Possessed

Amazing! Whoever would have expected to see James Bond matching it with Regan's distant young cousin!

Based for the most part on Thomas Allen's book of supposedly the only bona-fide recorded exorcism ever conducted in the US, Dalton is just out of his tree as Father William Bowden, the priest who actually performed the exorcism on the young Mannheim boy.

Given a more direct and less Hollywoodesque approach, the circumstances of the boy's "affliction" (and many, having watched this will have their doubts) are presented as totally realistic. The exorcism itself is deftly handled and Dalton gives a power-house performance as the priest being torn apart by forces he can barely comprehend. He gets finally to show his considerable acting skills, uncluttered by his usual veneer of a one-dimensional and synthetic personality. (He was starting to get there in HAWKS!)

This telemovie comes highly recommended for both believers and non-believers. Both sides will get something out of this!

This movie is compelling viewing. There's not many people who haven't seen the Exorcist, which now looks rather jaded after almost 30 years. This movie does not glamourise evil in fact it shows the human weaknesses of the priest who is played by former 007 Timothy Dalton. A very compelling movie

Yes, or course there are the usual amount of cliched semi-plots that add to the character development and have nothing to do with the story, but POSSESSED is quite good. Not really scary to me, but if you are a religious person, then it is quite possible that this movie will f*** you in the head! So be warned. Take the same warning for THE EXORCIST. Both of these films are similar (because one inspired the other) and they are both disturbing.

The ending of this film was not as good as I was hoping, but the rest of the film was pretty much everything I wanted. The acting is cheesy in some cases, but Timothy Dalton and Christopher Plummer both do good. I recommend all those other demon movies, like THE EXORCIST, END OF DAYS, LOST SOULS, BLESS THE CHILD, and STIGMATA.

POSSESSED: 4/5.

I have been watching horror films lately, which is a bit of a switch for me. I remember seeing the Exorcist films and even watched the second one again recently, wanting more of the inner life and workings of the priest, Father Merrin. This film far exceeds any I have seen dealing with this subject matter before (Emily Rose being a close second).

You have the usual Hollywood stuff thrown in, but what really gave this film such a high mark for me was the great masculine, spiritually focused portrayal by the main priest as played by Timothy Dalton. His characters friendship with the other priest and his inner life is exactly what I longed for in similar films dealing with exorcism but NEVER found. This is not a perfect film and Dalton does say one famous Betty Davis line that takes you right out of the film (I laughed) but its entertaining and I think riveting. More time could have been spent with the overwrought parents, especially the dad who seemed more possessed than the kid at times, and they didn't spend months working on the child as I think it took in real life, but all in all a good faith effort. Yes, a testimony in part of the fact that Jesus has Won and Wins and that saving souls is still important even in modern times. Rent the DVD and watch the extra (a real life interview with one of the priests involved in the exorcism).

Well-made television movie(made for Showtime)that tells the true story(so we are told) of the only modern American Exorcism rite performed by the Roman Catholic Church. This film is compelling in its nature as it draws the viewer in to see a priest battle with his own private demons only to fight with the real thing squatting in the body of a young boy named Robbie. The film is beautifully shot and possesses some wonderfully creepy scenes that enhance the mood of tension and foreboding. The acting is the best thing, however, as Timothy Dalton never acted better. He is so very convincing in the role of the priest with a tough exterior and a head full of painful memories from World War II. The young actor playing Robbie is very gifted and convincing too. Christopher Plummer adds a nice small role as an archbishop more concerned with publicity and image than healing and souls. The film has much going for it. Good story, artful direction, excellent acting, and some fine philosophical points of contention to gnaw on a bit. Is it better than The Exorcist? Yes and no. It does not carry the impact of that film, nor does it in anyway contain the shocking scenes that film employed. No crucifix masterbation here, etc.. In fact no one dies in this film. What it lacks in scares is really a better sense of what an exorcism is and what the rite actually meant. Interesting to me but perhaps not to all. So if you want some intelligent horror...look no further. Watch The Exorcist again too...another great film in its own way.