Joey Magidson
The look of the Knives Out franchise has changed from movie to movie. Obviously, a lot of that is due to filmmaker Rian Johnson, though it also comes from cinematographer Steve Yedlin. You can look at Knives Out, Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery, and now Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery, and see that it’s the same series, while noticing all of the visual differences. I spoke to Rian Johnson here about the most recent flick, but today, it’s Yedlin’s turn.
Back at the Toronto International Film Festival here, I had the following (in part), to say about Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery:
The Knives Out franchise has progressively been able to hook me. I thought Knives Out itself was just fine, up until the end when Benoit Blanc finally put it all together. Then, Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery was an upgrade on almost every level for me. So, I did go into Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery wondering if that could again be the case. Well, lo and behold, Rian Johnson has done it yet again. This installment is the best and most complete one yet. Not only is it the best the series has put forward, it’s currently the best thing I’ve seen at the 2025 Toronto International Film Festival.
Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery impressed me in a number of regards. Not only is this a different riff on a new style of whodunit, the central ideas of the film are darker, headier, and more serious than in previous installments. This movie is tackling religion, as well as the battle of wills between faith and logic. Luckily, that sombre aspect only makes the humor pop even more. There might be less jokes here than last time around, but it’s somehow an overall funnier flick.
Filmmaker Rian Johnson trusts the strength of his franchise to play around with format and theme. The gothic elements on display, as well as the religious aspect, may initially seem like a left turn, but it all ends up fitting like a glove. He knows the must haves for a Knives Out flick and absolutely delivers. A few big sequences here at TIFF received ovations once completed. You just can feel that you’re in the hands of a master storyteller, so you’ll follow him anywhere. Johnson knows that and 100% makes the most of it.
Below, you can hear my conversation with Yedlin. Having worked with Johnson throughout his career, it’s fascinating to hear about how technology has changed how they shoot these films. Brick, Looper, or even Star Wars: The Last Jedi have distinct looks from the Knives Out trilogy, but you can also tell the same team is working on them. Listening to Yedlin talk about how, especially with this latest flick, tech has allowed them to do so much more, as well as so much quicker, is really interesting. Plus, it’s just a fun movie to discuss, regardless. Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery is now streaming on Netflix, so make sure you give it a look. For my money, it’s the best one yet.
Here now is my interview with Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery cinematographer Steve Yedlin. Enjoy:
Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery is streaming now on Netflix!
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