Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery
Netflix | Release Date: November 26, 2025 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
80
METASCORE
Generally favorable reviews based on 59 Critic Reviews
Positive:
50
Mixed:
8
Negative:
1

Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
60
TimeStephanie ZacharekDec 15, 2025
As with the previous two Knives Out installments, the conclusion is almost beside the point. It’s the getting there that matters, and the twisty road of Wake Up Dead Man is dotted with offhanded jokes and one-liners that are occasionally extremely witty. Read full review
60
The Irish TimesDonald ClarkeDec 10, 2025
It is 15 minutes too long and, with all the emotional and literal clamour, loses some of the intimacy you desire for a rural golden-age-of-crime lampoon. Read full review
60
The Globe and Mail (Toronto)Barry HertzNov 26, 2025
Exceptionally overlong, crammed with miscast performers putting in half the effort they should, and so overly pleased with its various (and rather middling) twists that it leaps from “clever” to “pompous” in one fell swoop, Wake Up Dead Man represents a hard and rough fall from grace. Read full review
60
Paste MagazineTrace SauveurSep 9, 2025
For a mystery, Wake Up Dead Man is surprisingly bad at making its ensemble feel essential to the stakes. Read full review
60
Screen RantMae AbdulbakiSep 7, 2025
Despite its pitfalls, Wake Up Dead Man is still enjoyable. It has its charming moments, there’s a lot to think about in terms of the story, and the cast is good, if not great, overall. It’s just hard to watch the movie and realize the mystery and excitement have waned. Read full review
60
The Hollywood ReporterDavid RooneySep 7, 2025
This puzzler with neo-Gothic trappings, while it gets off to a promising, very funny start, becomes too clever and convoluted for its own good. That becomes apparent almost as soon as the investigation gets underway and the movie starts losing its fizz. Read full review
50
Movie NationRoger MooreNov 29, 2025
There are a few laughs and some chewy turns (Brolin, mainly) to sink our teeth into. But “Wake Up Dead Man,” for all its St. Paul Blinded on the Road to Damascus “case of pink-eye” zingers, doesn’t amuse enough to dazzle, and doesn’t get the best out of a cast that deserves better. Read full review
40
Wall Street JournalKyle SmithDec 1, 2025
Someone makes a jokey reference to the cartoon contrivance of “Scooby-Doo,” and the comparison is brutally apt. Read full review
More From This Movie

80 Critic Reviews

tbd User Reviews

Details & Credits|Trailers

Current Movie Releases
By MetascoreBy User Score
1 77 Project Hail Mary
2 75 Send Help
3 73 Hoppers
4 72 The Sheep Detectives
5 63 Normal
SEE ALL
Essential Links
New on Amazon Prime Video
New on Netflix
Coming Soon to DVD/Blu-ray
SEE ALL