien: Romulus, Civil War, Pacific Rim Uprising.
Daryl McCormack as Cy Draven
DOB: January 22, 1993.
Bio: Irish actor gaining recognition for his nuanced performances in both television and film.
He has been praised for his charisma, intensity, and ability to portray emotionally layered young men.
Role: Cy Draven is the adoptive son of Vera Draven and a former politician whose failed ambitions have left lingering resentment.
His schemes and personal grievances create tension within the church and the town, positioning him as both a suspect and a morally complex figure.
Interesting facts: McCormack’s role adds a layer of political intrigue to the narrative, highlighting the town’s internal power dynamics.
Notable works: Good Luck to You, Leo Grande, Peaky Blinders, Twisters, Bad Sisters.
Thomas Haden Church as Samson Holt
DOB: June 17, 1960.
Bio: American actor celebrated for his versatility across comedy and drama.
He received an Academy Award nomination for Sideways and has built a career playing gravel-voiced, grounded characters that blend charm with emotional depth.
Role: Samson Holt is the parish groundskeeper and Martha Delacroix’s lover.
A gentle, observant man, Samson is quietly heartbreaking, loyal, steady, and emotionally tethered to the church’s unfolding drama.
Interesting facts: Church’s natural, lived-in acting style contrasts with some of the film’s flashier personalities, giving the story an authentic human anchor.
Notable works: Sideways, Spider-Man 3, Wings.
Jeffrey Wright as Langstrom (Bp.)
DOB: December 7, 1965.
Bio: Jeffrey Wright is an award-winning American actor renowned for his stage and screen work.
He is celebrated for bringing intelligence, gravitas, and emotional depth to every role, whether lead or supporting, and is known for his nuanced portrayals of morally complex characters.
Role: Langstrom is a bishop who assigns Fr. Jud Duplenticy to Monsignor Jefferson Wicks’ parish.
Wright’s portrayal adds institutional weight and authority, anchoring the church’s political and moral framework.
Interesting facts: Wright’s inclusion emphasizes the film’s exploration of institutional morality and layered character dynamics.
Notable works: Angels in America, Westworld, Casino Royale, Basquiat.
More Actors
• Annie Hamilton as Grace Wicks (Jefferson’s mother).
• James Faulkner as Reverend Prentice Wicks (Jefferson’s grandfather).
• Bridget Everett as Louise (construction worker).
• Noah Segan as Nikolai (bar owner).
• Joseph Gordon-Levitt as a baseball announcer
FAQ – Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery Movie
What is Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery about?
Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery is about Benoit Blanc solving a murder in a small town where secrets, faith, and hidden motives slowly come to light.
Is it part of a series?
Yes. it’s the third installment in the Knives Out franchise following Knives Out (2019) and Glass Onion (2022).
Does the movie end with a clear solution?
Yes. the film wraps up the mystery by the final act.
How long is the movie?
The runtime is about 144 minutes (roughly 2 hours 24 minutes).
Where can I watch it?
After its limited theatrical run, it is available exclusively on Netflix.
Conclusion
Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery is a clever and enjoyable mystery that blends suspense with strong performances and emotional depth.
It keeps the classic whodunit feel while telling a fresh, thoughtful story.
With a solid cast, smart twists, and a well-paced investigation, the film proves the Knives Out series is still strong and entertaining.