“Wake Up Dead Man” (Rian Johnson, 2025), the next installment of the “Knives Out” series, does what the other two movies have been doing, only better. 

The movie follows the story of Father Jud Duplenticy as he is sent to the church of Monsignor Jefferson Wicks. The church is in a small town, but it contains a multitude of issues — issues that come to a head when the murder case begins to play out. For the sake of avoiding spoilers, I will avoid discussing details of the case, but there may be some details included, so consider this your warning for spoilers. 

The “Knives Out” series has not been a stranger to handling contentious topics like wealth, family and fame, and the ways they can be used for good or evil, and “Wake Up Dead Man” turns its sights on the blessings and challenges of modern-day Christianity. It does so with deft and care. 

The second the audience meets Monsignor Wicks, he is clearly not what is to be expected from a church leader in a small town. Rather, he is filled with pride, anger and strategic divisiveness, which he spreads among his congregation. In contrast to this, Father Jud is a man with a broken past, ready to do better and help others be better, too. These two characters form the basis of how Christianity can be used for positive action or be used as a weapon against others. 

What “Wake Up Dead Man” does is take issues that fester in places like megachurches and takes them to an examinable local level, so that the effects these issues can have on a community are easily seen. We see through the examination of the case how Wicks’ anger has infected his community and leads to divisiveness and exclusion of those who do not buy into what he has to say. Yet, to truly understand these effects, one needs to see the community as an outside observer. 

Enter… Benoit Blanc. He comes to examine the murder, and in the process of doing so, ends up revealing details about the community some would have rather left buried. His investigations reveal just how far removed members are from what their community could have been, and the vision that Father Jud has for that community if they would let him in. 

A critique I see frequently about the movie is the fact that the background characters are too numerous and don’t serve a purpose. Now, if we consider characters like Lee Ross, Cy Draven and Simone Vivane from the perspective of “Wake Up Dead Man” being a murder mystery, the members of the “Flock” are too numerous… but this fails to consider the further purpose of the movie. 

“Wake Up Dead Man” is not just a murder mystery, but an exploration of our individual connection to religion and the purpose behind those connections. Each member of the Flock shows a different way in which people can approach their religion for better, or, in the Flock’s case, usually for the worse.

Each character in the Flock has a reason to partake in what Monsignor Wicks is preaching, exhibiting how people can use those who are in a susceptible position to push ideals further, even if those ideals don’t truly help them. 

On top of this, “Wake Up Dead Man” features gorgeous cinematography that heightens both the case and the underlying explorations of the church, actors who deliver talented performances, and writers who truly understand the medium they are working with and don’t talk down to their audience. It is a beautiful, complicated yet accessible movie that shows what is possible in the realm of film. 

If you have yet to see “Wake Up Dead Man” or any of the “Knives Out” series, do yourself a favor and take some time to appreciate the marvel that is this film series, and enjoy the chaos and insight that Benoit Blanc inspires.