Délivre-nous du mal

This is by far one of the best exorcism type movies I've watched in a very long time. The whole tune of the movie as it progresses is cryptic, and keeps you longing for more. Always trying to figure it out on your own as the movie plays on. Most exorcism type movies drag on with the plot and lose me halfway in, but this one however kept me entertained throughout the entire time. Eric Bana's acting is top quality, and quite frankly the best acting I've saw of him since "Troy". It's def. something to look into, if your looking for a good movie to watch. Be it Drama/Horror/Mystery, this movie is for you. You cannot do split rankings on here, but I give it a good 8.5/10 score.

Don't listen to some of the critics. A very good scary movie. I think the critics knocking it just do not like the exorcism genre. If you liked The Rite or The Conjuring you will like this movie. A story with characters you care about. Also based on a true story which of course means there are certain liberties taken with it but that makes it more interesting. This was a scary movie with brains. The background and setting reminded me a bit of the movie Seven. The priest is the most interesting character. I normally am not a huge fan of Eric Bana but he plays the role of the detective well. This could also be classified as a crime thriller with a supernatural twist.

Filmmaker Scott Derrickson has definitely been through a lot when it comes to movies even if he hasn't output a large volume. He's also been through several areas of the movie industry; everything from home video, independent to mainstream blockbuster studios. And of course now that he's been inducted into the family of Marvel Studios, his credibility has been more or less confirmed. Prior to this though he was still trying to make a name for himself in way that would make him stand out. While The Day the Earth Stood Still (2008) remake was boring for most, his comeback with Sinister (2012) turned the tables in his favor. While Sinister (2012) did engage its audience at the beginning, the predictability became fairly obvious as time went on. Sadly it seems as though Derrickson did not notice this when he released this movie as his next feature.

The story for this movie displays events that allegedly were told to be true by a New York police officer named Ralph Sarchie. According to him, he came across a number of strange moments where he would be on duty and witness abnormal actions by people. Playing Sarchie is Eric Bana and soon he teams up with a priest by the name of Father Mendoza (Edgar Ramírez) who believes the cases are related to a greater evil. With the screenplay adapted by Derrickson and Paul Harris Boardman, the execution of the story feels very similar to that of Sinister (2012). At the start, the plot will capture the viewers' attention, but over time it begins to lose its grasp on what matters most. This is unfortunate because initially it has an interesting detective supernatural vibe going for it, but then it turns to a rather conventional method of execution and begins to lose traction.

And there's a reason why the play out to this feature feels similar. The explanation to this is that Paul Harris Boardman has been a familiar writer to that of other Scott Derrickson productions, surprisingly not Sinister (2012) though. Putting this aside however, the acting by the main cast is fairly good. Eric Bana as the tough Sgt. Sarchie has a captivating presence along with his partner Butler played by Joel McHale, who seems to find a way of making light of any situation. Olivia Munn is also involved as Sarchie's wife who adds some tension to the story being that most married protagonists are easily held as leverage. Edgar Ramirez as Father Mendoza has a peculiar back story working with the supernatural and also serves as a good backup to Sarchie. Lastly there's Sean Harris who plays a significant part to the plot, and Sarchie's investigation.

The visuals to the film were properly placed. Derrickson has done horror films before and this one does not divert from what's been done before. The gore is not over the top but can get grotesque.at times. This makes for an effective take on just how bad things can get surrounding Sgt. Sarchie. The worst it gets is body contortions and really freaky looking faces. The special effects themselves though are well done. There's no areas in the run time that look heavily edited or overly fake. Though some of the events that happen are questionable as to if they actually happened at all. Of course this comes with the understanding that certain liberties will be taken with the story that was given from the original source. The question is, exactly how much of it is true? That's to be debated over since the screenplay is based off of a book by Sgt. Sarchie.

The camerawork was well done too. Filmed by Scott Kevan, the cinematography is displayed competently. There are dark areas throughout the film but it is not to a point where the audience will not be able to see what is happening. If anything it helps emphasize how peculiar some scenarios get. Occasionally there is some shaky cam and dutch angles, but it occurs quite infrequently that it's not really a bother. Kevan was also the cinematographer to Cabin Fever (2002), Death Race (2008) and The Darkest Hour (2011). Composing the film score to this feature was Christopher Young who has not only worked with Derrickson before but has done many horror scores in general. Sadly, what's only heard here are repeated tracks from other movies like Sinister (2012), and the rest are all stings. It's pretty underwhelming because only a couple areas actually sound unique.

Music and story execution is unfortunately a large portion why the movie could not be as good as it presents itself. Yet the actors, horror visuals and premise make the view enjoyable to watch for the most part. It's decent enough to warrant at least one watch but that's it.

It's been a while since I found a decent exorcism movie. I mean, some of the exorcism-theme movies I've watched is pretty decent if not too ordinary. Too similar with the process and the pace. So, when I see that Deliver Us From Evil has arrived, I too didn't really put up too much hope. I thought this is just another typical exorcism movie.

You see, most of the exorcism will always start with the same process. Some devil possessing a child (or someone), (usually) the parents got distracted over the fact and try to find a way to rid the devil. A priest got the information and try to help exorcise the demon. The priest done it successfully (or so he thought) only to find that the demon hasn't really left the child. The priest then try to find a much more experienced priest to help him and finally able to rid the devil for good, but with the cost of someone's life. That's pretty much how all exorcism related movie goes.

But not with this one. I'm actually pretty hyped up after watching it!!! The acting is great, the pace is good and basically got a different presentation to make this into a not boring "typical-exorcism" movie. It actually makes you yearn for more information, dragging your heighten-interest along the way and keeps up the momentum to finally gave you a shocking horror, straight to your face.

I dare gave it 8/10 for Deliver Us From Evil.

In Iraq 2010, US troops uncover something dangerous. It's 2013. NYPD officer Ralph Sarchie (Eric Bana) investigates a series of disturbing crimes with his partner Butler (Joel McHale). He's married to Jen (Olivia Munn) with a daughter. Jesuit priest Mendoza (Édgar Ramírez) is fighting the evil and Sarchie joins in to investigating a group of returning marines.

The movie sets up a good dark murky NYC. Eric Bana is good at being the brooding intense guy. Joel McHale is the wise-cracking sidekick. Surprisingly, he muscles up and gets into a few fights. Filmmaker Scott Derrickson has zeroed in on the dark moody style. However the movie slowly loses momentum. The tension fades. Instead of intensifying the excitement, it get muddled exorcism talk. Also, Butler seems to be replaced by Mendoza. It would probably be better to keep Butler inside the group. It's a lot of darken rooms and jump scares. The movie never finds the next gear.