10 Best Performances From All 3 Knives Out Movies, Ranked

Rian Johnson’s Knives Out movies are redefining the mystery genre, and their star-studded casts are part of what makes them so special. Knives Out and its sequels see Daniel Craig’s Detective Benoit Blanc solving various murders, but the whodunits otherwise feature a revolving cast of stars. Many members of the films’ ensembles are recognizable, making the charming and self-aware series even more fun to watch.

It’s entertaining to see these familiar faces step into personalities and scenarios that aren’t the norm for them. And given that Knives Out, Glass Onion, and Wake Up Dead Man all make good use of satire, the films challenge these actors to walk a fine line between playing archetypes and infusing real depth into their characters. Wake Up Dead Man, which just debuted on Netflix, really leans into the latter with its exploration of faith. Now that it’s out, it also gives viewers an opportunity to reflect on some of the best performances from the Knives Out series.

10) Jamie Lee Curtis as Linda Drysdale (Knives Out)

Jamie Lee Curtis’ role in the original Knives Out isn’t major, but her time as Linda Drysdale is still memorable enough to land among the series’ best performances. Curtis nails the depiction of a woman born into wealth and privilege who’s become tough as nails while pursuing her own success. She’s charming and more down to Earth than her siblings at first glance. However, she also proves deeply flawed and hypocritical, making her more dangerous in some ways.

Curtis strikes that balance masterfully, delivering a believable depiction of someone who claims to have upstanding morals and values — but will also go back on them for the sake of greed or her immediate family. Most of us have met people like Linda in real life, and Curtis does an excellent job of making her feel familiar. If her role was larger, she might rank higher. But as it stands, she’s among the franchise’s best supporting players.

9) Cailee Spaeny as Simone Vivane (Wake Up Dead Man)

All of the actors in the Knives Out movies do an impressive job of bringing their characters to life, but most of them come off as comical while delivering on the series’ biting satire. Wake Up Dead Man changes this formula slightly, taking a more serious approach to several of its supporting plays. Cailee Spaeny’s is perhaps the most memorable, as she plays Simone, a disabled woman who joins Monsignor Wicks’ flock because he promises to “cure” her.

Simone’s storyline allows for a gutting exploration of how faith can be misused to exploit those who are vulnerable. It also demonstrates how people can turn to faith as a fix-all, leading to disappointment and doubt. Spaeny plays her part impressively, capturing the betrayal, hopelessness, and desire to believe that her character feels. Her storyline could fill an entire film, but sadly, it only gets brief moments of attention throughout Wake Up Dead Man. Thanks to Spaeny’s acting, it still lands, but this prevents it from ranking higher.

8) Chris Evans as Ransom Drysdale (Knives Out)

After years of watching Chris Evans portray Captain America in the MCU, viewers got to see him step into the villain role in Knives Out — and it was excellent. Evans’ run as Ransom is entertaining and memorable, and not just because of the cable-knit sweater audiences have become so fond of. Evans perfectly embodies the arrogant and spoiled personality you’d expect from Ransom given his upbringing, and his believable performance lends itself to Knives Out‘s central mystery.

It’s hard to tell whether Ransom is just your average jerk or capable of cold-blooded murder, and Evans never gives too much away. By the end, he even makes Marta (and the viewers) want to trust him. This results in the film’s final twist — that he’s exactly as bad as he seems — being that much better. With all that in mind, Evans easily earns a spot among the series’ best performances. However, the later villains manage to surpass him, and the heroes tend to showcase more depth.

7) Josh Brolin as Monsignor Jefferson Wicks (Wake Up Dead Man)

Taking on a villainous persona is nothing new for Josh Brolin, but his stint as Monsignor Jefferson Wicks in Wake Up Dead Man is particularly chilling. Wicks proves a direct contrast to Father Jud’s genuine and compassionate faith, as he uses his power to manipulate and mistreat the people around him. Viewers won’t feel too devastated when he’s killed off, but that’s a sign of a job well done on Brolin’s part.

A great villain performance should make viewers dislike the character in question, especially if the film isn’t seeking to redeem them — and Brolin’s does exactly that. Wicks’ behavior is humorous at times, and it’s not hard to see why he’s magnetic to the people around him. However, at his core, he represents the most twisted uses of religious faith. Brolin drives that point home, though he isn’t as unlikable as Glass Onion‘s antagonist. He also just isn’t given the material to reach the level of depth that Knives Out‘s leads can.

6) Edward Norton as Miles Bron (Glass Onion)

When it comes to detestable villains, Glass Onion‘s Miles Bron takes the cake. Edward Norton is tasked with portraying the tech billionaire in the Knives Out sequel, and he fully looks and acts the part. He’s arrogant and unfeeling, sure, but he also reeks of insecurity and ineptitude. It’s meant to comment on the worst tech moguls of the 21st century, and Norton’s character really does feel plucked out of our world and placed into Benoit Blanc’s.

Norton manages to walk the line between being intimidating and sinister — necessary qualities of a villain — and being the butt of the joke well. We never feel for his character, which stops him from ranking higher, but he does a good job with what he’s given.

5) Glenn Close as Martha Delacroix in Wake Up Dead Man

Of all the guilty parties in the Knives Out series, Glenn Close’s Martha is the most interesting. It’s because she’s not portrayed as wholly good or bad, while the other killers land more cleanly on the latter side of the spectrum. Martha spends most of Wake Up Dead Man embodying a holier-than-thou woman with a big personality. It’s one that isn’t necessarily likable, as Martha can be judgmental and overbearing due to her beliefs.

However, Martha does have rare moments of vulnerability and kindness, which makes it more interesting that she’s wrapped up in Dr. Nat’s schemes. It’s also intriguing that she kills him, and it leads to an incredibly acted finale, which sees her confessing and taking her own life as a result. It’s clear that Close’s character has layers, and she nails every one of them. She brings Martha’s over-the-top and more comical moments to life well, but she leaves an even greater impression with the deeper, more emotional beats later in the film.

4) Janelle Monáe as Andi & Helen Brand (Glass Onion)

While Benoit Blanc is the one tasked with solving every mystery in the Knives Out franchise, he typically teams up with someone else who’s dragged into the crime. In Glass Onion, that’s Janelle Monáe’s Andi (or well… Helen, actually). Monáe has one of the most difficult jobs of the franchise, as she’s given two separate characters to play in the sequel. She doesn’t just need to master the personalities of two very different twins, either. She also has to pull off the film’s mid-point twist that Andi is dead and Helen is the one we’ve been following all along. She’s a character playing a character, and that takes work.

It’s for that reason Monáe’s performance is among the top five of the entire series, placing her above many of the supporting stars and villain actors. It takes talent to pull off what she does, and she still manages to make us feel for her character and get invested in her goal. Monáe also has some of the best chemistry with Craig, even if the other leads get to do a little more with their characters than she does.

3) Ana de Armas as Marta Cabrera (Knives Out)

Ana de Armas steals the show in the original Knives Out, perhaps as much as Daniel Craig’s Benoit Blanc, who’s just as new to viewers in the first installment. Playing Harlan Thrombey’s nurse, Marta, de Armas does a convincing job of depicting the plight of an ordinary woman who finds herself at the center of a murder investigation — and who’s now at odds with a wealthy family she holds far less power than.

Marta being a regular person (and an understandably anxious one, at that) makes us want to root for her. De Armas is sweet and charming, and it makes it all too easy to step into the character’s shoes. Her performance remains believable, even during the film’s most over-the-top moments. She’s the moral center of the story, and she’s the reason audiences will get invested. There are only two stars that do a better job. One is in all three Knives Out movies, and the other gives an even more heartfelt performance as Blanc’s latest sidekick.

2) Josh O’Connor as Father Jud (Wake Up Dead Man)

I had my doubts that any of Blanc’s sidekicks would top Marta, but Josh O’Connor’s Father Jud pulls it off. The latest innocent suspect to team up with Benoit Blanc, Father Jud spends most of Wake Up Dead Man grappling with guilt and faith. Considering he’s suspected of killing Monsignor Wicks, a man he hated, it’s no surprise he’s so shaken. He’s also a genuinely kind and morally upstanding priest, despite his doubts. However, O’Connor’s character does have darker impulses, and he captures those just as expertly as he conveys his earnest desire to serve God and others.

That realistic duality makes it easy to get behind Father Jud’s character, who could easily have come off as overly righteous. Even Benoit Blanc, who has little religious faith to speak of, winds up admiring Father Jud because he’s so dang earnest. The two have great chemistry, which is another point in O’Connor’s favor. He really steals the show in Wake Up Dead Man, and that’s saying something, considering he’s following de Armas and Monáe.

1) Daniel Craig as Benoit Blanc

It probably goes without saying, but Daniel Craig is the top performance across all three Knives Out movies — particularly because he’s the only major character to lead all three of them. From Blanc’s distinct Southern accent to his passion for cracking the case, Craig brings his character to life with an incredible amount of charm. It’s difficult to envision the Knives Out films taking off the way they did without him at the center, and his zest for a good whodunit is enough to get anyone excited for another sequel.

Craig also gets to explore new facets of Blanc’s personality as Johnson’s series of films continues, and the actor excels every time his character expands. We never see too much of Blanc’s personal life (and that’s probably a good thing), but Craig manages to convey a lot with a little. He’s undoubtedly the right person to serve as the face of this franchise, and I hope we see more of him, assuming we get more films set in this world.

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