ASHEVILLE, N.C. (828newsNOW) — Christmas isn’t here yet, but a new “Knives Out” movie sure feels like a gift. The latest, “Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery,” is another exemplary whodunnit from Rian Johnson and Daniel Craig. Read our review below.

“WAKE UP DEAD MAN: A KNIVES OUT MYSTERY” (2025, 144 min., directed by Rian Johnson)

It must be said at the top: Craig is undeniable in these films. His performance as detective Benoit Blanc gets better with every entry. Here, Blanc is as Southern-drawled and quick-witted as ever, but Craig finds new ways to eke out emotional depth in his gentleman sleuth. It might be my favorite performance of the year, which is saying something after watching Ethan Hawke in “Blue Moon.”

(Courtesy: Netflix) Daniel Craig as Benoit Blanc in “Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery).

Even before we get into the details of the plot, “Wake Up Dead Man” is a blast to consider by its credentials alone. The previous “Knives Out” films have each boasted impressive ensembles of movie stars and character actors, and the threequel follows suit: Craig stars alongside Josh O’Connor, Glenn Close, Josh Brolin, Mila Kunis, Jeremy Renner, Kerry Washington, Andrew Scott, Cailee Spaeny, Daryl McCormack and Thomas Haden Church. The talent on the poster is staggering.

In fact, if one could apply a demerit to “Wake Up Dead Man,” it would be that the film does not give nearly as much time to its supporting cast as previous installments. More on that later.

(Courtesy: Netflix) “Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery” sports an impressive ensemble cast.

The murder mystery of “Wake Up Dead Man” centers around the parishioners of a Catholic church, led by the charismatic and corrupt Monsignor Jefferson Wicks. At the start of the film, Wicks, played with diabolical glee by Brolin, has winnowed his congregation to a devoted few, thanks to a predilection for delivering angry, blustering sermons. However, Wicks’ control of his church is challenged by a new, younger reverend, O’Connor’s Jud Duplenticy, who has been assigned to Wicks’ territory following his own trail of controversies. Despite his complicated past, Duplenticy is determined to make a positive difference in the world through the church, starting with ousting Wicks, whom he perceives as toxic and fear-mongering.

Unfortunately for Duplenticy, Wicks’ disciples are less than keen on accepting new blood, consecrated by Wicks’ untimely murder. Thanks to his outspoken disapproval of the late preacher, Duplenticy is immediately placed on the altar of suspicion.

For those unfamiliar with the structure of the “Knives Out” franchise, O’Connor fills a role occupied by Ana de Armas and Janelle Monáe in the previous movies. Every “Knives Out” stars Craig as Blanc, but he is always paired with a junior investigator embroiled in the mystery. In other words, while Craig is the sleuth at the center, O’Connor is the true protagonist, serving as point person for the investigation.

In “Wake Up Dead Man,” O’Connor, who can also be seen this year in “The Mastermind,” Kelly Reichardt’s tremendous new movie, is a bona fide revelation. His performance as Rev. Duplenticy is representative of the “Knives Out” cocktail at large, combining the incredibly comic with the deeply thoughtful. Duplenticy was assigned to Wicks’ church after punching out a deacon – even though the deacon was “a d––,” as Jeffrey Wright admits, in an unhinged, foul-mouthed cameo as Duplenticy’s senior bishop – the latest in a series of violence resting heavy on his soul. Before finding priesthood, Duplenticy was a boxer who killed a man in the ring. For all of the charm and sincerity O’Connor brings to the part, the brilliance of his performance rests in the guilt the actor keeps just beneath the collar.

(Courtesy: Netflix) Josh Brolin as Montsignor Jefferson Wicks in “Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery.”

Returning to the imbalance between lead and supporting cast, it seems like Johnson knew he had something special on his hands with O’Connor, only bolstered by the actor’s chemistry with Craig and Brolin. “Wake Up Dead Man” keeps O’Connor on the pulpit of perspective for most of the film. It’s a worthy use of time, but it comes at the expense of getting to know the suspects better.

Unlike its predecessors, “Wake Up Dead Man” has a pretty shoddy set-up for most of the characters’ motives. Johnson’s direction keeps things fluid, fast and fun, but even at 2 hours and 14 minutes, the characterization of a few ensemble players is pretty clunky. It makes the mystery of the piece the weakest of the three “Knives Out” films, since figuring out “whodunnit” is made way easier when such little time is spent with, for instance, Scott, Spaeny and Church.

Instead, “Wake Up Dead Man” is focused on interrogating the little-c church.

This is a film about faith in all its facets: Blanc the skeptic, Duplenticy the believer and Wicks the abuser. Johnson’s screenplay is a thoughtful exploration of the ways the church influences people for bad and for good, yet, brilliantly, it preaches neither atheist screed or Catholic dogma. “Wake Up Dead Man” is a mystery, but the mysteries it’s interested in are much grander than a dead body. The result is a smart, compelling, fantastic film. Hallelujah!

Rating: 4/5

“Wake Up Dead Man” is now playing in select theaters and will be available to stream on Netflix on Dec. 12.