Nicely photographed but derivative demon possession NYPD action horror film, directed by Scott Derrickson (Sinister; Hellraiser: Inferno; The Exorcism of Emily Rose) starring Eric Bana as an agnostic Catholic cop facing sinister dangers as a trio of Iraq combat veterans return to NYC with something spiritually evil that has overtaken them. Partnered with a comedic, thrill-seeking cop, Jimmy (Chris Coy), and a young priest with his own personal demons, Mendoza (Édgar Ramírez), Bana's Sarchie will try to find and stop the volatile, unstable demon-possessed soldiers (who have taken to beating their wives). In one case, the demon possession spread to the wife who is found rabid in a zoo, while a soldier (painter as a civilian) walks freely among lions which allows him to escape. The police procedural leads to creepy Satanic ritualism, monstrous men taken over by evil and seemingly absent their humanity, and scribbling in an unusual language found where the soldiers were located back in the Big Apple. Lots of imagery certain to leave you a bit taken aback (like the body of a decomposed corpse which fell out of a wall, locations rendered dilapidated by the soldiers, etc), and the sight of a child found dead in an alley, "Deliver Us from Evil" certainly knows how to get under the skin. However, the ending will more than likely take you right back to the recent demon possession Anthony Hopkins vehicle, The Rite, where a young priest with a less-than-stable spiritual resolve faces the demanding task of removing a demon from a soldier held prisoner as another in the room watches as "support". The demon's name being requested and the usual exorcism tactics are here and accounted for. The bells and whistles of demon possession special effects show up, with the only real unique feature this time around being the location of the exorcism located in an interrogation room at a police station. It is forgettable and nothing about the plot is all that original (even Bana's wife and daughter are kidnapped). You could skip this and not miss much. For demon-possession/exorcism movie completists, mostly. Derrickson, though, knows how to evoke mood and darkness especially well. Bana's a fine actor so he makes the role of a cop dealing with the traumas of a typical life working the streets of NYC his own, which is no surprise. Coy's a hoot as Bana's wise-cracking partner, eventually going out as funny cop partners typically do in these types of movies.
Review of Deliver Us from Evil
