Sacrifício

SACRIFICE is a horror film that doesn't want to be a horror film. Instead it would rather be a mature police procedural thriller, with lots of mystery aspects, but there's no getting away from the fact that the narrative is rooted in folk horror no matter how much the writer and director try to distance themselves from the genre.

The storyline is about an American doctor who goes to live on the Shetland islands with her husband and soon discovers a body missing a heart. It all points to sinister conspiracies and sacrifice, and she's soon up to her neck in danger. The film is beautifully shot - in Ireland for the most part - with lots of welcome outdoor location photography, and the plot feels like an episode of SILENT WITNESS with hints of THE WICKER MAN.

A shame, then, that the central detective story is so restrained and predictable. Radha Mitchell is a good actress, and she has a bit of charm here, but otherwise the it all feels very routine and difficult to get excited about. I liked seeing Ian McElhinney (GAME OF THRONES) in support but the rest of the cast are pretty boring, and things resolutely play out in the most predictable way imaginable.

First of all, I don't know why the notes / ratings here are so low - five is really so - so and this film is much better.

I did not really read the storyline of the film except that the woman is moving from New York to S Islands. So, that was what I knew and the rest of the film was interesting to me. It was rather on good pace. Not slow or too rushed. The acting was believable. The setting is good. The story is interesting and has some minor twists which are good. It keeps you guessing. I can not say that anything was predictable as many wrote.

I liked the movie. It was not really great and that blew me away, but for what it is - I give it eight!

Don't know whether because it is British, but the film kinda reminded me of those crime series from England my mother watches :) I don't know their names, but... somehow reminded me of that - and a bit of some Agatha Cristie movies.

This movie was clearly made to entertain you while you doze off on the couch: semi intriguing premise, clunky pacing and the usual European folklore bric a brac composed of small communities, weird rites of fertility and secret cults.

From the start you know this is going to stink when the lead asks her husband of many years "Your father doesn't know you're a diabetic, does he?", when they are IN HIS HOUSE having dinner! Presumably this didn't seem important enough to talk about before!

A nosy American doctor shows up at a remote Scottish island and without delay starts her own full scale murder investigation after she dug up a hole in her garden that uncovers a body! She immediately gets a job at the hospital, too. She must be a helluva doctor!

The bloody awful music tries to give an atmosphere of suspense for the entire 90 minutes... even when there's NOTHING HAPPENING!

The cult elements are never really explored, apart from a few daubings on walls and bodies... which the cops don't seem to think really matter.

Anyone who gets in the way is bumped off and for the cops it's just another day in the office. Happens all the time on these remote islands.

Somehow the house on the top of a mountain seems to have been FLOODED! How the bloody hell did that happen?

The final 20 minutes play out like the worst episode of a 1990's Ruth Rendell crap-fest.

Overall it's just very silly. It is Lifetime TV for people who think that Lifetime TV needs more murders!

Fairly run of the mill thriller. A woman moves to a remote Scottish island and stumbles onto a buried body. And so the 'mystery' begins....

Nothing special here but still enjoyable. Overall the story is quite standard and predictable. Even the twists and turns can be seen a mile away. Don't expect to be wowed or anything.

The only thing that lifts this movie in to something worth seeing is the lead actress (Radha Mitchell). Every time Radha was on screen she stole the show in this otherwise bland experience. Her convincing performance makes this movie.

Overall a good movie for a rainy day. Just don't expect Oscar material.