The latest instalment in the beloved whodunnit franchise, Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery, has proven to be another major success for Netflix since its release on Friday 12th December 2025. The film sees the return of Daniel Craig as the inimitable detective Benoit Blanc, who is called to the peculiar town of Chimney Rock to solve a baffling crime.
The Mysterious Death in Chimney Rock
Benoit Blanc's services are enlisted by Reverend Jud Duplenticy, portrayed by Josh O'Connor, after the shocking death of the town's authoritative priest, Monsignor Jefferson Wicks, played by Josh Brolin. The victim is found dead in a storage closet adjacent to the pulpit, creating an immediate seemingly impossible murder scenario. Jud becomes the prime suspect when he is framed as the first person to examine the body, seemingly giving him the sole opportunity to commit the crime.
The ensemble cast features a host of suspicious characters, each with potential motives. They include Glenn Close as Wicks' right-hand woman, Martha Delacroix; Jeremy Renner as the local doctor, Nat Sharp; and Kerry Washington as lawyer Vera Draven. The list of suspects is rounded out by Daryl McCormack, Andrew Scott, Cailee Spaeny, and Thomas Haden Church.
A Tangled Web of Greed and Deception
The truth, as Blanc meticulously uncovers, is far more convoluted than a simple framing. The murder was orchestrated by Martha Delacroix in a plot involving her lover, groundskeeper Samson Holt (Thomas Haden Church), and Dr. Nat Sharp (Jeremy Renner). Their motive was to retrieve a precious diamond hidden inside the corpse of Wicks' grandfather.
Martha's plan was intricate. She first laced Wicks' hip flask with a tranquiliser. To frame Jud, she used a decoy murder weapon—a metal wolf's head filled with fake blood—to make it appear the Reverend had stabbed the priest. However, Dr. Nat Sharp was the one who actually delivered the fatal blow, switching the decoy for the real weapon and stabbing Wicks in the back.
Double-Crosses and a Grisly Cover-Up
The conspiracy deepened after the murder. Samson Holt took Wicks' place in the coffin to retrieve the diamond and stage a miraculous resurrection. Seeing a chance to keep the fortune for himself, Dr. Nat Sharp betrayed and killed Samson. When Martha discovered this betrayal, she exacted her own revenge. She poisoned Nat and dissolved his body in a vat of acid, then staged the scene to suggest the resurrected Wicks had strangled the doctor.
As Benoit Blanc pieces together this complex puzzle, Martha chooses to poison herself. With her dying breaths in Reverend Jud's arms, she confesses to the entire scheme. In a final twist, Jud Duplenticy takes the diamond for himself, hiding it within a new crucifix for the church, which he renames Our Lady of Perpetual Grace.
The film delivers a classic Knives Out blend of sharp wit, intricate plotting, and social commentary, leaving audiences to ponder the moral compromises of its characters long after the final reveal.
