The Ben Shapiro Show – Episode Summary

Episode: Ben Shapiro Reviews: "Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery"
Date: December 20, 2025
Host: Ben Shapiro (The Daily Wire)

Episode Overview

In this episode, Ben Shapiro delivers a scathing review of "Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery," the latest film in Rian Johnson's popular whodunit franchise. Shapiro critically examines not only the film's structure and storytelling, but also the underlying political and religious commentary he perceives throughout. The episode is rich with Shapiro's signature wit, rapid-fire criticism, and cultural analysis, targeting both the filmmaker and the ideological messages embedded within the movie.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. First Impressions and Film Context

• Stellar Cast, Squandered Opportunity:
  Shapiro notes the film boasts a “veritable wealth of riches, a cornucopia” (03:00) in its cast—Daniel Craig, Glenn Close, Josh Brolin, Mila Kunis, Jeremy Renner, Kerry Washington, Andrew Scott—but argues Rian Johnson “blows all of it.”
• Engagement Despite Flaws:
  He concedes the movie “holds your interest because it moves pretty fast,” but immediately labels it “so dumb. It's so dumb. It's brilliant. No?” (03:55)

2. Mystery Construction and Storytelling Critique

• Cardinal Rule of Mysteries Broken:
  Shapiro compares the film’s narrative structure negatively to classic mysteries:

  “My big critique of Glass Onion is that… you would learn zero things that were really relevant to solving the mystery. Well, the same thing is true with regard to Wake Up Deadman… It is lazy. It is lazy.” (06:30)

• Failure in Clue Presentation:
  He emphasizes how good mysteries allow viewers to piece together the puzzle:

  “Writing a good mystery… provides you with all the goods, all the pieces necessary to solve the puzzle… That is not true with Wake Up Dead Man.” (07:12)
  The film withholds key information until the last act, making it “not really a murder mystery. It’s just kind of more of a dramedy.”

3. Plot and Character Analysis

• Overview of the Plot:
  Josh O’Connor plays a young priest under Josh Brolin’s character, Monsignor Wicks, a “charismatic and nasty right wing priest.” Wicks is murdered early in the film.
• Anti-Religious, Anti-Conservative Satire:
  Shapiro contends the film “clearly hates Catholicism… only morons believe it,” and that “everybody who is deeply religious is a bigot or a charlatan.” (11:07)
  • Example: Daniel Craig’s detective pinpoints the young priest’s religiosity as motivated by guilt, dismissing faith as merely “the opiate of the masses.”
• Political Stereotyping:
  Shapiro is especially critical of what he perceives as the film’s “scornful” portrayal of traditional religious figures and conservatives:
  • “Virtually everybody who is presented as a true villain of the piece is radically right wing. And Rian Johnson isn’t making any bones about this.” (14:19)
  • Describes supporting characters as either “ignorant tag alongs” or “vicious right wingers.”
• Notable Character Examples:
  • Glenn Close as Martha Delacroix, a devout church figure.
  • Jeremy Renner as a “quasi right wing” town doctor.
  • Andrew Scott as a “right wing author” with little impact on the plot.
  • Kerry Washington as a lawyer “forced to take on the son of Monsignor Wicks,” aligning with themes of hypocrisy and corruption.

4. Cultural and Political Analysis

• One-Sided Religious Representation:

  “At no point do you get a real defense of Catholicism in any real way. Again, the only value of religion in this particular movie is that a religious person could theoretically make a lady feel better after she led a terrible life and then she’s dying.” (22:10)

• Critique of the Director’s Motives:
  • Shapiro accuses Rian Johnson of making the film less about mystery and more about “subverting expectations” and “scorning the audience.”

  “I’m not sure there’s a more overrated filmmaker working today than Rian Johnson.” (35:40)

5. Production Value and Performance Assessment

• Misused Budget and Wasted Talent:

  “It appears that the budget on this film was $152 million… This is a lockbox mystery in a small town requiring no real special effects. Where did that money go?” (28:43)

• Forgettable Performances:
  Aside from Daniel Craig, Josh O’Connor, Glenn Close, and Josh Brolin, Shapiro finds other performances “a complete throwaway.”

6. Final Thoughts and Overall Verdict

• Lazy Writing & Poor Mystery Mechanics:

  “Rian Johnson is a lazy writer. When he comes up with these ideas, he does not bother to try to construct a story such that one domino follows another.” (31:57)

• Conclusion:

  “It’s bad. It’s a bad movie. I wish I could say that it were not a bad movie, but this has become typical for Rian Johnson, who really, I think, has a deep and abiding dislike of his own audience.” (34:33)

• Some Entertainment Value:

  “I’m not saying there aren’t points of entertainment. There are. They’re moments, but they’re buried in two and nearly a half hours of just kind of junk.” (36:16)

Notable Quotes and Memorable Moments

• On Rian Johnson's Directing Style:

  “All he truly cares about is subverting the audience. I’m not sure there’s a more overrated filmmaker working today than Rian Johnson. Honestly, it’s astonishing how overrated he is.” (35:40)

• On Failures of Mystery Writing:

  “It is not possible for you to get to the answer given the pieces of the puzzle, which means it's not really a murder mystery. It's just kind of more of a dramedy.” (08:34)

• On Religious Critique:

  “His basic take on religion is that religion which sets moral standards and demands things of you, is bad. Only morons believe it. The original story is nonsense and trash.” (11:07)

• On the Film’s Length and Pacing:

  “It’s 144 minutes. It’s 2 hours and 24 minutes. It’s overlong, it’s overstuffed. Nobody gets their fair shake. None of the clues lead to the final conclusion.” (29:49)

• On Overall Entertainment Factor:

  “I assume people like this movie. But… it’s just lazy, which is the hallmark of Rian Johnson.” (30:25)

Timestamps for Key Segments

• Opening & Initial Take: 03:00–03:55
• Mystery Construction Critique: 06:30–09:10
• Plot & Character Analysis: 10:30–14:40
• Political/Religious Commentary: 14:40–22:10
• Budget and Performance Assessment: 28:40–30:25
• Final Verdict: 34:33–36:20

Summary in Ben Shapiro's Signature Tone

Ben Shapiro delivers a relentless critique of "Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery," dismissing its execution both as a mystery and as social commentary. He finds the film emblematic of Rian Johnson’s failures—lazy writing, wasted cast, scorn for tradition, and a tendency to prioritize ideology over story mechanics. Shapiro’s review is sharp, unsparing, and highly critical, making clear that, in his view, the film is “bad” in both conception and execution, serving as yet another example of what he calls Hollywood’s “increasingly open contempt for its own audience.”