#TIFF25: “WAKE UP DEAD MAN: A KNIVES OUT MYSTERY” REVIEW

By David Baldwin

A priest at a small church in rural New York has been killed under mysterious circumstances and Reverend Jud Duplenticy (Josh O’Connor) is the main suspect. The local police are stumped as to what happened, so they call in Master Detective Benoit Blanc (Daniel Craig) to help solve the case.

WAKE UP DEAD MAN, the latest in Writer/Director Rian Johnson’s Knives Out series is very much what fans of this series (which have all World Premiered at TIFF) have come to expect: clever twists, simultaneously hilarious, ingenious and outrageous dialogue, and one of the best ensembles in recent years. Rather than play into the maximalist approach of Glass Onion, WAKE UP DEAD MAN feels more streamlined and back to the whodunit basics of what inspired the franchise in the first place. And while it is nice to have a lot less asides and references to Jeremy Renner hot sauce (who, in true meta fashion, shows up as a supporting character this go-round), the narrative gets bogged down by immense exposition and having its explanations be needlessly overcomplicated. 

What also suffers as a result of the endless exposition is that there is not enough time for the large ensemble to really develop their characters. They are all great in their large and small roles (O’Connor and Glenn Close are highlights, as is the young Daryl McCormack who continues to impress), but many of them feel underutilized in ways that the previous films’ ensembles were not. Even Craig seems to have been cut back. He still gets to chew the scenery and have a blast with his Kentucky Fried Foghorn Leghorn accent, just with a very minimized screen presence.

WAKE UP DEAD MAN still succeeds at being a crowdpleaser despite these issues, and still fits in nicely with its predecessors. I feel like I will like it more when I have the opportunity to rewatch and see how all the pieces fit in together. As it stands though, it is a movie I liked and enjoyed watching. But I wish I genuinely loved it.

Also – how great a line is “Young, dumb and full of Christ” with or without context?

WAKE UP DEAD MAN: A KNIVES OUT MYSTERY screens at TIFF ‘25:

Sat. Sept 6 at 6:00 PM at VISA Screening Room at the Princess of Wales Theatre

Sun. Sept 7 at 8:30 AM at TIFF Lightbox

Wed. Sept 10 at 9:00 AM at TIFF Lightbox

Wed. Sept 10 at 7:00 PM at TIFF Lightbox

Thurs. Sept 11 at 2:30 PM at VISA Screening Room at the Princess of Wales Theatre

Fri. Sept 12 at 2:00 PM at VISA Screening Room at the Princess of Wales Theatre

Sat. Sept 13 at 9:45 PM at VISA Screening Room at the Princess of Wales Theatre