THE RITE (2011) - Movie Review

Director: Mikael Håfström
Starring: Colin O'Donoghue, Anthony Hopkins, Alice Braga, Ciaran Hinds, Toby Jones, Rutger Hauer, Marta Gastini, Maria Grazia Cucinotta
Genre: Horror, Drama, Mystery, Thriller
Writer: Michael Petroni
Runtime: 114 min
Rated: PG-13 for disturbing thematic material, violence, frightening images, and language including sexual references
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Synopsis:

Though he is filled with doubt about the subject, seminary student Michael Kovak (Colin O'Donoghue) finds he must attend a Vatican school of exorcism. Believing possession to be the work of a troubled mind rather than actual demons, hel urges his superiors to look for answers in psychiatry. Then Michael becomes the apprentice of Father Lucas (Anthony Hopkins), a veteran exorcist, and encounters a terrifying force that causes him to question everything he believes.

Review:

"The Rite" is another one of Hollywood's endless stream of exorcism horror flicks, but while so many movies in the genre feel like hollow rollercoaster rides, this is one that takes its time, builds its characters and extracts the horror from within those characters, instead of the usual jump-scare bag of tricks. Based on Matt Baglio's "The Rite: The Making of a Modern Exorcist", it takes a more grounded approach to exorcism in ways that are reminiscent of "The Exorcism of Emily Rose", mostly avoiding the loud over-the-top spectacle of films like "The Conjuring" and its many spinoffs, or early 2000s gore-fests like "Exorcist: The Beginning".

Anthony Hopkins plays an unorthodox Welsh Jesuit exorcist who acts as mentor to an American seminary student (Colin O'Donoghue) in Italy, and introduces him to the life of an exorcist. The young man is undergoing a crisis of faith and looks at things through a secular lens, and it's very interesting to watch these two men debate concepts of faith and the deceitful nature of demonic possession. Is the possession real, or is it just a mental disorder ? O'Donoghue's subtle, if at times hesitant performance as the doubting protagonist serves as a surrogate for the audience, asking the difficult questions as he struggles between spirituality and pragmatic reality.

However, Hopkins easily steals the show with an intense but also layered performance. The priest, despite a cocksure appearance, is also afflicted by deep-rooted doubts and vulnerabilities, and as he slowly slips into darknesss, Hopkins switches gears into Hannibal-esque levels of snarling menace. The leads are propped up by a fantastic supporting cast that includes Alice Braga, Ciaran Hinds, Toby Jones, Rutger Hauer and Marta Gastini.

The film is directed by Mikael Håfström, who previously directed the 2003 Oscar-nominated Swedish drama "Evil" ("Ondskan") and "1408", one of the better Stephen King adaptations. He supposedly attended real exorcisms in preparation for making the film. It must have been a useful experience, because the demonic possessions in this movie are chilling in the best way possible. Forget about expensive visual effects and over-the-top camerawork, this movie plays it straight with ruthless efficiency and subtle creepiness. Perhaps the exorcism scenes are not entirely scary, but they are profoundly disturbing and uncomfortable, as they should be.

"The Rite" is by no means an instant classic, but it's certainly a superior entry in an overpopulated genre. Unlike its lesser brethren, it avoids cheap jump scares and gore, and leaves just enough room in the plot for complex issues and psychological dilemmas. I definitely recommend you give it a watch.

SCORE: 7.5/10