Directed by:
Julius AveryCinematography:
Khalid MohtasebComposer:
Jed KurzelCast:
Russell Crowe, Daniel Zovatto, Franco Nero, Alex Essoe, Peter DeSouza-Feighoney, Laurel Marsden, Paloma Bloyd, Cornell John, Tom Bonington (more)VOD (4)
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Inspired by the actual files of Father Gabriele Amorth, Chief Exorcist of the Vatican (Academy Award®-winner Russell Crowe), The Pope’s Exorcist follows Amorth as he investigates a young boy’s terrifying possession and ends up uncovering a centuries-old conspiracy the Vatican has desperately tried to keep hidden. (Sony Pictures Home Entertainment)
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Reviews (10)
Just another exorcism movie. Or another generic genre addition that unfortunately spits out all its plot and reveals all the demon scenes in the trailer and has nothing to dazzle with. Russell Crowe is a nice change from the jaded Mr. and Mrs. Warren, and his role as a satirical rebel priest is solid, but otherwise it's just a classic template that doesn't stand out in any aspect. Visually fine, atmospherically average and kind of middle of the road in terms of craftsmanship. I expected more.
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Russell Crowe, in his current chubby state, is already taking every stupid thing he can get his hands on. And yet, I liked the first half enough, as long as Russell is brimming with charisma and wit, and there's no shortage of some fine visual ideas. But as the minutes tick by, it gets sillier and more generic, and the final duel between the two priests, with bodies flying through the air, flames whipping and bloody women climbing out of iron maidens, looks like some kind of Mel Brooks parody. There's an art to fucking it up like that. Thanks for Franco Nero, I haven't seen him in anything in a long time.
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The best exorcism movie since The Exorcism of Emily Rose? Quite possibly. There have been a lot of exorcism movies over the years, and most of them are more miss than hit, there's just not much place for invention. The Pope’s Exorcist takes familiar horror clichés, but it has two big assets that make it stand out: the excellent Russell Crowe, who delivers a phenomenal performance (a horror film based on a well written and acted lead??), and the film as a whole looks perfect too. The A-list production is evident, and it's been a long time since a horror film has been this well made. In particular, it’s missing all the modern trends and elements, it's proper, dark and old-school like straight out of the 90s, but with great technical execution. Even the opening exorcism scene makes original use of a pig for possession and sets up the whole film nicely. I would have appreciated it more if Russell Crowe went from case to case (if he had exorcised maybe six people during the movie, I wouldn't hesitate with a full rating, that would have been a blast), but even the case of the little boy was interesting enough. The insults of the possessed boy definitely brings to mind the iconic The Exorcist. It's not very scary, there's no jump-scares and there aren't many scary scenes either, but the atmosphere works solidly most of the time and a couple of sequences have the right drive thanks to the great music. Russell Crowe even says some funny wisecracks at times and I wouldn't be mad if he returned as the exorcist again, the role really suited him. The underground finale is on an epic scale with one decent gore scene (thank God it's not PG-13, but I expected more gore from Julius Avery after Overlord), and I liked the incorporation of the Spanish Inquisition and the mythology surrounding the central Demon – King Asmodeus of Hell. Along with Scream VI, there hasn't been a better mainstream horror film, and anyone who had the misfortune of seeing Pray for the Devil in the cinema should fix their appetite with this. Horror week in the cinema has begun, followed by Renfield and Evil Dead Rise, now that's a dose of horror in the vein! 75%
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Congratulations to the filmmakers for finding a meaningful reason to make the thousandth exorcism horror film with the potential for epic expansion into sequels. However, I won’t congratulate them for not being scared of their own idea, and without flinching, follow a template we’ve seen a thousand times before. A template entertaining and well executed enough to be worth watching, but a template nonetheless. Russell Crowe is very good, some of the visual effects and the generic demonic voice not so.
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Julius Avery hit the mark again. Overlord, set during World War II, already had a lot to offer, and now he’s ventured into the challenging realm of exorcism. The casting of the lead actor was a brilliant move. Russell Crowe excelled in the role of the sarcastic and witty Vatican exorcist (I’ll need to find out more about this character). The entire film essentially stands or falls on his performance. Hats off to him... The film also features numerous scenes where you definitely won’t be laughing; the creators played with my genuinely unstable nerves with precision :D. Audiovisually, it’s top-notch (considering the modest budget of 18 million dollars, it’s a flawless final product), and the sound was perfected (Jed Kurzel did not disappoint). And if it veered more into action territory towards the end? Why not... I haven’t seen anything similar in the genre, so I welcomed it with open arms. I thoroughly enjoyed it. Next time, just fewer kids, who can ruin the whole experience with the rustling of chips and popcorn. Honestly, I don’t understand... For me, it’s 7.5/10 (I might rate it higher over time... a second viewing will decide).
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