Movie 22: The Rite

Starring: Anthony Hopkins, Colin O'Donoghue, Alice Braga, Ciaran Hinds, Toby Jones, Rutger Hauer, Marta Gastini.

Director: Mikael Hafstrom.

This is actually my second attempt at doing The Rite for this blog.  Last week I tried it and fell asleep during it, and decided to abandon what I had written (it wasn't really very good stuff, I was just too tired to be doing one) and start over at a later date.  So, now, here I am going for it again.  I was tired and cranky last time, and I kind of still am (it's kind of the natural state of the overnight worker), but I was kind of hating it at the time.  Gonna try and give this a fair shake, though.

I'm pretty sure I had begun the previous attempt with the statement that I didn't have a lot of specific memory of this film.  I must have, because that's basically true.  Other than a feeling that I didn't like it much when I first saw it, and a general memory of Hopkins basically doing what he largely has done for years, which is basically ham it up and mug for the camera.  Before falling asleep, I was convinced that my suspicions were essentially correct.

I like that this movie was "suggested" by a book.  

Teleporting conversations are such a strange device in film.  Two characters are talking in one location about a topic, and then suddenly they're discussing the same topic as an entirely different location.  Not only the same topic but basically the same sentence.  Did the character just say "Hang, let's drive to the bar, I want to finish this statement there?"  Also, do movie and TV characters just not have access to scholarships or student loans?  Why is "My family can't afford college so no dreams for me" a thing?  My Parents couldn't afford to pay for college, either.  I didn't start actually going to college until I was in my twenties (and again when I was thirty, and I still haven't finished), and nobody paid for it.  In addition, I never quite understood "Dad won't allow it" in movies, either.  Now, my Parents never really stood in my way on much, really...but I can't imagine being unable to say "My life, my decisions" to anyone at all.  I don't think I've met anyone who has had that issue, either.

The main character is an angry douche bag, which is always a great choice.  But anyway, 'cause Dad's a broke-ass mortician, he's off to Seminary for free education...because, well, he apparently lacks internal logic.  

I have no trouble believing that Toby Jones trips and dooms innocent people to death all the time.  In real life.  It's not a bad scene, though, jokes aside.  Seminary student who basically wants to quit suddenly being forced to perform the last rites on a dying kid?  That's a rough spot to be in.  I think there's a real sense of poignancy to the idea of being faithless when confronted with the dying, especially as they ask for comfort in those last moments.  Unless you're Niche who, rumor has it, was asked by a friend on their deathbed to lie to them and tell them that Heaven was real.  Niche, being who he was, basically told him there was no Heaven, and then the guy died.  

A class on Exorcism would be pretty rad.  Honestly, I dig on theology, philosophy and ethics and the paranormal...I think I'd make a good Priest (y'know, a movie one, anyway...in real life it's probably a lot duller).  I think I'd make a pretty bad-ass exorcist, really.  But, they probably need you to be kinda religious or something...plus, no sex.  And to hell with that noise.  

This particular exorcism class kinda seems lame, though...I did a little research when I was last attempting to watch this film just to fact-check a couple things before I attempted to contradict information provided in the film.  Turns out there is an actual school of exorcism in the vatican, which is neat-o...damn it, another teleporting conversation!  That's the third one!

"I prefer punctuality to apologies."  Priest burn.  Ouch.

"We are not here to scrutinize religion with science.  The purpose of this class is to observe phenomenon through the eyes of faith."-So, it's not a class at all then.  It's a sermon.  It's interesting to observe all the different ways Catholicism is portrayed in these movies.  For example, The Exorcist and Stigmata present Priests as human beings, and the order to (more realistically) actually utilize some science and reason to things.  Both of those films show the Church as being prone to investigation of a lot of things: not the "No such thing as anything except God and The Devil" approach of The Rite.  I mean, Hopkins just does back alley exorcisms apparently.  No investigation, no making sure they aren't psychotic...just "The Devil you say?  Let's do this."  

Hopkins seems to have one mode in most films: just shout things in a fierce voice.  Also, talk dismissively to everyone as if you're the smartest man ever in the whole world.  Sometimes I wonder where the countries love affair with Hopkins actually came from.  I know there is always Hannibal Lecter, who he played amazing that one time (c'mon...you know those others movies weren't great), but mostly he just shouted a lot in many films.  I think it's a little bit like Al Pacino: he basically did Scent of a Woman and won an Oscar and, despite having much better performances before Scent, just basically gave up and started doing that in every moment.

So, wait, you can just speed read the rite of exorcism?  Also, his answering of the cellphone mid-exorcism isn't nearly as funny as the movie thinks it is.  Actually, it's kinda annoying.

Considering everything that's happened so far in this movie, I kind of understand why the main character is skeptical.  If everyone around me was a nutjob, I'd be pretty dubious about what they were telling me, too.  When you go to the insane asylum for your education, you get what you paid for.  I do like the main character: a young American, wandering around Rome and seeing a McDonalds and deciding to go there.  That'd totally be me.

Alice Braga...not a great actress.  Then again, she's in good company.  I actually think Marta Gastini, as the poor possession victim, gives the best performance in the whole film.  There's a sweetness to her, and terror and confusion...sure, she's given the bigger emotional moments and all the cool possession stuff (and she does well with that, too: the movie actually gets some strength when she goes off).

I think, if I were Michael, I'd just say "screw this" and go home.  Every single time the guy says something rational he's treated like he has two heads.  I mean, jesus, all he's doing is trying to get to the truth and ask some very smart questions and is basically told "quit being so rational."

Once they have an actual decent possession sequence, things do get some momentum.  Hopefully it lasts.  But there's some creepy sex stuff going on..Hopkins doesn't do as good a job as other cinematic exorcists in making it all look super cool-his voice mostly just fades into the background-but it's not a bad scene.

Oh, I get it, is this about dementia and the effect it has on the Priesthood(and acting)?  No?  No. No, it's not.  Bummer.

Damn, I kinda want McDonalds now.  DAMN YOU PRODUCT PLACEMENT! I CAST THEE OUT!

If you repeat the same thing you just said in a softer voice, it makes it more poignant.  Little actor secret, brought to you by the organization of united Anthony Hopkins Cliches.

Again, Marta Gastini is kinda crushing it, though.  Sadly, it was her death scene.  Now I'm stuck with Alice Braga.  It was a pretty raw death scene, though, and it kinda worked pretty okay.  Hopkins just gave what is probably the most honest performance he's had in this film so far.  His breakdown after the death of Marta was actually pretty effective.

Aww, so no more Rutger Hauer, either?  Man, this movie isn't giving me much to work with here.  Oh, wait, there are flashbacks.  So there's that.  

This film really is rather dull.  There is a way to make a brooding, thoughtful horror movie without being boring, but this movie isn't really handling itself well.  There just doesn't seem to be much momentum: a thing happens, then things slow down again, then another thing happens.  Then there are creepy Frogs...and, y'know, Frogs aren't the most frightening things ever.

I don't feel like the film earned this direction of Hopkins now being a surrogate Father figure.  I think that has a lot to do with Michael and Hopkins not doing an awful lot of bonding.  Now that Hopkins is possessed, we see the real reason this project got made: so that Hopkins can be the guy locked in a room who still has all the power once again.  I think that's my overall problem with modern Hopkins performances: he seems to always end up being a near-parody of Hannibal Lecter.  Lots of speechifying and scenery chewing.  I will say Colin O'Donoghue is doing a pretty solid job of reacting to what Hopkins is laying down, though.  It's making Hopkins look better in the scene overall.

Is Father Xavier the only Priest Michael has access to?  I mean, he says "We can't keep him tied up until Monday" when Braga suggests waiting for Xavier...aren't they in Rome?  I thought there was nothing BUT Priests in Rome.  Couldn't he at least go find one of his fellow students who, you know, actually had faith and stuff? 

At least Michael didn't just magically become awesome at possession.  Colin is doing a nice job with his movements.  Hands shaking, sweating, generally freaking out.  Chekov would be proud.  However, one pep talk and suddenly Michael is good to go.  Yep.

Hopkins can do a good evil rant.  He always could and probably always will be able to.  I think a lot of it comes from his strong elocution skills, really.  A lot of lines work like tongue twisters, really.  

Aww, once he finds out Ba'al is involved, I was kinda hoping he'd flip through the book, look at Braga and say "I don't know what comes next...we've only had the class for, like, two weeks!"  But, nah, Michael casts the demon out with little fuss.  Even though the movie invoked the "Exorcisms can take weeks" rule earlier.  

I'm being a little unfair.  As exorcism scenes go, I've seen a lot worse.  It's not so bad, really.

For a minute I got excited that Michael would decide not to be a Priest.  But, I forgot this was a "true story" so I shouldn't have bought that.  

Final Thoughts: I feel like I was a little hard on The Rite but...I had a tough time getting through it.  Twice.  Unfortunately, it's kind of a dull film for the most part, but beyond that I guess I can't say it was poorly made or anything.  Hopkins...well, he's a watchable guy, even if he has become something of a near-parody of himself these days.  O'Donoghue was a good looking enough leading man.  Braga didn't get much to do.  Some of the exorcism scenes worked amidst mostly mediocre scenes, lurching from one to another without any real enthusiasm or purpose.  It seems to want to be more poignant than it actually is. So, in the end, I guess it really wasn't terribly successful.

Final Rating: 2 and a half stars.