Deliver Us From Evil

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Deliver Us From Evil
Starring Eric Bana, Edgar Ramirez, Olivia Munn, Joel McHale
Directed by Scott Derrickson

Synopsis:
Sarchie (Eric Bana) is a NYPD Sergeant who famously took down a deranged child molester and killer.  Recently he takes on a baffling case of a woman who threw her young son into a lion's den at the Bronx Zoo, and begins to uncover a mysterious connection to three Iraqi war veterans and a deadly unearthly presence.  With the aid of Father Mendoza (Edgar Ramirez), Sarchie has to re-ignite his old faith in order to combat an evil much more terrifying than any criminal.

Review:
In the guise of "The Exorcism of Emily Rose," "Deliver Us From Evil" is more of a cop drama than supernatural thriller, and that's the driving force behind why I enjoyed it so much.  If it were a simple demonic story, it would be a typical generic story.  However, director Scott Derrickson throws in a mystery that has you guessing throughout, and takes you deeper into the story than it should have.

The only issue is, with typical horror films, there's several "jump scenes" which I found to be more irritating than scary.  Jump scares aren't really scary, they just make you jump because they play music really loud and it doesn't incite frights, but rather a normal reaction when the body hears something loud all of a sudden.  If a horror film is good enough, it doesn't need to rely on these cheap scares, which I'm sure were the ones the audience saw during the preview that made them jump.

Eric Bana gives a great performance here, even if his New York accent comes and goes.  He plays a very believable and sympathetic character, yet still rough and tough.  The biggest surprise is Joel McHale as Sarchie's partner.  He's typically known for comedic roles such as the TV series "Community," but here he's a lot darker and dramatic, while still throwing in funny one-liners.  He did a great job bulking up for the part, and even learned knife fighting for his own stunts.  He could be a new form of action hero in the making.

Summary:
If you're looking for a great horror film, this is not the one for you.  However, if you're looking for a great cop drama with a taste of the supernatural, "Deliver Us From Evil" is something to check out.

My Rating: B+

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