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The anticipation surrounding Netflix’s latest cinematic venture, Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery, is palpable as the embargo lifts this week. Despite the film’s theatrical release being slated for November 26 and its streaming debut on Netflix on December 12, the buzz is already building.
Critics have weighed in, and it’s no surprise that the dynamic duo of Rian Johnson and Daniel Craig continue to impress. The film has secured a commendable 94% on Rotten Tomatoes, just a shade below the original Knives Out which boasts a 97%, and slightly above Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery at 91%. Both previous films also enjoyed a 92% audience score, indicating consistent popularity.
Netflix’s decision to grant this original movie a theatrical run, albeit limited, marks a notable shift in strategy. This follows similar moves with Guillermo del Toro’s Frankenstein and reports suggest it might do the same for the Stranger Things series finale. Recently, they also hosted a KPop Demon Hunters sing-along event in theaters, hinting at a growing flexibility in their release strategies.
The film’s premise is concise yet intriguing: “Detective Benoit Blanc sifts through a series of suspects when a monsignor turns up dead.” The cast is nothing short of impressive, featuring talents like Josh O’Connor, Glenn Close, Josh Brolin, Mila Kunis, Jeremy Renner, Kerry Washington, Andrew Scott, Thomas Hayden Church, and Cailee Spaeny.
Critics are already singing praises. “For now, I’d be thrilled to keep making these for the rest of my life,” director Johnson declared at the London Film Festival in October 2025, expressing his dedication to the Knives Out series. Daniel Craig shares this enthusiasm, marking an interesting pivot in Johnson’s career from the contentious Star Wars: The Last Jedi to the widely adored Knives Out series. While a fourth installment has yet to be officially announced, the success of the series suggests it’s only a matter of time.
The synopsis is short: “Detective Benoit Blanc sifts through a series of suspects when a monsignor turns up dead.” The cast is long and talented, as per usual, and it includes: Josh O’Connor, Glenn Close, Josh Brolin, Mila Kunis, Jeremy Renner, Kerry Washington, Andrew Scott, Thomas Hayden Church and Cailee Spaeny. What a haul.
Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery
Netflix
What are critics saying about it? Here’s a sampling:
- Time Out – “Johnson has assembled his strongest cast yet and provides them with entertainingly ‘extra’ characters to inhabit — and for us to tut at. Best of all, Daniel Craig and Josh O’Connor form a sleuthing double act with shades of Holmes and Watson.”
- Slant Magazine – “The film pokes fun at the conventions of detective stories but never becomes so self-aware that you stop taking it seriously.”
- IndieWire – “It works, and it’s no big mystery why — Johnson knows his form and format, and delivers on it, playing with tone and message but never losing sight of why these stories are so damn entertaining to watch and unravel.”
“For now, I’d be thrilled to keep making these for the rest of my life,” Johnson said at the London Film Festival in October 2025 about the Knives Out series. Daniel Craig is similarly on board. It’s an interesting career turn for Johnson, who previously made the most controversial Star Wars movie ever, The Last Jedi. His Knives Out series has been far less debated, and mostly universally loved by both critics and audiences, which appears true across three movies now. A fourth Knives Out has not been announced, but it’s a safe bet that one is coming.
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