I’m always apprehensive when a movie involves the Catholic Church. The Church is almost never depicted well or accurately. However, I didn’t know that Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery (2025) was about Catholicism going into it because I approached it completely blind. I usually try to stay away from previews and trailers for movies I’m interested in to avoid spoilers and to keep expectations nonexistent. All I knew was that I liked the first two Knives Out movies enough, and that any murder mystery is better than no murder mystery. I was pleasantly surprised when it became clear that the film’s protagonist was a Catholic priest.

In Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery, Fr. Jud Duplenticy (Josh O’Connor) is transferred to another parish after punching (and knocking out) a deacon. It turns out that Fr. Jud has a bit of a temper and happens to be a former boxer. Oh, and he formerly killed an opponent in the ring, which led to his conversion.  The pastor at the new parish, Our Lady of Perpetual Fortitude (which is NOT an actual title of Mary), is named Monsignor Jefferson Wicks (Josh Brolin), and he’s, well, awful. He makes it his goal each week to scare away new parishioners by aggressive preaching and condemnation, and he is anything but welcoming to Fr. Jud. He does, however, have a cult-following of a handful of faithful parishioners, and I use the word cult here literally. Nat (Jeremy Renner), Vera (Kerry Washington), Lee (Andrew Scott), Simone (Cailee Spaeny), Cy (Daryl McCormack) and Martha (Glenn Close), see Monsignor Wicks as The Savior. Do they fear him? Do they love him? Probably a little of both.

So, as is tradition in a murder mystery, the most unlikable character in Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery is killed. Even though there are probably a lot of people who wouldn’t have minded offing Monsignor Wicks, Fr. Jud, the reformed priest with a temper who has already killed someone, is the number one suspect. And this is when Daniel Craig returns as Detective Benoit Blanc.

I absolutely hate spoiling the ending to a movie, especially a murder mystery. However, the resolution of Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery is where the majority of the Catholic analysis occurs. So read on at your own risk.

The Acting

Josh Brolin steals the show as a Catholic priest who is as charismatic as he is deranged. I had never seen Josh O’Connor act before, and was impressed with his performance as well. I also found it interesting that some of the most well-known actors, like Mila Kunis and Jeremy Renner, filled minor roles.

The Portrayal of Catholicism

My husband was annoyed with how the “conservative” Monsignor Wicks was portrayed, but I found him only slightly exaggerated. I put conservative in quotes because he was supposed to represent the more traditional side of the Church with his fire and brimstone approach. He was, of course, much more villainous, but there are definitely people (and priests) in the Church who subscribe to what Monsignor is selling. Thankfully, they are not the majority. Fr. Jud leads with the mercy of the Lord, and that is a central theme to the movie. Though he struggles throughout, he portrays an ideal priest, one who would die for his sheep if it came down to it.

As a Mystery

This movie almost seems like a study of Catholicism more than a murder mystery. It definitely has a murder, and we don’t know who did it, but it breaks the typical formula of a murder mystery by focusing more on the HOW dunnit than the WHO. We are presented with misdirect after misdirect that seems to point to Fr. Jud being the one who killed Monsignor, and I kind of liked that. We are pulled into Fr. Jud’s internal struggles. I do, however, wish the other “suspects” were a bit more developed, especially because you kind of suspect Martha (for a variety of reasons) and then the murderer winds up being Martha. The reveal kind of feels anticlimactic. The how, and all that had to occur in order for the events of the movie to take place, is interesting, though.

The Catholic Analysis

As I mentioned, one of the central themes of the film is mercy and forgiveness. Fr. Jud experiences God’s mercy and forgiveness after he murdered his opponent in the boxing ring, and that led to his conversion. He genuinely wants others to have that gift that God freely gives us, and even atheist Detective Blanc is moved by his passion. The ending is quite powerful. Detective Blanc allows Martha the opportunity to confess, even though he has deduced that she is guilty, because he knows that she believes forgiveness comes when we ask for it of our own free will. She confesses, and Fr. Jud gives her absolution as she takes her own life. It’s powerful and heartbreaking.

There’s a clear theme of corruption in Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery as well. As such. it get “Lord of the Rings”-esque for a bit. Perhaps the source of that corruption is Monsignor Wicks’ pride. He centers himself and creates an idol out of his warped views. It is clear that his followers have put their faith in him, rather than in Jesus.

There’s a lot to be discussed with Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery, and it lends itself to a lot of reflection. It may have lost my attention for a little bit in the middle, but I left feeling spiritually uplifted, which is more than I can say about a lot of movies, especially murder mysteries.