Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery

Posted on January 2, 2026 at 9:34 pm

B +

Lowest Recommended Age:	High School
MPAA Rating:	Rated PG-13 by the MPAA for violent content, bloody images, strong language, some crude sexual material, and smoking
Profanity:	Strong and crude language
Alcohol/ Drugs:	Drinking and drunkenness
Violence/ Scariness:	Gristly violence, graphic and disturbing images, murders
Diversity Issues:	None
Date Released to Theaters:	November 22, 2025
Date Released to DVD:	December 13, 2025

I love Rian Johnson‘s “Knives Out” movies, and this latest one had everything I hoped for: a twisty plot, a knock-out cast, a dash of commentary about contemporary life and searching for meaning. Also: searching for money. Power, too, but especially money. Writer/director Rian Johnson makes each film in the series a different setting and tone, so instead of “Glass Onion’s” sunny setting in a huge, art-filled mansion on a Greek island, this one has a gothic feeling, set in and around a spooky Catholic Church in upstate New York.

It begins with a literal knock-out. An idealistic young priest named Father Jud Duplenticy (2025’s MVP Josh O’Connor, in his third of four films released this year) punches another priest in the nose for some unnamed offensive remark. Father Jud came to the Catholic church after a brief career as a boxer and a period of feeling lost and guilty. He is devoted to his calling as a way to share healing, encouragement, trust, and community.

He is assigned by his bishop (Jeffrey Wright) to be assistant priest to the imperious Monsignor Jefferson Wicks (Josh Brolin). Even the names have a gothic ring. Monsignor Wicks (do NOT call him Father) has a small coterie of devoted followers and enjoys being so bombastic and judgmental from the pulpit that anyone outside that group walks out of the service. He is not happy to have Father Jud and immediately accuses him of trying to take over the church. Then he insists on giving his confession and intentionally makes it as uncomfortable for Father Jud (though hilarious for the audience) as possible.

Glenn Close plays Martha Delacroix (I told you about the names), who is the church’s pretty much everything but the priest. She runs the office and fills the chalice. As a child, she was devoted to Wicks’ grandfather, a widower with a daughter who became a priest, and it has been the center of her life ever since.

The Wicks loyalists are groundskeeper Samson Holt (Thomas Hayden Church), who is in love with Martha, popular author turned fanatic Lee Ross (Andrew Scott), currently working on a book about Wicks with a strong overlay of conspiracy theories, ailing young cellist Simone Vivane (Cailee Spaeny), who believes Wicks will find a way to cure her through faith — and her generous financial contributions, doctor Nat Sharp (Jeremy Renner), devastated because his wife left him, and attorney Vera Draven (Kerry Washington), who gave up her dream of advocating for the public good to follow her father as lawyer for the church. Her father also told her she had to be responsible for Cy, a young boy he brought home. Cy (Daryl McCormack) is now an adult, back living with Vera after a failed political campaign, and trying to make a comeback as an influencer, posting Wicks’ sermons.

This is a nicely toxic soup for what will turn out to be that favorite of mystery authors and fans, a locked door murder. A body is discovered in a locked alcove near the pulpit during a service with everyone in the pews as witnesses that the murder victim was the only one who entered. The sheriff shows up (Mila Kunis) and of course so does master murder-solver Benoit Blanc (Daniel Craig).

Composer Nathan Johnson, as he did on the two previous films, enhances the story with evocative music, starting with screechy strings in the first scene and reaching for resolution.

As with the earlier films, there is some sharp commentary on contemporary culture, but the film is always respectful of Father Jud’s sincerity and his attempts to create a caring environment for the congregation. O’Conner continues to impress with his exceptional range and the precision of his characterization. Like the other two British actors, Scott and McCormack, he has an impeccable American accent. With so many characters, some are more clearly defined than others. Kunis and Washington do not get a chance to show much depth to thinly drawn roles, but Bridget Everett of “Somebody Somewhere” makes the most of a tiny part as an employee of a local company who has some crucial information for Blanc and Father Jud. Like the priest, we quickly move from irritation to empathy as she keeps him on the phone. And then we get to enjoy the twists and surprises. Can’t wait for the next one.

Parents should know that this is a murder mystery with violent deaths. Characters drink alcohol and there are references to a child born out of wedlock and an adult who is a drug abuser and has sex with many people. There are very explicit sexual references.

Family discussion: What drew each of the members of the congregation to Monsignor Jefferson Wicks? Why was Martha so loyal? What will Father Jud do next?

If you like this, try: the other “Knives Out” movies, Agatha Christie films like the original “Murder on the Orient Express,” “And Then There Were None,” and “Witness for the Prosecution,” as well as locked room classics like the one mentioned in the film, Hollow Man by John Dickson Carr.

Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery

Posted on December 23, 2022 at 5:41 pm

A-

Lowest Recommended Age:	Preschool
MPAA Rating:	Rated PG-13 for some disturbing images, strong language, and thematic content
Profanity:	Some strong language
Alcohol/ Drugs:	Drinking and drunkeness
Violence/ Scariness:	A murder mystery with peril, homicide, and fighting, some disturbing images
Diversity Issues:	Diverse characters
Date Released to Theaters:	December 23, 2022

I have very conflicting ideas about this review. Part of me wants to tell you all about “Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery” but a bigger part of me wants you to find out all of its secrets and surprises on your own. So bear with me if I lean too far in that direction. I’m doing it for your own good. “Glass Onion” is an enormously entertaining delight and I want you to enjoy it fully. In fact, go ahead and watch it and then come back here if you want to see what I think about it.

Like its predecessor, “Knives Out,” it is a deliciously twisty remix of the classic British-style murder mystery, with a fabulous location and a group of suspects who all have motive and opportunity. Also like its predecessor, it has an all-star cast clearly enjoying themselves enormously.

The very large cast is efficiently and wittily introduced as each of them receives an elaborate invitation to a party at a fabulous glass mansion on a remote island, the home of a billionaire named Miles Bron (Edward Norton). In a brilliantly edited sequence, we see each of the characters trying to open the box, telling us a lot about who they are and how they think. Jackie Hoffman, as one character’s mother, is hilariously bored and sharp at the same time.

Receiving the astonishingly crafted puzzle box with the invitation:

Kate Hudson as Birdie Jay, a flamboyant, selfish, famous-for-being-famous celebrity whose outspoken remarks are often offensive.

Kathryn Hahn as Claire Debella, the governor of Connecticut.

Dave Bautista as Duke, an obnoxious, gun-toting social media star. He brings his girlfriend, Whiskey (Madeline Cline).

Leslie Odem as Lionel, a scientist working with Miles on a secret project.

Janelle Monae as Andi, formerly Miles’ girlfriend and partner.

These people were all friends before Miles became wealthy and they get together once a year. This year, Miles has something special planned, a murder mystery game.

Also arriving on the island — the one carry-over character from the earlier film, the brilliant detective Benoit Blanc (Daniel Craig).

We learn about the connections that tie this group together, with some hilarious cameo appearances (two very touching from huge stars we recently lost) and celebrity references. Miles’ glass palace is filled with the kind of gauche art displays you would see in the home of an ultra-rich guy who wants bragging rights. (Genuine art lovers will notice that the “Rothko” is hanging upside down.) Amidst the twists and turns of the story are some clever digs at those we consider “influencers” and “disrupters.”

The performances are all spectacular. Hudson nails the selfish, superficial fading star desperate for attention, pretending that she does not know the difference between being outspoken and having something to say. Norton is just right with the false geniality of of a man who has given up everything to think of himself as a winner. Craig is a hoot (one of the movie’s best surprises is the reveal of his romantic partner). Monae masters a role that requires a lot of subtlety as the estranged member of the group and looks like a billion bucks as she does so.

What song will Johnson pick for the next one? Which superstars will appear? I can’t wait to find out.

Parents should know that this is a murder mystery with homicides and betrayal. There are some graphic images, characters use strong language and drink and get drunk. The movie also includes sexual references and a sexual situation.

Family discussion: What was the biggest surprise in the movie? How does the Beatles song “Glass Onion” relate to the film? Who should star in the next chapter?

If you like this, try: “Knives Out” and “See How They Run” as well as some of the stories that inspired them: “And Then There Were None,” “The Thin Man,” and the original “Murder on the Orient Express”

Download the Director Commentary for Knives Out and then Go See it Again!

Posted on December 31, 2019 at 11:35 am

Writer/director Rian Johnson has made his commentary on “Knives Out” available for free download. Take it with you on your phone and listen (quietly) when you see it again.

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Knives Out

Posted on November 25, 2019 at 5:11 pm

B +

Lowest Recommended Age:	High School
MPAA Rating:	Rated PG-13 for thematic elements including brief violence, some strong language, sexual references, and drug material
Profanity:	Some strong language
Alcohol/ Drugs:	Drinking and drug use
Violence/ Scariness:	Murder mystery with graphic and disturbing images
Diversity Issues:	A theme of the movie
Date Released to Theaters:	November 26, 2019
Date Released to DVD:	February 24, 2020

You know those murder mysteries where a big rich family all gathers in a big gothic house and someone gets killed and everyone has a motive and we get a bunch of red herrings (often the initial suspect is the second murder victim) and then the detective gathers everyone in the drawing room at the end to lay out all of the possible scenarios and then point dramatically at the surprise perpetrator? Those mysteries are sometimes called “cozies.” “Knives Out” is both a loving tribute and a cheeky meta-take on this genre from writer/director Rian Johnson and an all-star cast clearly having the time of their lives. It is deliciously nasty, seasoned with some political jibes, a ton of fun and anything but cozy.

It takes place in a magnificently gothic mansion correctly described by a character as something out of a Clue game. The owner is wealthy mystery author Harlan Thromby (Christopher Plummer), his name a likely nod to the classic Choose-Your-Own-Adventure story. “Knives Out” is literal — there is a huge “Game of Thrones”-style ceremonial seat decorated with daggers — and metaphoric, as a family of unpleasant heirs needle each other as they strive for the patriarch’s favor, meaning his money.

Just after the family has gathered to celebrate his 85th birthday party, Thromby is found dead, his throat cut, an apparent suicide. The suspects are: his daughter Linda (Jamie Leigh Curtis), her husband Richard (Don Johnson), their son Ransom (Chris Evans), Thromby’s son Walt (Michael Shannon), who runs Thromby’s publishing company, Thromby’s daughter-in-law Joni (Toni Collette), the widow of his late son and the proprietor of a pretentious “wellness” company, Thromby’s nurse Marta (Ana de Armas), the daughter of an undocumented immigrant. Other possible suspects include Harlan’s dotty mother Greatnana (K Callan), Walt’s wife Donna (Riki Lindhome), their alt-right teenage son Jacob (Jaeden Martell), Joni’s college-student daughter Meg (Katharine Langford of “13 Reasons Why”), and Fran the housekeeper (Edi Patterson). Thromby’s son, daughter, and daughter-in-law think of themselves as successful entrepreneurs but in reality they are subsidized by Thromby, who has no illusions about their business acumen or their expressions of affection.

A cop (Lakeith Stanfield) accompanied by a state trooper (Noah Segan) starts asking questions. And then one of the suspects asks a question: Who is the man who has been silently sitting in the back, listening to everything that is going on? It is legendary “last of the gentleman sleuths” private Detective Benoit Blanc (Daniel Craig), whose ridiculous name is matched by his honey-dripping Southern drawl, compared by one character to the cartoon character Foghorn Leghorn (a caricatured rooster inspired by the caricatured Senator Claghorn on the old Fred Allen radio show). The first mystery is that he does not know who hired him to be there. He just received an envelope with cash inside.

We get a chance to see some illuminating flashbacks that let us in on some of what has happened before the detectives or the family know. And we get to know them better, especially Marta, repeatedly referred to patronizingly by the family as “one of the family” but no one can seem to remember which Spanish-speaking country she and her family come from. Marta is of special value to Blanc because she is a human lie detector, at least about her own truthfulness. If she does not tell the truth, she involuntarily projectile vomits. (Really.) She has a few secrets that she is desperate to conceal, especially after a motive is revealed. Characters make and break alliances as it seems no one can be trusted, and what is revealed just shows us how much more we don’t know. The twists and turns will keep you guessing until the end and the unexpected barbs of satire make this as delicious as the fictional Thromby’s best-sellers.

Parents should know that this is a murder mystery with some grisly and graphic images, some strong language, family conflicts, drinking and drugs.

Family discussion: Which character did you suspect and why? Why did Thromby make that decision about his fortune?

If you like this, try: the original “Murder on the Orient Express,” “And Then There Were None,” and Rian Johnson’s other genre-bending films “Looper” and “Brick”

Hear the Director’s Commentary on “Looper” In the Theater

Posted on October 9, 2012 at 5:04 pm

It is not unusual for DVDs and Blu-Rays to include director commentary, but it is unusual to listen to the director’s comments in the movie theater. “Looper” director Rian Johnson has recorded director has made an audio guide to the film that can be downloaded to an mp3 player or phone and listened to as you watch the film in the movie theater. According to Slate,

For those still puzzling out the film’s twisty and twirly timeline, Johnson reveals some of the finer mechanics of how the plotting works. He also confirms that the clumsy henchman Kid Blue (Noah Segan) could be Jeff Daniels’ characters’ son—or at least that he’s long enjoyed that theory. And we hear about some of the scenes that didn’t make the final cut: For thoselooking for more of the “My Dinner With Me” scene from the diner, Johnson suggests that there will be much more on the DVD.

For those interested more in the magic of moviemaking, Johnson is particularly open about revealing his intentions—and explaining technical decisions in a way that’s not too wonkish.

And he also points out some insider details — his own parents appear in the film and he has inserted a reference to his groundbreaking earlier film with “Looper” star Joseph Gordon-Levitt. A nice way to sell a second ticket to the film — but please, use earphones!

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