Vivo ou Morto: Um Mistério Knives Out

Absolutely brilliant, from the info-packed in-media-res letter, to the acute socio-political implications, to the tortuous twists and developments, to the holy light thrice reilluminating the children of Christ. Director and writer Rian Johnson proves not once, not twice, but three times why he is the master of murder mystery in modern cinema through Knives Out, Glass Onion, and lastly, Wake Up Dead Man.

Right off the bat, the flippant and distressing strings, the grandiose and stage-like architecture, and the group of storyful suspects immediately take us back into the Knives Out universe. Yet, unlike the first's unorthodox unfolding of truth or the second's unexpected shadow investigator, Wake Up Dead Man is a downright conventional Agatha Christie detective, with the puzzle's structure and intricacy reminiscent of Honkaku mysteries and an added undertone of Edgar Allan Poe's gothic influence. Needless to say, this is the biggest mystery of the trilogy, whether its span over several decades, the heavy involvement of every character, or the multiple twists while we're still clueless about the first. And yet, this colossal mist of impossibility also makes Blanc's field investigation and deduction even more thrilling and engaging, as the audience ventures along with the detective in decrypting the unreliable narrations and myths.

The backstory of the case also differentiates it from the previous two, not just stemming from a simple conflict of interest, but fundamental hatred, whether greed or pride-induced or interpersonal and impulsive. In a world where hatred is so calcified, institutionalized, and weaponized, Wake Up Dead Man preaches cordiality and sincerity through the saintly Jud. Bravo to Rian Johnson and Josh O'Connor for pulling off the incredible phone call scene, where our sentimental and dubious protagonist becomes the undeniable hero through his "save the cat" moment. Religion is such a difficult element to incorporate because it can't be satirized or trifled with like old/new money, politics, and the entertainment industry in the previous two films; even with 2025 years of Catholicism, Johnson still boldly gives his interpretation of religion, landing on storytelling and its power to heal (an amazing callback and contrast to the use of narrative trickery in the murder). In the end, as the cliche but extremely touching death-in-the-arm scene moralizes, we must see "Grace" in the harl*t wh*re - hate, but don't take grudge. That is the true inheritance of Christ.

Despite my disinterest in nowadays spin-offs and sequels, the Knives Out Mysteries is the one saga I would like to see continue. Definitely a film I'd recommend and definitely one I'd rewatch.

By Ian Chandler - November 27, 2025

Wake Up Dead Man is Rian Johnson's latest murder mystery in the Benoit Blanc franchise and, fortunately, the final installment produced under Netflix's oversight. Similar to Kenneth Branagh's third Poirot film, A Haunting in Venice, this third Blanc installment has a rich gothic atmosphere and religious themes. Like its predecessors, Wake Up Dead Man features an exemplary ensemble, including Josh O'Connor, Glenn Close, Josh Brolin, and several other notable actors. This picture also has, in my view, the trickiest mystery of the trilogy. Despite the marvelous cast and improved suspense, this whodunit has one grave mistake: its unremarkable, stereotypical character writing. With its combination of sharp suspense and uneven characters, Wake Up Dead Man is simultaneously the Blanc series' finest and most flawed entry.

Similar to the opening of Glass Onion, Wake Up Dead Man brims with awkwardly executed humor that leaves a weak first impression. For example, a priest admits to masturbating -- a conversation drags on long after the punchline. But once the unamusing gags are out of the way, the film begins to dig into its unusual homicide with greater focus. Once that casket is opened, it also introduces more subtle, effective humor. Blanc is not as delightfully goofy as he was in the previous two, but he still retains his charming, Southern personality. The tone is not as overbearingly quirky as Glass Onion, dialing back forced comedy in favor of a slightly darker approach.

The film's most striking feature is its meticulously crafted setting. From the intricate, medieval structures to the gravestones recurring throughout, this Blanc adventure feels the most atmospheric. Though it is by no means as dark or as suffocating as A Haunting in Venice, its grave mood helps it differ from its two older siblings. However, the vibe is slightly downgraded by the fact that it was meant to be a Netflix movie. Its aspect ratio, camerawork, and editing are characteristic of typical Netflix productions. 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.

The mystery, while still not as brilliant as some of Agatha Christie's best, is notably sharper than Glass Onion's -- and arguably even Knives Out. It is more complicated, sinister, and frankly, weird. The case also benefits from a much-improved pace, gradually uncovering twists and clues instead of the abrupt nature some whodunits fall for. I failed to guess the guilty party, something I cannot say about the first two Blanc mysteries. Without spoiling anything, it is enough to say that the mystery's structure has never been this sharp and biting.

Wake Up Dead Man, though its mystery is alive and well, wears out on the character department. At least four of them barely utter ten lines throughout the entire film. A lot of them have limited personality, thanks to the film's embrace of unimaginative stereotypes. Catholicism is bizarre, cult-like, and flawed -- a great opportunity to create memorable suspects. But instead of properly exploring the characters' beliefs and perhaps uncovering more of the denomination's nature, the film delivers the same, shallow behavior and jokes you see across decades of filmmaking. While Blanc and a few other characters have enough substance to chew on, the rest are practically Post-it notes.

Moreover, Wake Up Dead Man fails to explore thought-provoking themes of spirituality. Given the stark contrasts between Blanc's atheism and the suspects' Christianity, there was plenty of potential to provide great arguments. Well implemented commentary could have served as sprinkles on top of the movie's mysterious platter. What we get instead is a tired retread of the most amateur arguments from both sides. It goes overboard by simplifying atheism and Christianity, rendering both stances far frailer than they actually are. I do not recall any film in recent memory that handled these opposing beliefs so poorly.

Where I would rank Johnson's newest movie is an enigma. It resolves a lot of issues I had with the otherwise solid Glass Onion, but it introduces new flaws that were not as apparent in the other Benoit Blanc cases. Its creepy environment adds a much-needed extra layer of flavor to the franchise. However, half of the characters are frankly nonexistent, and the others are stuck in outdated stereotypes. So, Wake Up Dead Man wastes its shot at being among the best whodunit pictures. The feature is simply a complicated, thoroughly written whodunit held under the clutches of lazy commentary on arguably the longest debate in human history.

Score: 74/100

Summary (for quick reference): Sharp, sinister, and weird, Wake Up Dead Man moves the whodunit forward -- but some characters are afterthoughts and its religious themes go numb.

Fr. Jud Duplenticy (Josh O'Connor) is a young priest reassigned to a remote parish where Monsignor Jefferson Wicks presides with a combination of theatrical flair and spiritual manipulation, a style the Church higher-ups deeply disapprove of. Jud arrives already uneasy about Jefferson's practices and it doesn't take long before the two clash openly. A few days later, Jefferson collapses and dies inside a small viewing chamber during a church service, with the entire congregation present and all of them potential suspects.

The Knives Out films have always thrived on sharp characterization and clever, layered mysteries but here, the bigger the cast gets, the thinner the story becomes. The first two hours drag like a penance. Conversations stretch forever without payoff; the extended talk between Jud and Louise feels like pure filler, aiming for quirky humor but landing somewhere between awkward and irrelevant. Even the early "boo!" moments with Glenn Close suddenly popping into frame, clearly meant to be funny, play like a desperate attempt to generate a laugh.

Josh O'Connor commits fully, but he's stranded in scenes that don't know what tone they're aiming for. The ensemble is vast, colorful and utterly underused, a recurring problem as the franchise inflates itself.

The film finally wakes up when Benoit Blanc (Daniel Craig) begins unraveling the mystery. For a brief moment, it feels like the sharp old magic is returning. And then... he just stops. The momentum dies, and the movie pivots into a last-minute plot twist followed by a long, talky explanation that feels like the cinematic equivalent of being shown the answer key after the exam is already over. It's not clever, it's an apology disguised as a finale.

There are bright spots: the production design is gorgeous, the supporting cast has bursts of fun and Craig is still an absolute delight whenever he enters detective mode. But the script is overloaded with empty dialogue, undercooked ideas and humor that never quite lands.

Not terrible, just underwhelming, especially for a franchise that once felt so sharp.

This is the third Knives Out film and whilst perhaps it doesn't hit the mad heights of ingenuity of Glass Onion, it's still highly watchable and way better than the recent Hercule Poirot films of Kenneth Branagh. Josh O'Connor is surprisingly good as the troubled young priest who becomes deeply disturbed at what he sees in the parish he is sequestered to after hitting another priest. He finds himself charged with murder and only Benoit Blanc (Daniel Craig) believes he is innocent. In true Knives Out fashion, everyone is a suspect and Blanc has to unravel the truth in his own inimitable way.

A great cast has fun playing some truly disturbing characters, especially Glenn Close as the borderline unhinged Martha. Blanc arrives about a third of the way into the story leaving Josh O'Connor plenty of room to shine as the naive but not stupid Father Jud. He finds the idyllic parish he is sent to to be anything but, full of strange eccentrics who don't trust him. Of course once Blanc arrives to try and piece together a story that at one point even he admits he doesn't understand then things get even more interesting.

What I like about this film, and the two Benoit Blanc films that came before, is that it is almost like a 21st century Colombo episode (except without telling you who teh guilty culprit is at the beginning). Craig's eccentric performance as Blanc might be irritating in the hands of a lesser actor and its a role he has grown into. Surrounding him with well known actors playing against type is a masterstroke and helps sell it even more.

Wake Up Dead Man is the third in the series so far and the second of a two picture deal director Rian Johnson agreed with Netflix. I really hope we get more Benoit Blanc films, preferably with another distributor as these films deserve a proper theatrical release rather than the limited one Netflix (very reluctantly) agreed to. You don't need to be a genius to realize that they are relatively inexpensive (by movie standards) to make, have a loyal (if older) audience who appreciate originality over bloated visual excess (such as the first two Branagh Poirot films) and love the dark humour these films serve. Actors want to be in them, Johnson and Craig want to do more of them and the public want to watch them. It's not rocket science!

Wake Up Dead Man really surprised me. I will admit I was not a huge fan of the first two films, but this new Knives Out installment is a much different beast. It still has plenty of laugh out loud moments, but the tone tends to take a more serious approach than the other two films.

It may not be the best film of the year, but I still really enjoyed this film and about 90% of that is due to Josh O'connor. He gives a fantastic performance here and unlike the first two Knives Out, Daniel Craig takes somewhat of a backseat here.

The runtime of the film is a bit longer than it needs to be but overall it does everything right from the cinematography to the score and witty script. If you love murder mysteries like me, Wake Up Dead Man is an absolute must watch even though its definitely not a film that must be seen on the big screen.