The Immediate Critical Reaction to Josh O'Connor’s Emotional Performance as Father Jud in Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery
Rian Johnson's highly anticipated third installment in the mystery series, Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery, delivers a return to form that is both sharply written and dramatically star studded, setting a new bar for thematic depth. Released on December 12, 2025, the film moves away from the sunny, satirical excess of Glass Onion, trading a private island for the chilly, gothic atmosphere of an isolated church community in Upstate New York. This shift in setting and tone allows master detective Benoit Blanc (Daniel Craig) to tackle a murder that is arguably the franchise's most complex and emotionally resonant puzzle yet.
The immediate impact of Wake Up Dead Man is its masterful focus on Father Jud Duplenticy, played with compelling earnestness by Josh O'Connor. The film takes the bold move of keeping Blanc off screen for the entire first act, establishing Father Jud a former boxer wrestling with a troubled past as the audience surrogate and central suspect when the charismatic but controversial Monsignor Jefferson Wicks (Josh Brolin) is murdered in a textbook locked-room mystery. O'Connor’s performance is the undeniable emotional core, forcing the narrative to explore deeper questions of faith, sin, and redemption, a notable shift from the previous films' focus on class satire.
The strategic brilliance of the film lies in Rian Johnson's razor sharp script, which expertly weaves a complex narrative while maintaining the signature wit and intricate plotting fans have come to expect. The star studded ensemble cast includes veteran actors like Glenn Close as a fiercely devout church elder, Jeremy Renner as a troubled doctor, and Kerry Washington as a tightly wound lawyer. While some of the supporting suspects are less developed than those in the original Knives Out, the intense focus on Father Jud and his dynamic with Blanc, who approaches the case with a purely rational, agnostic viewpoint, creates a fascinating philosophical tension that elevates the film beyond a simple "whodunit."
Looking ahead, the future outlook for the Knives Out franchise is solidified by this highly praised third entry, which critics have called Johnson’s "most powerful film yet," currently holding a Certified Fresh rating of over 90% on Rotten Tomatoes. The success of Wake Up Dead Man proves the enduring brilliance of Johnson’s storytelling and his willingness to subvert the genre's familiar tropes. By championing understanding over conflict and tackling themes like moral compromise and societal division, the film ensures that Benoit Blanc's mysteries remain relevant, smart, and thoroughly entertaining.