Review of Deliver Us from Evil (2014) by Brett B — 06 Jul 2014

Something of a supernatural police procedural, DELIVER US FROM EVIL is a decent - but unremarkable - bit of genre cinema. The basic premise, at its core, is fairly fresh (tell a spooky yarn from the point-of-view of a no-nonsense New York cop) and interesting, but honestly.

.. the story trades in tropes and notions that we've all seen before; they're executed competently by director Derrickson, but there's nothing to truly "wow" the audience. The movie does certainly have some indisputable strengths, though: there's a pervasive sense of grim unease hanging over the whole thing (somewhat undercut by some pretty cheap jump-scares), and there's an admirably nasty, gory streak running through the second half.

The acting is also solid, with Bana (who goes full "New Yawk" with his accent) delivering a compelling lead performance. He's joined by Ramirez, who's the movie's secret weapon; playing a hard-drinking priest, Ramirez is a credible and magnetic presence, and his relationship with Bana provides the most interesting moments in the film.

Their discussions about religion, evil, and the paranormal are unusually thoughtful for this genre, and the movie could have benefited from more of that sort of thing, instead of barreling head-long towards a fairly pedestrian, rote conclusion.

Still, there's nothing bad (per se) about DELIVER US FROM EVIL; its biggest crime is in its occasional "been there, done that" sort of feeling with respect to the supernatural events we witness.