Director: Nick Cassavetes
Starring: Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, Maika Monroe, Jamie Foxx
Running Time (as reviewed): 120 minutes. The original "Director's Cut" is 156 minutes
Synopsis: Devil-worshipping thugs led by Cyrus (Karl Glusman) murder the wife of detective Bob Hightower (Nikolaj Coster-Waldau) and kidnap his young daughter Gabi into their cult. Bob teams up with Case (Maika Monroe), an escapee from the cult, to track down Cyrus and attempt to rescue Gabi. They receive help from the mysterious "Ferryman" (Jamie Foxx), who has precognitive and healing powers.
What Works Well: This is a dark, moody, and exceptionally gory dramatic thriller. An adaptation of a Boston Teran book and supposedly based on actual events, the drama wades into a human sewer where soulless depravity thrives in the absence of light. Director Nick Cassavetes embraces a pessimistic milieu and allows Case's earned cynicism to grind away at Bob's religious beliefs. Bursts of bloody action mingle with uncompromising character interactions, both the violence and the dialogue descending into depths of despair.
What Does Not Work As Well: The drama lacks a sense of place, and the absence of pursuit logic and logistics is disorienting. Cyrus and his gang of goons are confined to tattoo-dominated cartoonish representations, and their exhibitions of evil are eventually exhausting. Both Bob (introduced as a desk detective) and Case (a badly damaged victim of abuse) evolve into remarkably capable action heroes.
Key Quote:
Case: The Devil's only an idea, Bob, an excuse for evil, just as your God is an excuse for good. They're concepts.
All Ace Black Movie Blog reviews are here.
No comments:
Post a Comment
We welcome reader comments about this post.