VIFF 2025 | 'Wake Up Dead Man' Resurrects Another 'Knives Out' Mystery

"That money is a psalm in the bible of my bitterness."

Vancouver International Film Festival

VIFF 2025—Glass Onion writer/director Rian Johnson and his southern-fried detective actor Daniel Craig reteam for their third investigation in the whodunit sequel, Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery. Co-starring an all-out revalatory Josh O'Connor as argulably the true lead of the film, Johnson takes a detour into the religious thriller genre as he layers his ensemble murder mystery riff with thematic elements of faith, redemption, and resurrection.

Set in a small upstate New York town, Josh Brolin's wildly out of control Catholic priest, Monsignor Wicks, is the victim this time around. Framed as a "locked-room" impossible crime mystery from popular detective fiction, Craig's Benoit Blanc has his work cut out for him as he must solve a seemingly unsolvable murder done in plain sight in front of all the likely suspects while proving O'Connor's eager young priest Jud's innocence.

Once again Johnson casts an impressive lineup of well-known actors, including but not limited to Glenn Close, Mila Kunis, Jeremy Renner, Kerry Washington, and Cailee Spaeny, as his vessels for political commentary. This script continues its economical but jam-packed pace filled with references and well-worn genre staples, twists, turns, and clever reveals. How the many church characters interact with Brolin's salty priest is never not entertaining, with a strong comical streak to the absurdity of the situation.

O'Connor adds a fresh perspective to Johnson and Craig's now durable mystery franchise. His commitment to the role and Christian aspects of his character's deep faith and sense of grace make Wake Up Dead Man all the more reverent. It's more of the same fun as another complex but crowd-pleasing whodunit in the long tradition of the mystery genre.

Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery screened at the 2025 Vancouver International Film Festival as part of the Special Presentations series at the Vancouver Playhouse. It screens again at the 2025 Whistler Film Festival as part of the Special Presentations program on December 6th and 7th. It will be available to stream on Netflix starting December 12th.


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