X
Directed By: Rian Johnson
Written By: Rian Johnson
Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery
80
7.7
Where to Watch
Not available in your country?
ExpressVPN
Get 3 Extra months free
$6.67/mth
Directed By: Rian Johnson
Written By: Rian Johnson
Where to Watch
Not available in your country?
ExpressVPN
Get 3 Extra months free
$6.67/mth
Top Cast
Metascore
Generally Favorable Based on 50 Critic Reviews
80
86% Positive
43 Reviews
43 Reviews
12% Mixed
6 Reviews
6 Reviews
2% Negative
1 Review
1 Review
Metascore
Generally Favorable Based on 50 Critic Reviews
80
86% Positive
43 Reviews
43 Reviews
12% Mixed
6 Reviews
6 Reviews
2% Negative
1 Review
1 Review
Nov 27, 2025
Melodramatic to the end, it’s difficult to imagine a more perfect home-watch film for cosy winter nights. Knives Out die-hards: we are back.
By Emily Bootle FULL REVIEW
Oct 22, 2025
Rian Johnson’s Wake Up, Dead Man is more than a clever whodunnit. It’s a meditation on belief, guilt, and the stories we tell ourselves to stay righteous. What begins as a murder investigation becomes a battle between truth and faith.
User Score
Generally Favorable Based on 32 User Ratings
7.7
81% Positive
26 Ratings
26 Ratings
13% Mixed
4 Ratings
4 Ratings
6% Negative
2 Ratings
2 Ratings
User Score
Generally Favorable Based on 32 User Ratings
7.7
81% Positive
26 Ratings
26 Ratings
13% Mixed
4 Ratings
4 Ratings
6% Negative
2 Ratings
2 Ratings
Nov 27, 2025
Can’t give this movie less than a 10. It delivers on all fronts. This is the work of a master storyteller. Best of the three Knives Out films for me. Craig has never felt more at home in this role, and he’s again surrounded by a great cast of familiar faces. The standout here is Josh O’Conner who delivers an (unexpected) tour de force performance at the center of the film. See this in theaters while you can!
Report
Sep 10, 2025
It’s the darkest, scariest and undoubtedly finest acted of the entire detective series.
Nov 26, 2025
By swapping gaudy satire for introspection (without losing any of the franchise's trademark flamboyance), Wake Up Dead Man brings Knives Out back to its roots and makes for a sequel that's almost on a par with the original.
By Emily Garbutt FULL REVIEW
Sep 8, 2025
Everyone seems to be having a blast, and the filmmaker knows how to take both the ensemble he’s assembled and his congregation of Knives Out fans — call us Blanc-heads — to church, literally and figuratively.
Nov 29, 2025
Some might wish the filmmaker had avoided current politics at all, but the "Knives Out" films are very much a reflection of our modern times, and Johnson clearly has an uncomfortable but important message he's trying to preach: faith and belief are good things ... until someone starts using them the wrong way.
Dec 1, 2025
A satisfying conclusion awaits but, truth be told, it has been a bit of a slog, with soft digressions into social critiques and the meaning of faith grafted onto a setup that, by the third movie in the franchise, shows its seams instantly. Wake up, indeed.
Dec 1, 2025
Energetic and entertaining the whole way through and a welcome return to top class form from Johnson. Definitely the funniest of the 3. Stronger in its setting and themes this time around. Craig and O'Connor have an incredible chemistry together. The majority of the side characters are fairly weak and the wrap up isn't fully satisfying. As long as Johnson and Craig are willing this series can never end.
Report
Nov 27, 2025
The Benoit Blanc trilogy will be remembered as the pinnacle of original storytelling in the deluge of derivations that has swamped the last decade. Wake Up Dead Man is as clever and heartfelt as both of its predecessors and even more tightly delivered with the most satisfying mystery of the set. Fans of the series won't be disappointed.
Report
Dec 5, 2025
Wake Up Dead Man (2025) delivers a stylish and atmospheric mystery that leans into a darker, more dramatic tone than previous entries in the series. The setting feels rich and layered, the cast brings strong performances, and Benoit Blanc once again anchors the story with charm and sharp insight. The film balances tension, character moments, and thematic depth without giving away too much too early, creating an engaging slow burn that rewards attention.Some elements feel a bit heavy, and not every character gets the spotlight they deserve, but the overall experience remains compelling. The moodier approach gives the mystery real weight, and the production values make it visually striking. Even without spoilers, it’s easy to say this chapter stands out as one of the more ambitious and thoughtful installments in the franchise.
Report
Dec 1, 2025
A beautiful movie with lots of atmosphere and angst, but the fact that it is a Knives Out movie actively harms it. The mystery is actually fairly straightforward. You can see who the murderer is in the first ten minutes of the film. The later twists are less predictable, but they are also more nonsensical. Then Benoit Blanc comes crashing into the movie, and the Gothic atmosphere is ruined. Rian Johnson's mouthpiece, easily spitting out the answers and lecturing us on the evils of religion and non-progressivism, breaks the tension so necessary to create that atmosphere. I doubt I'm going to bother to watch any more Rian Johnson films after this. The nominal mystery movies are really just vehicles for his true passions in life: trying to convince us how clever he is and lobbing his political opinions at us in not so cleverly veiled plotlines.
Report
Dec 1, 2025
Worse than Glass Onion, didn't like it. Too complex, denigrates Christianity which doesn't surprise me. Classic "bash the conservative" angle of hollywood. And the good cast is wasted with hardly anything to do. Even Daniel Craig falters. Immoral ending. Should have waited for it to hit netflix rather than waste my time seeing in the cinemas.
Report
Awards
Astra Film Awards
• 3 Nominations
The Queerties
• 1 Nomination
Toronto International Film Festival
• 1 Nomination
