2025 film directed by Rian Johnson
Rotten Tomatoes
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Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery | Rotten Tomatoes
November 26, 2025 - Read Audience Reviews ... A twisty plot, a knock-out cast, a dash of commentary about contemporary life and searching for meaning. Josh O’Conner continues to impress with his exceptional range and the precision of his characterization.
Wikipedia
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Wake Up Dead Man - Wikipedia
4 hours ago - The film had its international premiere at the BFI London Film Festival on October 8, 2025. It was released in select theaters on November 26, 2025, and on Netflix on December 12. On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 92% of 324 critics' reviews are positive.
Videos
Roger Ebert
rogerebert.com › reviews › wake up dead man: a knives out mystery
Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery movie review (2025) | Roger Ebert
Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery
It’s an ambitious delight, a movie that doesn’t divide the faithful from the heretic but reminds them of their common needs. If people thought that “Glass Onion” was a bit too much of a lark following the breakout success of “Knives Out,” the third Rian Johnson film in what is now a full-blown franchise, “Wake Up Dead Man,” is a correction to that “vacation mystery” tone. It's chilly, windy, and overcast in this entertaining gem, but there's a light for every darkness. Inspired by “locked door mysteries” like The Hollow Man and The Murders in the Rue Morgue, “Dead Man” sees Daniel Craig’s Beno
IMDb
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Wake Up Dead Man (2025) ⭐ 7.4 | Comedy, Crime, Drama
December 12, 2025 - Even so, the set design and score overpower the streamlined post-production, helping preserve the film's unique character. Gratefully, the ghastly hands of Netflix will release the series from its grasp moving forward. With that, perhaps we will get the extra cinematic flourish that Knives Out enjoyed.
Cinemablend
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Netflix’s Wake Up Dead Man Review: The Best Knives Out Movie Is Also The Least Fun | Cinemablend
Netflix’s Wake Up Dead Man Review: The Best Knives Out Movie Is Also The Least Fun
Streaming Knives Out 3 is now on Netflix and set to dominate December streaming · Mystery Movies Knives Out 3 release date, plot, trailer, cast, and everything we know so far about Wake Up Dead Man · Movies Black Phone 2 Review: The Grabber Returns For A Scary, Standout Sequel That Gets Better ... A murder-mystery with a meaning.
IMDb
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Wake Up Dead Man (2025) - User reviews - IMDb
Even so, the set design and score overpower the streamlined post-production, helping preserve the film's unique character. Gratefully, the ghastly hands of Netflix will release the series from its grasp moving forward. With that, perhaps we will get the extra cinematic flourish that Knives Out enjoyed.
Netflix Life
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After watching Wake Up Dead Man, I ranked all 3 Knives Out movies — and one might surprise you
1 month ago - It's definitely the Netflix movie to watch before the end of the year. This time, Benoit Blanc (Daniel Craig) is investigating the death of Monsignor Jefferson Wicks (Josh Brolin). That's all I'm going to say because it's more fun for those who haven't seen the movie that to talk about all the twists and turns right now. This was such a tough decision. Honestly, I don't know how I came to the conclusion that Wake Up Dead Man is the second-best Knives Out movie because I think it's great.
PinkNews
thepinknews.com › 2025 › 12 › 12 › wake-up-dead-man-knives-out-reviews-rotten-tomatoes-netflix
Everything critics are saying about Knives Out 3 as it arrives on Netflix
The third Knives Out instalment, Wake Up Dead Man, premiered to rave reviews, with Josh O’Connor being cited as the movie’s standout performer, and now Netflix viewers get to enjoy Knives Out 3 too, as it arrives on the streaming platform today (12 December).
Published December 12, 2025
The Independent
independent.co.uk › bulletin › culture
Knives Out 3 receives rave reviews ahead of Netflix debut | The Independent
November 26, 2025 - The latest Knives Out film, Wake Up Dead Man, has garnered early praise, being described as a "deadpan delight" and a "solidly satisfying whodunnit".
Reddit
reddit.com › r/knivesoutmovie › with the third movie out, rank all the knives out movies and give me some reasons as to why! (no spoilers!)
r/KnivesOutMovie on Reddit: With the third movie out, rank all the Knives out movies and give me some reasons as to why! (NO SPOILERS!)
December 13, 2025 -
I’ll start. Here’s my list:
Knives out (won by a mile for me)
Wake up dead man
Glass onion
The first story is still to this day one of my favourite whodunnit stories ever written, there’s just something about it that I thought was extremely clever. The twist in the end was bittersweet but it tied up the whole story nicely (I did not leave with any further questions unanswered).
I generally have a bad memory about films I don’t love and can’t remember a single thing about glass onion as I didn’t love it.
I enjoyed the newest one more than glass onion but I felt like the story fell a bit flat for me midway through till the end and it was missing a lot of shock factor in comparison to the first film.
Keen to hear what other fans think!!!
Top answer 1 of 5
19
1 - Best partner, best villain, very tight plot 2 - Better pacing than 3, better supporting characters than 3 3 - Strong villain, good culprit, but underwhelming supporting characters All 3 are great, but for me 1 > 2 > 3
2 of 5
15
I’ll preface mine by saying I absolutely adore this franchise, and every movie in it—that includes Glass Onion, which I know gets a lot of criticism. So for me, it’s very minuscule differences between each. But my ranking goes: 3 - Wake Up Dead Man. An excellent movie that I had a ton of fun seeing in the theater. It’s great on almost every front, but something has to be last. And in this one, I found the supporting characters to be a little too undeveloped, and the story got very complex that it started to lose me the slightest bit in the second half. But still an amazing movie with a great mystery, an eerie setting, and a phenomenal performance by Josh O’Connor. 2 - Glass Onion. As I said, I know this movie is a little divisive, but I thought it was fantastic. The supporting characters were thoroughly developed, and even though Helen is still the heart of the film, this felt like the only one where Blanc was really THE protagonist—and since we all love Blanc, that worked for me. Duke being the victim instead of Miles was a genuinely great twist in my opinion. And I thought the whole idea of the villain almost getting away with it, not because they’re smart but because they’re so stupid Blanc gave them too much credit, was hilarious and clever. 1 - Knives Out. This is still the best to me and I don’t think that’ll ever change. This movie threw curveball after curveball at you without ever losing you. It’s so perfectly and cleverly written that for the majority of the runtime, you think you’re rooting for the murderer, making the benevolent detective an antagonist for a while. But at the end you realize how full of heart the protagonist really is. And “My house, my rules, my coffee” will always be a phenomenal “Fuck you” ending to the villains of the film.
M9.news
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Knives Out 3 OTT Reviews: Netflix Scores or Bores?
December 12, 2025 - Early reactions show the usual split between viewers who enjoy complex plotting and those who find it heavy. Bollywood Hungama rated the film 3.5/5 and called it a captivating, twist-packed whodunit shaped by Johnson’s direction.
Collider
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Daniel Craig's 'Knives Out 3' Is an Instant Streaming ...
December 13, 2025 - In his review, Collider's Ross Bonaime described it as "twistier, darker, and more emotional than the previous two installments." Johnson and Craig have expressed a desire to continue the franchise until they're exhausted by it, but it's unclear ...
Radio Times
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How to watch Wake Up Dead Man – when is Knives Out 3 on Netflix? | Radio Times
December 12, 2025 - As with the last two instalments, reviews have been overwhelmingly positive – in fact, we suggested it could even be the best yet in our 4-star review. Meanwhile, just like the second film, Glass Onion, the new one has been produced as a Netflix ...
NYTimes
nytimes.com › 2025 › 11 › 26 › movies › wake-up-dead-man-a-knives-out-mystery-review.html
‘Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery’ Review: Forgive Them, Father - The New York Times
The writer and director Rian Johnson ... Wilson/Netflix ... Published Nov. 26, 2025Updated Dec. 12, 2025 ... When you purchase a ticket for an independently reviewed film through our site, we earn an affiliate commission. The cases solved by Benoit Blanc (Daniel Craig), the nattily dressed private detective with the exaggerated Southern drawl, always seem to have a bit of a political bone to pick. In the first “Knives Out” movie, ...
Published December 12, 2025
Screen Hype
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Wake Up Dead Man Review (Spoiler-Free) - A Knives Out Mystery - Screen Hype
Wake Up Dead Man
Trying to decide if Knives Out 3 is worth watching, but you want to avoid spoilers? Our Wake Up Dead Man review has you covered! In a world of remakes and neverending instalments of the same old franchises, the original Knives Out movie was a breath of fresh air. Clever, witty, and with excellent cinematography, it paved its way into the hearts of millions of movie-goers. Its popularity sparked a sequel, and Glass Onion took a brand new approach. Despite being part of the same franchise, the movies felt distinctly different, and the director wasn't afraid to mix it up. And now we have our thir
/Film
slashfilm.com › 2032606 › wake-up-dead-man-a-knives-out-mystery-movie-review
Wake Up Dead Man Review: Rian Johnson's Knives Out 3 Is Sharp And All Too Relevant
November 24, 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. ... "Wake Up Dead Man" opens in select theaters on November 26, 2025, and hits Netflix on December 12, 2025.
Reddit
reddit.com › r/redlettermedia › knives out: wake up dead man is excellent
r/RedLetterMedia on Reddit: Knives Out: Wake Up Dead Man is excellent
3 weeks ago -
I might even like it more than the first one. Very compelling main character, unique story elements that still allude to classics of the mystery genre, some genuine things it wants to say about the power of religion and the way people can exploit it.
I feel like Rian Johnson has been hitting it out of the park with these movies. And he seems to be making new ones every 3 years for Netflix - I would be content for him to keep doing that indefinitely.
Top answer 1 of 5
251
I really enjoyed it. For me, it wasn't as 'fun' as Knives Out was (it was still plenty of fun though) but makes up for it in what it has to say and the strength of its characters. The moment of Father Jud on the phone to that lady was really moving.
2 of 5
152
Josh O'Connor steals the show. He is fantastic and carries the whole movie. Glenn Close's last scene is a reminder that she remains a tremendous performer. Some of the other talent was underused (Andrew Scott, Thomas Hayden Church) but I love the strength of the cast overall. Terrific writing.
IGN
ign.com › articles › wake-up-dead-man-a-knives-out-mystery-review-netflix-daniel-craig
Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery Review - IGN
Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery
Review: Netflix's Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery is a solid third entry for Daniel Craig's Benoit Blanc, finally delivering the classic-style mystery the series has sorely needed.
NME
nme.com › home › news › film news
'Knives Out 3' first reviews praise "deranged" Daniel Craig mystery: "A franchise fully woken up"
September 11, 2025 - The film had its world premiere at Toronto Film Festival on September 6, ahead of a November 28 UK cinema release, coming to Netflix on December 12. Early reviews have called it the best film yet in the series, pointing to O’Connor and Craig ...
Rotten Tomatoes
editorial.rottentomatoes.com › article › wake-up-dead-man-a-knives-out-mystery-first-reviews
Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery First Reviews: "Twistier, Darker, and More Emotional"
September 7, 2025 - Daniel Craig returns as Detective Benoit Blanc in Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery, the third (and possibly final) installment of Netflix’s popular Knives Out franchise. The first reviews of the movie have arrived following its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival, and they’re a relief, as filmmaker Rian Johnson delivers another satisfying whodunit.