The Rite Released 25 February 2011 Director Mikael Hafstrom Starring Anthony Hopkins, Colin O'Donoghue, Alice Braga, Toby Jones, Ciarán Hinds, Rutger Hauer Writer(s) Michael Petroni Producer(s) Beau Flynn, Tripp Vinson Origin United States Running Time 114 minutes Genre Drama, horror, thriller Rating 16

55

An excoriant exercise.

Bar a few exceptions, the majority of movies that have Sir Anthony Hopkins as top billing are worth more than a passing peek. His trademark dulcet tones are one of only a few that can engage your synapses with a knowing wink-the mellifluous voice reassuring you that the capable hands of an acting supremo are at the helm. While the volume of movies that Hopkins has actively participated in has dwindled over the past number of years, this has more to do with his oft-mentioned fussiness rather than his advancing years. Therefore we can deduce that it would take rather a less than ordinary script and pitch to entice the craggy faced Welsh doyen back to the big screen. Enter The Rite. A strange, unsettling supernatural horror that is based on the non-fiction book by Matt Baglio, this movie adaptation flows in the same vein as Stigmata did in the late nineties.

Directed by Mikael Hafstrom and starring Irish actor Colin O'Donoghue in his lead debut, The Rite follows young, sceptical seminary student Michael Kovak (O'Donoghue) who is sent to Italy to study the religious practice of exorcism. Unconvinced and increasingly demoralised by what he hears in his Vatican classroom, Michael is urged by Father Xavier (Ciaran Hinds) to visit a venerable old friend of his, Father Lucas Trevant (Hopkins) who specializes in evicting demons from the possessed. It is through this apprenticeship that Michael gets a horrifying glimpse into the realm of the devil but is it all even real or are Fr. Trevant's elaborate antics all smoke and mirrors?

As I watched The Rite I kept being reminded of the original version of Let the Right One In and this may have a lot to do with director Hafstrom's Swedish background. When it comes to horror films, the Swedes have it nailed. They are unafraid to take the supremely supernatural and edge it in around a script made up of the everyday, mundane woes of real life. However when comparing the aforementioned movie with The Rite, the latter comes off wholly unfavourably. While the murky weather, stark cloistered walls and heady Vespa-fuelled culture of Rome are all well captured, the ridiculousness of some of the scenes, (the red-eyed mule actually elicited loud laughs) undo all the good parts of the movie. While O'Donoghue is acceptable as the brooding Michael, he hasn't quite accrued the necessary charisma that a lead character should have. Lucky then, that Hopkins is there to pick up the slack. He is truly excellent as the vulnerable yet terrifying Fr. Trevant whose meddling with the spirits comes back to haunt him. Another revelation is young Italian actress Marta Gastini (Rosaria) who writhes and screams with such convincing hysteria that I was nearly convinced something evil was lurking beneath her pallid skin.

Unfortunately some exciting acting and eerie cinematography is not enough to save The Rite from being anything more than a distinctly average flick. Even the genre of 'horror' seems ill-suited to a movie that failed to raise any hackles or tingle any spines of anyone watching. Although based on the real-life experiences of a young American priest, many will dismiss this as nothing more than an amped up Hollywood version of an imaginary bogeyman.

- Louisa McElwee