Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery restored my faith in the whodunit franchise. Glass Onion proved to be another unexpected mystery, but it felt held back by the Pandemic and streaming release. Although Wake Up Dead Man fulfills director Rian Johnson’s contract with Netflix, it’s a more emotionally mature film without losing its sense of humor. At this point I expected each installment to bother me for whatever reason, but this time my grievances aren’t politically charged. The title Wake Up Dean Man is named after a U2 song along with a phrase from the song “Ain’t No More Cane on the Brazos,” but it also refers to a Bible quote. As a Christian, I’ll always be a little skeptical of a Hollywood movie that openly discusses faith in a church setting. Unlike previous Knives Out mysteries, religious deconstruction wasn’t a big theme for 2025 films.

I wasn’t surprised to learn that Johnson based the story on his own religious upbringing in an Evangelical church. The only reason it was changed to a Catholic church is because it’s more aesthetically pleasing. Unfortunately, Johnson applied his own religious skepticism to Detective Benoit Blanc who reveals himself to be a non-believer with an uncomfortable assessment of the church. Daniel Craig tones down his Southern accent and changes his appearance slightly with longer hair and a beard. Although Agatha Christie continued to be the primary inspiration, Edgar Allan Poe and John Dickson Carr were also a point of reference. The Hollow Man was mostly responsible for the idea of an impossible crime or a locked room murder. Blanc may be stubborn in his lack of faith, but Josh O’Connor is the true lead who holds strong to his faith no matter what he uncovers about the church.

Father Jud Duplenticy is a young priest who found God after he killed a man in a boxing match. Although Jeffrey Wright plays a bishop who assigns Jud to a church in upstate New York, there aren’t a bunch of celebrity cameos like in Glass Onion. Aside from another voice role for Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Noah Segan as a bar owner. The actual ensemble cast has even more MCU actors than before. Josh Brolin plays Monsignor Jefferson Wicks who preaches angry sermons and refuses to give up his church to Jud. Wicks is haunted by the memory of his mother Grace played by Annie Hamilton who was dubbed the “Harlot Whore” after she desecrated the church. James Faulkner plays Wick’s grandfather and church founder Prentice who mentioned Eve’s Apple before his death. An event that was witnessed by the devout church member Martha Delacroix played by a dedicated Glenn Close.

Thomas Haden Church is on the outside as groundskeeper Samson Holt who has a relationship with Martha. The rest of Wick’s flock are deeply loyal to his church despite their problems. In the first major role since his near-fatal accident, Jeremy Renner plays Dr. Nat Sharp who struggles with drinking after his wife left him. Andrew Scott plays sci-fi author Lee Ross who struggles to write a new best-seller. Cailee Spaeny plays cellist Simone Vivane who struggles to walk again and seeks a miracle. Kerry Washington plays lawyer Vera Draven who struggles to raise an illegitimate child at the behest of her father. The child grew up to be Cy Draven played by Daryl McCormack. Cy being a conservative influencer is the only time the movie feels PC. The only outlier is Mila Kunis in the unlikely role of serious police chief Geraldine Scott.

SPOILER ALERT! This time Wicks is the murder victim in a closed room witnessed by the congregation. He was killed by a devil knife that makes Jud seem like a suspect. Everyone in the church has a motive, but Jud starts to realize that Jesus is more important after he prays for construction employee Louise played by Bridget Everett. The focus on Holy Week becomes important when Wicks seems to miraculously rise from his tomb. Though it’s all an elaborate set up that I couldn’t figure out. Hawkeye, Sandman, and Nova Prime are all responsible for the death of Thanos. Eve’s Apple is revealed to be a priceless diamond that led others down a path of greed. Blanc almost wavers when he realizes the importance of grace when he allows the killer to confess their sins. They go their separate ways with the diamond kept where it needed to be. Wake Up Dead Man keeps the mystery alive and well.

Benoit Blanc keeps Father Jud in the backseat

Preceded by: Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery

Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery is a clear-cut direction for the whodunit franchise. Knives Out was an original film that proved to be a major financial success for director Rian Johnson. So it only made sense to dump the sequels on streaming. The Pandemic was partly to blame since Netflix swooped in with an unprecedented $469 million deal for 2 Knives Out sequels in 2021. Johnson wrote the script for Glass Onion in 2020, and was unfortunately inspired by the ongoing Pandemic. I didn’t care for the dated politics in Knives Out, so I knew I’d be annoyed by all the masks and “social distancing.” Which is why I didn’t watch Glass Onion for years, but luckily I avoided the twists. This time Johnson was inspired by Agatha Christie’s vacation mysteries. Like Hercule Poirot, Daniel Craig’s Detective Benoit Blanc is the only connecting factor in a completely different mystery.

Similar to Knives Out, the bizarre title Glass Onion was taken from a Beatles song. Though other Beatles songs are referenced, the soundtrack has more variety to it. Glass Onion is both a metaphor for something hidden in plain sight and a literal glass mansion shaped like a giant onion. The Glass Onion belongs to a tech billionaire who invites his wealthy friends to an isolated Greek island for a murder mystery party. This time Edward Norton is Miles Bron, the younger obnoxiously rich owner of Alpha who has a glass sculptor collection and the actual Mona Lisa painting. Glass Onion belongs to the multitude of 2022 movies about taking down the rich. It only felt PC in the beginning when the ensemble cast of Disruptors are introduced. Kathryn Hahn is the underhanded governor of Connecticut Claire Debella. Dallas Roberts plays her husband Devon who doesn’t get to go on the trip.

Leslie Odom Jr. is the concerned Alpha scientist Lionel Toussaint. Kate Hudson is the biggest scene stealer Birdie Jay even though she’s a ditzy politically incorrect model turned fashion designer. Jessica Henwick is her assistant Peg who constantly puts out her fires. Dave Bautista proves himself outside of the MCU as Duke Cody, but a men’s rights Twitch streamer is a cringy profession. Especially when Jackie Hoffman plays his mother who knows more than him. Madelyn Cline is Duke’s sexy bikini-clad girlfriend Whiskey who knows more than she lets on. They’re an odd bunch, but they manage to be funny when helping each other solve a puzzle box filled with games. The only outlier is Janelle Monáe as former Alpha co-founder Andi Brand who was forced out of the company by Miles. She still receives an invitation to the island alongside Benoit Blanc who was secretly hired once again.

Craig maintains his Southern accent, but we also learn more about Blanc’s personal life and eccentricities. Hugh Grant has a cameo as Blanc’s partner who seems to confirm that he’s gay. This time there are several throwaway celebrity cameos that can feel random. Aside from another voice cameo from Joseph Gordon-Levitt, there’s Ethan Hawke, Natasha Lyonne, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Yo-Yo Ma, Jake Tapper, and Serena Williams. It ended up being Angela Lansbury and Stephen Sondheim’s final film role on a Zoom call. Jared Leto and Jeremy Renner are only referenced with a brand of kombucha and hot sauce that Miles owns. Noah Sagan is another returning actor, but he plays slacker Derol who humorously crashes on the island. Like Knives Out, everyone has a motive when Andi exposes their unhealthy devotion to Miles.

Although you’d expect the murder mystery game to last the entire movie, Blanc solves it immediately. SPOILER ALERT! The actual mystery is who poisoned Duke when he falls over dead and who used his gun to shoot Andi. An even longer flashback has the unexpected reveal of Andi being her Southern twin sister Helen in disguise. Helen hired Blanc and they devised a meticulous scheme to expose the one responsible for Andi’s actual death that hasn’t been reported. Seeing everything from the newfound perspective is satisfying, but the ending meanders a bit when an important piece of evidence is destroyed. This time Bruce Banner is the obvious murderer and Helen responds by breaking his glass collection and blowing everything up with an unstable energy source called Klear. Glass Onion may lack the wow factor of Knives Out, but its subversion works just as well the second time.

Benoit Blanc sits inside the Glass Onion

Preceded by: Knives Out & Followed by: Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery