The third film in Rian Johnson’s Knives Out series, *Knives Out: Wake Up, Dead Man*, scored impressively on Rotten Tomatoes with 92% from critics and 94% from audiences. It’s a strong way to end the series.
I found the mysteries in the following order of preference: first film, then the third, and finally the second. The original film’s classic Agatha Christie-style mystery remains my favorite, but this new installment closely follows. While Glass Onion offered a livelier, satirical tone, this third entry adopts a darker, more serious atmosphere, delving deeper into themes of faith, making it the heaviest of the series.
One notable difference is Benoît Blanc’s appearance in this film. Daniel Craig’s long white hair, reaching his shoulders, marks a significant change from his sharp James Bond image. This new look lends him a mysterious, almost priestly presence that stands out in the film.
The complex relationships among the suspects
In this film, 11 people bound by power, desire, and secrets gather in the closed world of a church. Wicks’ death instantly shatters this balance, giving everyone a motive. If you look at this relationship chart before watching, you will naturally ask, “Who is in the church and why?” This deepens your immersion as you try to solve the mystery.
A Guide to Church Terminology to Deepen Your Analysis Before Watching
With the church setting, many Catholic terms central to the story appear. Learning these beforehand will enhance your experience of solving the mystery.
Monsignor
Monsignor is an honorary title in the Catholic Church. It indicates a higher rank than that of an ordinary priest and is granted by the Pope or a bishop. The victim, Jefferson Wicks, is a high-ranking clergyman who leads the congregation with authority. Behind his domineering words and actions lies the power granted by this title.
Confession
Confession is a Catholic sacrament. A believer confesses sins to a priest and receives forgiveness. The priest is bound by the “Seal of Confession,” meaning they cannot reveal the contents of a confession. In this story, the sins and secrets of each character are closely tied to the mystery. The act of confession itself is key to the plot.
Good Friday
Good Friday is a Christian holiday remembering Jesus Christ’s crucifixion. It happens on the Friday before Easter and is a serious day of fasting and prayer. The film’s murder occurs on this day for a reason, tying into themes of death, resurrection, sin, and forgiveness. This choice highlights Director Johnson’s attention to detail and storytelling style.
Patrons: The Suspects’ Backgrounds
Many suspects are “Patrons” bound to Father Wicks by vested interests. Lawyers, doctors, politicians, and musicians provide funds or favors to the church or Wicks. In return, they share his influence and secrets. Wicks’ death disrupts this balance, giving everyone a motive. If you keep asking why these people are involved with the church, the web of relationships becomes much clearer.
Heretic
A heretic is someone who holds beliefs contrary to official doctrine. Benoît Blanc, an atheist, refers to himself as a “proud heretic” in the series. The idea of an atheist detective investigating a murder in a church creates the series’ unique tension and ironic feel.
Charismatic Characters
The New Allure of Long-Haired Benoît Blanc
Daniel Craig’s appearance surprises: previous films featured Blanc’s neat haircut, but here he sports long, white hair, departing from the James Bond look and adding a Gothic feel.
This change in Blanc’s appearance feels like more than just a new look—it matches what’s happening inside the character. In this movie, Blanc begins to doubt his detective skills as he takes on a case that seems impossible to solve. His long hair seems to reflect this uncertainty. Daniel Craig has really made this role his own over the past six years, and his performance stands out here.
Josh O’Connor, the Series’s Best Sidekick
Josh O’Connor stands out as the young priest Judd in Netflix’s Knives Out: Wake Up, Dead Man. For approximately the first 30 to 40 minutes—before Bran’s appearance—the story unfolds primarily through Judd’s perspective. Known for his role in The Challengers, O’Connor demonstrates considerable range with Judd, portraying a character marked by integrity and sincerity.
While Jud finds joy in faith, he faces a serious crisis as Wicks pressures him. Anger, regret, fear, and an unwillingness to give up shape Jud’s prayers. O’Connor shows these emotions in subtle facial shifts. Frequent close-ups highlight his nuanced performance.
Glenn Close: The Power of a Veteran Who Embodies Mystery
Grace Wicks, the church’s longtime secretary, played by Glenn Close, harbors the most secrets in the film. She performs every scene with layers of meaning, leaving the audience unsure of what she truly knows until the very end. Many have hailed this as one of the finest performances of her career spanning over half a century, and some international critics even suggested she be nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress.
Analyzing the Locked-Room Puzzle: Where Does the Mystery Shine, and Where Does It Fall Short?
The mystery in *Knives Out: Wake Up Dead Man* uses the classic “locked-room murder” format. It narrows the possibilities beyond those in the first two films. In *Glass Onion*, endless possibilities sometimes diluted the mystery’s thrill. Here, the locked room has only one entrance and one exit, so there are only a finite number of possibilities. Viewers can chase the mystery alongside Bran and reach their own conclusions. This lets them feel the true excitement of solving a mystery story.
To be honest, however, Father Wicks’ motivations were complex, and there were moments where the plotlines involving him felt a bit convoluted. There were parts where it was hard to shake the impression that “a simple story was being made to look more complicated,” so it might take a little time to sort everything out on a first viewing. Even so, the thrill of all the pieces falling into place at the end is genuine, and it leaves you with the rich pleasure of looking back afterward and thinking, “So that’s what that scene meant.”
The lighting in the film, created by cinematographer Steve Yedlin and director Rian Johnson, is both bold and subtle. Inside the church, with its huge stained-glass windows, the movie shows real changes in light as clouds move across the sun. In one scene, the room darkens during a confession, then brightens again when the mood becomes hopeful. This careful use of light brings together the acting and visuals in a powerful way. The church’s medieval architecture, so different from the settings of the first two films, is a perfect backdrop for this Gothic mystery.
No Spoilers: Comparing the Three Films to Understand This Installment’s Unique Character and Position
Each film in the series has its own style: the first is a classic mansion mystery, the second is a modern comedy, and this one is a Gothic mystery. This third movie is the darkest and most serious, but it still has some well-placed moments of humor.
Faith and religion are tough topics to cover, but the script does a great job of telling a story that connects with everyone, no matter their beliefs. The idea of an atheist detective working with a priest in a church is used to its full potential.
However, Wicks’s extreme personality can make the story a bit confusing, and there are so many characters and plotlines that you really have to pay attention. Still, the fun of solving the mystery is even greater than in the first two films, and watching closely in the final part makes it even better.
A Dialogue with Faith: The Source of the Screenplay
The starting point for this film was the night Director Johnson visited his aunt’s home in Denver and shared dinner with young Catholic priests. The priests revealed the weight of “service in everyday life”—even if they’re just shopping at the supermarket, if someone they pass by breaks down in tears, that becomes the priest’s duty. Those words struck a deep chord with Director Johnson and crystallized into the scene that forms the core of the screenplay. The director’s own “memories of faith”—raised in a Protestant household, yet abandoning his faith as an adult—lend this film a rare existential weight.
In an interview with Gold Derby, Director Johnson also candidly confesses to that struggle. The film functions sincerely as a mystery while directly confronting the delicate, personal theme of faith. This is a highly compelling article that conveys just how much the director struggled to reconcile these two conflicting demands. The full version on the same site, which contains spoilers, reveals everything from the identity of the culprit and a secret cameo appearance to unreleased scenes that never made it to the final cut, and reading it after watching the film further deepens the story.
The choreographer of light speaks: The day Gothic imagery was born.
“Johnson had already written in the changes in light right from the script stage”—this single remark by cinematographer Steve Yedlin to the Motion Picture Association’s official media outlet, ‘The Credits,’ eloquently speaks to the precision of the film’s visual direction. The effect of actual cloud movements constantly altering the light within the cathedral was not created with CGI or lighting equipment, but rather through a series of miraculous moments that captured natural phenomena. “His [Johnson’s] vision for the story and its themes was immense and evocative—it became part of the film itself. My job was to figure out how to bring that vision to life.” This article conveys the intense energy of a set where cinematography and direction were perfectly unified, even between the lines.
Summary: Confession as the Key, the Truth Hidden in a Locked Room
Rian Johnson does a great job balancing entertainment and deeper themes of faith in this film. The two hours went by quickly as I laughed, thought, and sometimes felt genuinely moved.
The story is built around an “impossible crime,” and using Catholic confession as a key part of the mystery is a clever idea. We all have secrets we keep to ourselves, and the film explores how these hidden truths can both hurt and help us, all within a smart mystery plot.
Whether you see it as the end of the series or just as a single film, *Knives Out: Wake Up, Dead Man* is definitely worth watching. It might even make you think about your own secrets and beliefs afterward.
