Greetings again from the darkness. It’s been 23 years since Russell Crowe won his Oscar for GLADIATOR. Some of his personal struggles have been well-documented, and although he may no longer be an A-list actor, he remains a talented and prolific one … especially these past couple of years. I’ll admit to still finding him fascinating on screen, as he’s usually fully committed to the character he’s playing.
There’s more to this one than another mesmerizing Crowe performance. If you don’t already know, be advised that it’s a film-within-a-film derived from real life. Only not the usual “inspired by a true story” like we are accustomed to. Nope. The writer-director is Joshua John Miller, who is the son of the late Jason Miller, who played Father Karras in the classic horror film THE EXORCIST (1973). Co-written with M.A. Fortim (“Queen of the South”), once we know Miller’s roots, the film takes on a whole new relevance. So … “This time, it’s personal” … actually fits!
Crowe plays Anthony Miller (there’s that last name again), an actor looking to re-establish his career after grieving for his wife’s death left him an alcoholic and addict. Out of rehab, he’s also trying to reconnect with his estranged and rebellious daughter Lee (Ryan Simpkins, Ty’s big sister, BRIGSBY BEAR, 2017), who has recently been kicked out of school. After the mysterious death of his lead actor (which we witness), director Peter (Adam Goldberg, appeared in A BEAUTIFUL MIND with Russell Crowe) casts Anthony as the Priest, despite, or possibly because of, his troubled past. See, Peter’s movie, “The Georgetown Project”, appears to be pretty much identical to THE EXORCIST, right down to the two-story house set and the bits of story we pick up.
The film co-stars Blake (Chloe Bailey, R&B artist and big sister of Halle) as the possessed one, and Joe (Sam Worthington, The “Avatar” franchise – more to come) as a fellow Priest. Hanging around the set as the Catholic church consultant is a Priest played by David Hyde Pierce (“Frasier”), whose presence is necessary as we see Anthony’s crisis-of-faith and possible demonic possession mirroring that of the character he’s playing – likely due to the unpleasant childhood memories of his time as an altar boy. For those who know, Adam Goldberg’s performance as Peter will recall the stories of William Friedkin’s demanding and demeaning directorial style on the set of the 1973 horror classic.
The acting, especially Crowe and Simpkins, is stellar, although we can’t help but wonder why Sam Worthington’s role wasn’t beefed up a bit. As with most horror films the sound effects are exaggerated, though this one seems overboard at times. Still, with the added weight of the “behind-the-scenes” backstory, there is plenty here to keep us engaged … though one would be hard-pressed to label it a son’s tribute to daddy.
In theaters June 21, 2024
Movie Reviews from the Dark 
Great reviews as always. I’m not sure if I will watch this movie because I’m not a huge fan of the horror genre. That being said, I do admire Russell Crowe. It’s sad how Crowe’s career has declined over recent years. He’s no longer the movie star that he once used to be. I miss the times when he used to star in the award winning films such as “A Beautiful Mind”. A fantastic film, it saw Crowe deliver a career-defining performance as John Nash. Sad to see that he’s no longer accepting such roles. So for this reason I think I’ll skip his latest film.
Here’s why I loved Crowe’s performance in “A Beautiful Mind”:
I didn’t think I’d watch another ‘exorcism’ movie; I didn’t until I read your review.
Just added it on my ‘to watch’ list.