The Raven - Prophet des Teufels

The plot has several good moments and logically explained events, but, in general, is rather uneven, with some protracted scenes not providing additional value to the movie. Luckily, there is more crimes and less mystery, no voices in the forest or inside heads or so (personally, I do not find it thrilling to follow someone's going or being mad). As for the cast, John Cusack + British actors give pleasant performances; well, males mostly, I did not like female characters too much. Anyhow, the movie does not become boring and the ending has several layers as well, although you could guess the fate of Edgar Allan Poe.

Additional points as I did not guess who the guilty one was.

I was not sure what to expect from this film, but seeing as how I could borrow it for free I would watch it. Turns out it was a really good movie as it featured a fine performance from John Cusack as Edgar Allen Poe, a nice kill here and there and a nice mystery to try and unravel. I am surprised that it did not perform better at the theaters as it was a nice change of pace from all the comic book films I usually watch.

The story has Edgar returning to Baltimore at a time a gruesome murder is taking place. One that seems to be a copy of his work "Murders in the Rue Morgue". Other heinous crimes occur, all seeming to be based off Poe's work. Poe becomes the prime suspect, but the investigator on the case soon realizes it is not the troubled author so he soon enlists Poe's help to try and find the person responsible. Unfortunately for Poe, this killer soon brings Poe in directly by kidnapping Poe's beloved and challenges Poe to find her before she dies.

I liked the cat and mouse of the game as the investigator and Poe try to solve the killer's bizarre and twisted clues to learn his identity before it is too late. I was not sure what to expect from the film, but it turned out to be a very dark and a bit of a sad film. John Cusack did great as Poe, but all of the cast did a fine job. They also did a nice job of recreating Baltimore in the time period this film takes place. I am sure if I really looked I could find a mistake or two, but I never really try to look for anachronisms when watching a movie unless it is like totally obvious or the movie is not good.

So all in all a good mystery type movie with some horror elements in it. The best death was a bit early in the film, it being the one that copied the Poe story "The Pit and the Pendulum". None of the other deaths were quite as graphic as it. However, the film's story was good enough that I did not need to see a bunch of over the top brutality.

A killer is on the loose, a young detective joins forces with Edgar Allan Poe to stop his writings becoming reality. The stakes become high when Poe's partner is kidnapped and her life hangs in the balance.

Set in Baltimore, an underrated thriller mystery that needn't be compared to other period pieces including the likes of Sherlock Holmes (2009). This has its own legs and is more of a murder thriller than adventure. James McTeigue captures the ominous 1849 setting with dark and foggy cobbled streets reminiscent in tone of a Hammer films and Jack the Ripper tale - In Hell (2001). The setting and locations create a eerie backdrop, complimentary of Danny Ruhlmann's cinematography. There's no doubt, Ben Livingston and Hannah Shakespeare's screenplay unfolds like a period piece CBS CSI special but it's a well filmed, entertaining and intriguing, strengthened by McTeigue's direction and Lucas Vidal's score.

Brendan Gleeson's acting abilities are very much underused as Captain Hamilton has he has very little screen time. Luke Evans' Detective Fields commands an on screen presence equal to that of the late Heath ledger. John Cusack gives his usual solid show, albeit he is more animated than usual as Edgar Allan Poe. Alice Eve is excellent, giving a convincing harrowing performance as the kidnapped and trapped Emily Hamilton.

Anyone familiar with the genre may see the killers identity well in advance. Nevertheless, The Raven is a creepy, solid old-school thriller with a fitting portrayal by Cusack.

I am a big fan in general of "WhoDunnit" movies, and I was keen to see what 'The Raven' had in store. I went in assuming that it would be like any other 'Jack the Ripper'/19th century killer movie and that it would predictable. I was right in my assessment, but inspite of these cliché's the Raven was a brilliant film mainly because of the following:

• The movie was beautifully shot. It has a very 'sleepy hollow' feeling throughout. - The use of Poe's work and the poetic climax was excellent. I enjoyed this bit a lot as it left me with things to think about after watching the film, something which is testimony to the fact that the film made an impact. - Great character development of John Cusack/Poe. Made for a dark, mysterious man with a twisted view of the world. Exciting. - There were many tense moments, great chases and small pieces of puzzle solving( like in console games) making for small mysteries within one large mystery, thus keeping you engrossed all the way.

To summarise, the Raven was riotous ride through Victorian era type settings, keeps you on the egde of your seat, the mini puzzles keep you busy and the plot and character development( Poe) was excellent, Definitely worth a watch and an 8 out of ten for me.

P.S. The film has gore so if you can't stand that, don't watch it. It's not a Hostel or a SAW, but there is gore and blood.

This is a clever, well-made movie, but I think there are a couple of things that stop it from being better than it is.

The story is not dissimilar to David Fincher's "Seven", in that case it was killings inspired by the seven deadly sins while in "The Raven", a serial killer creates gory scenarios based on the stories of Edgar Allen Poe.

Inspector Emmett Fields, played by Luke Evans, while investigating a bizarre double murder, realises that it has a connection to a story by Edgar Allen Poe. He engages the author to help him find the killer. Poe, played by John Cusack, is hesitant at first, but soon throws himself into the hunt, forming an alliance with Fields.

The killer's true intentions become a little clearer when Poe's Fiancée, Emily, played by Alice Eve, is kidnapped. Kept in a coffin, she is tormented by her captor. Eventually, Poe works out who the killer is, and strikes a deadly deal in exchange for Emily's life.

I think John Cusack struggles to find the right balance for Poe. Admittedly, he is more settled in the role by the end of the movie, but he knocks it off balance with some early drunk scenes with lots of yelling; actors portraying people who are drunk are almost as annoying as people who are drunk. His performance is uneven, especially in his affection for Emily - he seems oddly unconvincing in some scenes although he says he would sacrifice his life for her. Luke Evans, with a far more understated performance, steals the show as Inspector Fields.

Visually brilliant, the film features ever more elaborate techniques to dispose of the killer's victims, The ingenuity and the amount of work involved would have required a crew the size of the one that built the Panama Canal, however, with a movie such as this, suspension of disbelief definitely helps with the enjoyment level.

For a while, I thought the identity of murderer was going to be either a disappointment or far too obvious, simply because not too many characters are introduced into the story; an unwritten rule of crime movies is that no one is introduced into a plot without reason. My fears were groundless; the ending works brilliantly, and is far more satisfying than is often the case.

Although "The Raven" has similarities to "Seven", it doesn't have the darkness or the hide-behind-your-finger's tension of that masterpiece of horror. With that said however, as serial killer movies go, "The Raven" is definitely a 'cut' above the average.