Le Bon Apôtre

I was really hyped up for this one - I loved both "Raid" parts & folk/cult subgenre is one of my favorites in all things horror. I was expecting a sort of mashup of "The VVitch" and "Wicker man" (the original, of course), but what I got is a sort of a Lovecraftian "Wicker man", which is totally not bad. Let's start with the pros: amazing cinematography, decent acting, intriguing settings and well-done gore & fight scenes. That's enough pros to make a movie average or better than that. But what was wrong? Mainly pacing & plot. This could've easily been a 90minutes long horror flick, without losing much of the atmosphere. "The Apostle" was shook by a set-up too long, consisting of many uninterrupted long shots, walking, watching, staring etc., they were making suspense and doing an overkill at that. What about the plot? It's engaging enough (just enough), but ultimately fails to deliver some answers to some burning questions. To sum it up, it's an above-average Netflix original, a very decent horror film, average mystery drama & an entertaining watch for any folk/cult/religion/Lovecraftian loving horror fan. I give it a solid 7/10.

A fascinating and thoroughly engaging film, with incredible direction, great performances, splendid cinematography and an unpredictable plot, even though there were some inconsistencies.

Apostle is another Netflix original, a collaboration between UK and US production companies and is certainly a memorable tale.

It tells the story of a man who visits a secluded island housed by a mysterious cult that have kidnapped his sister. But beneath the visage is something even more sinister than he could have possibly imagined.

It comes under the horror genre, I question that. Is it really? Thriller seems to suit it better.

Starring Michael Sheen in a truly excellent performance by him this grisly, dark, moody little film really got my attention early on but by about half way it seemed to have lost its way. Like the writer had a good idea but didn't know how to follow through with it.

I'm not saying Apostle is a bad movie, it has some great themes and looks great but from an entertainment perspective it finds itself somewhat lacking. I'm not a person who needs everything spelling out for him, I don't mind things being left open to interpretation but there is a fine line between that and just leaving things a tad too open.

Apostle is a watchable effort with some nice ideas but as for what they were actually aiming for I think it's a swing and a miss. Shame.

The Good:

Looks the part

Michael Sheen

A few decent ideas

The Bad:

Doesn't really come together very well

Things I Learnt From This Movie:

Concerningly that lifestyle (Minus the religion) oddly appeals to me

Christian torture devices are the stuff of nightmares

Gareth Evans, most famously known for his films in "The Raid" franchise, has crafted an enchanting and thrilling potential cult classic surrounding a mysterious religious cult within a period horror story. With an atmosphere reminiscent of the famous Scottish film "The Wicker Man" (1973), perhaps even similar to 2015's "The Witch" to a certain extent, what Evans came up with is a tale of violence, revenge and hatefulnes, a tale in which love is punished and has no future. It's incredibly violent and nothing for those who can't bear the sight of blood and pain, but beneath the violence which is so indispensably linked to the core of the story, there is also a well-constructed plot filled with memorable characters. In so many horror films, you will have a memorable story, but weak characters you can't connect with, whereas with "Apostle", it's impossible not to get attached to most of these characters, or at the very least to feel interested in their ultimate fate.

Evans delves deep into personalities of his characters and confronts them with morally significant questions, in the process also benefiting from the strong cast he was able to assemble. Dan Stevens is a good actor, albeit with a limited acting range, but in "Apostle", he manages to get back to the roots of what made the 2014 film "The Guest" so great. In terms of going absolutely crazy, Dan Stevens' performance could even be compared to Nicolas Cage' acting in "Mandy", another potential cult thriller released just a few weeks ago. He was the perfect choice for the character of Thomas Richardson, and so was Michael Sheen for the prophet's role. Bill Milner, a rising British star who I think has a very interesting future in the business ahead of him, Mark Lewis Jones and Kristine Froseth add to a number of haunting supporting performances. In the end, "Apostle" is probably about twenty minutes too long; its material is not deep enough to justify a runtime of 130 minutes, and on the other hand, there are a few scenes which could have been cut for the purpose of making the film more fast-paced. However, that's something I didn't have much of an issue with, as I personally enjoyed the film tremendously from beginning to end. Not everyone is going to like it, perhaps due to the runtime, perhaps due to the violence, but even aside from my personal opinion, this film is well-directed and well-acted, the cinematography is superb and the plot just keeps getting more intense, more engaging, more and more thrilling after a slow, yet harrowing beginning. Reactions to this film are probably going to be divided, but I hope "Apostle" will nevertheless get the audience it deserves, as it is, in my humble opinion, on par with the best horror films of 2018.

I cannot believe there are any bad reviews for this film. I'll keep this brief.

This film is an absolute gift for anyone who loves true horror. Much like The VVitch it is a beautifully acted and written period piece set in the early 1900's. The pacing is perfect, the tone is driving and rhythmic, never was there a point during this film where I was bored. The characters were fleshed out and easy to empathize with. Overall I thought this was fantastic. I think it's almost a waste that its a netflix film and did not get a theatrical release.

Anyone who loves the idea of paganism, cults, religion without pandering to Christians (which is what The Conjuring does, even though I am a fan of those films), or period pieces will love this film. Do your self a favor and give it a chance.