London Film Festival 2025 – Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery ★★★★

Release: 26th November 2025 (in select cinemas) & 12th December 2025 (Netflix)

Director: Rian Johnson

Starring: Daniel Craig, Josh O’Connor, Glenn Close, Josh Brolin, Mila Kunis, Jeremy Renner, Kerry Washington, Andrew Scott, Daryl McCormack & Thomas Haden Church

**This is a spoiler-free review**

In this modern era of filmmaking where franchises dominate and nostalgia has descended into a Leonardo DiCaprio-pointing meme, it’s comforting to know director Rian Johnson is just out there in his own universe “doing his thing”. That thing in question is the murder mysteries, a space of guessing games and whodunnits inspired by the investigating sleuths of Poirot, Murder She Wrote and Columbo and brought forward into a fun, compelling and contemporary space that rewards audiences for their patience and their own detective skills. For his third outing, Wake Up Dead Man, Johnson notably ups the game and expectations. 

Without divulging into spoiler territory (because that is the best way to enjoy these films), the latest entry switches its gaze from the Bondian adventures of Glass Onion to the quiet town of Chimney Rock, New York, specifically, Our Lady of Perpetual Fortitude. A young priest in Father Jud (Josh O’Connor) – reassigned after punching another priest – recounts the mysterious ongoing events at the parish at the hands of Monsieur Jefferson Wicks (Josh Brolin), where his ‘cult of personality’ has influenced a small fellowship of his unorthodox “teachings”. When Wicks dies under strange circumstances in a ‘locked door mystery’ and secrets threaten to tear the group apart, the ‘impossible crime’ unfolds, drawing the attention of private detective Benoit Blanc (Daniel Craig).

While Johnson’s latest chapter does take a while to get going, the change of pace is welcomed, proving that the Knives Out formula is simply not a ‘one-trick pony’. The freedom allows Johnson to flex his writing and directorial muscles, switching up the mood, tone and genre. There is a slight trade-off in this newfound direction: one – there are fewer big laughs (although the laughs still hit home, especially if you’re a Star Wars fan for one joke) but two – encapsulates a darker and gothic visual palette. Think Midsomer Murders meshed with Father Brown, swapping the extravagant, billionaire glossiness of Glass Onion for the vibes of a British murder mystery that’s more subtle, secluded, and low-key. And excitedly, it keeps to the spirit of the franchise where each Knives Out mystery is its own self-contained beast.

Despite its different approach this time around, one element that hasn’t changed is Johnson’s social commentary, which remains as sharp as ever. Here, myth and faith are put under the microscope, in a battle for hearts, minds, truth and righteous revelations amidst the stories we tell to justify our belief systems. Johnson is not afraid to poke fun at influencer culture, institutional politics, or in the case of Monsieur Wicks, a toxified, gaslighting, tyrannical priest who could be President one day, according to Youtuber Cy (Daryl McCormack). But this adventure offers multiple layers rather than looking for quick-fire punches to state the obviousness of the world. 

It’s a slow-burn, simmer that sets it apart from its predecessors, placing our favourite Foghorn Leghorn-timbred detective in a fascinating space where it actively challenges his own faith. His relationship with God is “complicated”, citing himself as a “proud heretic” who “kneels at the altar of the rational”. Johnson doesn’t make the conversations easy, using Craig’s limited on-screen appearance to build Blanc’s scepticism up against Jud’s resounding faith in God. But it helps that these arguments are always offset against the selfish, sycophantic gains of its brilliant ensemble characters, which is once again, part of the appeal and fun.

Shining the brightest amongst the cast is O’Connor. As Father Jud, O’Connor wrestles with imperfection and guilt, his faith measured by the terms of endearment of the present and a sin he committed before he found the church. There’s a resonance in his performance that speaks volumes on the craziness of the world and seeking answers that helps ‘make sense out of the nonsense’, which he handles impeccably. Following close behind is Glenn Close’s Martha, an uncompromising and faithful devotee to God and has a funny running joke where she appears out of nowhere.

While it doesn’t reach the euphoric highs of its predecessors, Wake Up Dead Man is another excellent entry into the Knives Out franchise. By cleverly subverting expectations, Johnson crafts another tightly-woven adventure that showcases that anything is possible within this universe. Now in trilogy territory, this is Johnson operating at his best, and long may that continue.