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Murder at the Cathedral: A TIFF Review of ‘Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery’
September 10, 2025Ben MK
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Although he's played James Bond for more films than he has Benoit Blanc, Daniel Craig has become just as synonymous with Rian Johnson's scrappy Southern detective as he has with Ian Fleming's suave super-spy. Over the course of 2019's Knives Out and 2022's Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery, Craig's portrayal of Johnson's modern-day Hercule Poirot has become an audience favorite, not only reviving the whodunnit genre for a whole new generation of moviegoers, but transforming it into to something trendy again. It's certainly no small feat, especially with all the blockbuster mega-franchises ruling the box office. And with Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery, Craig and Johnson are back for another go round, in what might be the series' most thrilling and suspenseful entry yet. Father Jud Duplenticy (Josh O'Connor) has only recently arrived in the small town of Chimney Rock, New York; however, it's not long after he's taken up his new position as the assistant priest at Our Lady of Perpetual Fortitude that he makes a new enemy — the church's head pastor, Monsignor Patterson Wicks (Josh Brolin). An outspoken man with a penchant for divisive sermons, Patterson's grandfather founded the church, and it's his body that lies in the crypt not far from the holy building itself. But when the Monsignor himself is murdered and he joins his grandfather in that very same crypt, it's up to Benoit Blanc (Craig) to solve the case. Could the killer be Jud, the only person that would seem to have definitive motive? Or could it be any one of the church's small congregation, its administrator, or even the groundskeeper? Of course, Benoit would be remiss if he didn't conduct a thorough investigation into the mystery. Yet, the deeper he digs into the sordid situation surrounding Patterson's death, the longer the suspect list grows. Will this finally be the case that gets the better of him? Or, in true Benoit Blanc fashion, will he be able to burst the killer's bubble with the usual theatricality? Featuring an A-list cast that also includes Jeremy Renner, Glenn Close, Andrew Scott, Kerry Washington, Thomas Haden Church, Mila Kunis and Cailee Spaeny, the result is a definite step up from its predecessor and a strong contender for the best movie in the franchise. Unlike Glass Onion, Wake Up Dead Man isn't concerned with glossy celebrity cameos or showy set pieces. On the contrary, Benoit Blanc's twisty-turny third outing is a back-to-basics thriller that will undoubtedly keep viewers guessing till the end. And as far as mysteries are concerned, the question of whether this is a worthwhile sequel should be an open-and-shut case. |
Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery screens under the Special Presentations programme at the 2025 Toronto International Film Festival. Its runtime is 2 hrs. 24 min.
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