| Worth seeing: | for the twisting and turning knotty murder mystery that constantly entertains but has nothing new to say about anything. |
| Director: | Rian Johnson |
| Featuring: | Daniel Craig, Josh Brolin, Josh O'Connor, Andrew Scott, Cailee Spaeny, Daryl McCormack, Glenn Close, Jeffrey Wright, Jeremy Renner, Kerry Washington, Mila Kunis, Thomas Haden Church |
| Length: | 144 minutes |
| Certificate: | 12A |
| Country: | US |
| Released: | 28th November 2025, now available on Netflix |
WHAT’S IT ABOUT?
When a charismatic but hot-tempered young priest, Jud Duplenticy (Josh O’Connor), gets into a spot of bother, he’s sent to a remote parish in upstate New York, to work with the brutally authoritarian Monsignor Jefferson Wicks (Josh Brolin), his loyal assistant Martha (Glenn Close) and the groundsman, Samson (Thomas Haden Church).
The regulars in his new parish include an influential lawyer Vera Draven (Kerry Washington) and her social media influencer son Cy (Daryl McCormack), the local doctor Nat Sharp (Jeremy Renner), a musician Simone Vivane (Cailee Spaeny) and their local celebrity, the struggling author Lee Ross (Andrew Scott).
During his Good Friday service, Wicks disappears into a storage cupboard – and never comes out again; the congregation hears a crash as he slumps to the ground and by the time they have rushed to the doorway, he’s lying in a pool of blood.
All suspicion falls on Jud but with it being such a mysterious case, the local police chief (Mila Kunis) calls in renowned private detective Benoit Blanc (Daniel Craig) just to be sure.
It’s not long before it emerges that almost everyone else in town might also have a motive for getting rid of Wicks.
WHAT’S IT LIKE?
Daniel Craig returns – complete with his southern drawl – as the flamboyant private eye, Benoit Blanc, in the third of director Rian Johnson’s Knives Out mysteries.
And Monsignor Wicks’ death is certainly a mystery – found stabbed to death in an empty cupboard, with the entire congregation just outside, with their eyes on the main suspect the whole time.
Of course, clue by clue, he starts to build a picture of what’s happening – until the moment that, Agatha Christie style, he’s ready to round-up all the suspects to deliver his conclusion.
There’s rather too much build-up – from Jud’s previous job to watching him get to know his new community – and you just want someone to get murdered so that the film can really get going – but once it does, it’s a brisk and wilfully manipulative ride, as suspicious fly from one person to another.
There’s rather too much sign-posting of some of the twists and turns – not least from the film’s title – and it feels just a little clunky, with almost every character being a potential suspect – but that’s how the whodunnit is meant to work.
A strong cast effectively fulfil their duties as Rian Johnson ticks off each element of his entertaining but arch screenplay, although he never taps into the huge talent of Thomas Haden Church.
It’s as bright and fun as you can expect from a murder-mystery, but it’s not ground-breaking, feels somewhat pedestrian and has nothing fresh to say. It’s not trying to preach or surprise – it just wants to feed you wild goose for Christmas.