Résurrection

The plot is a common one: a serial killer obsessed with Christ commits murders to fulfill an unknown fantasy. An unlikeable cop dealing with tragedy struggles through personal issue to try to catch the bad guy. There are several plot twists throughout, not all of which are predictable, the acting is okay, nothing egregiously bad, and the gore was well done and believable. I was enjoying it well enough, glad to have found this film, but a couple of director's decisions at the end really irritated me as they were clumsy and ridiculously improbable. If you can overlook that, it's a solid one-time watch.

Resurrection is intended to be a dark and creepy ninety minutes of serial killer heaven so probably the first thing that will jump to mind is 'that other movie'. You know the one I'm talking about. As such, its bound to suffer the wraith of armchair critics everywhere. However if you can keep your expectations in check - you'll find a decent flick that stands on its own. Don't be too quick to judge this one.

The dark foreboding imagery, religious overtones and a crazed killer has been done. Constantly dreary atmosphere, dark locales. Detective with a broken past, the second string banana who's the direct opposite of his partner. The twist you're not supposed to see coming. These are the conventions. That is formula, but its unfair to label Resurrection a rip-off. It features some good production values and there's no denying this is one of Christopher Lambert's better efforts. He's one of those guys that has slipped into B-movie obscurity like some actors do. In fact, this was a pleasant surprise.

Not saying Resurrection is the best thing ever, but all things considered - it's better than eighty percent of the dtv offerings I've picked up off video store shelves. The acting might falter at times, but there are also moments that rise above. A satisfying flick in its own right.

A precinct already working hard fitting every cliché of these genres(psychological thriller, cop crime investigative flick) into just one 100-ish minute picture is hit by several brutal murders where limbs are missing, and Lambert(who lost his daughter... son, I'm sorry, she... he... looks... uhm, great... anyway, he died in one of those ridiculously contrived sequences that only happen in this type of movie, and that could, by the way, easily have been avoided by the introduction of common sense... oh, and if you think that will pay off, don't hold your breath, it's a cheap setup with minimal payoff) is brought in for his experience with decapitations and paint-by-numbers plots. You can figure out the basics of where this goes, everyone talks in Hollywood Dialog(and immediately after, dramatically turn to walk away, signifying how deeply they feel about how lazily this is supposed to conjure up emotion(with that said, this does make you care about some of what we see... though at least once it utterly betrays whatever confidence they might have earned for that)... did I mention that the villain has impeccable luck in where he hides is a regular occurrence(planning...does...not...cover... it)?), for every good performance there is at least two that are over the top, but still, this is a cool enough concept(I will not reveal what the endgame is... though I will say that I don't know where the bad guy got it from, nor what his motive was, and there wouldn't have been a film if it had been slightly different, and less random...), it keeps to a fast pace(you're not bored...it does help to MST3K it), there are chilling bits(helped by the impeccably done practical FX) and, directed by the usually dependably visually interesting Russell Mulcahy, it's nicely filmed and edited, except for when the cameraman gets zoom-happy in a desperate attempt to increase the tension(which is successfully built here and there), the tracking shots(typically doing a semicircle on a character, so they can remain in place and still do a powerful change of position) that are so fast and start and end so suddenly, I've nicknamed them Whiplash-pans, and it, gradually, using the "nausea-vision" filter excessively. The DVD comes with trailers for Elizabeth and Rounders. There is a lot of strong language, a moderate amount of bloody, gory, disturbing violence and a little full frontal nudity of both genders in this. I recommend this to big fans of this kind of thing, as it gets the job done and has solid production values. 6/10

Excitable camerawork, snappy editing, unnecessary shots, and musical cues employed for melodramatic effect. A hard-boiled detective who has a troubled personal life and no social skills, paired with a high-strung, wise-cracking partner. A precise and perfect series of clues left behind, leading to incredible sudden realizations on the part of the former detective. Grainy picture quality, employed alongside dark interior lighting with very artistically minded lighting. Director Russell Mulcahy has some very particular ideas about film-making, and alongside some of the scraps in Brad Mirman's screenplay, there are inclusions in 'Resurrection' that rather made me laugh for the effect. Still, it's a suitably enjoyable thriller, flavored with tinges of horror, and does a good job of keeping us watching.

While some of the plot development is simply too neat and tidy for its own good, and some of the choices herein generally are a tad too on the nose, at large there's a lot to like about this. For whatever aspects of this are overdone - there's some sharp intelligence in the narrative and scene writing, building a story that's decidedly grisly and dark. Especially given the biblical implications, one could make definite comparisons to 1995 thriller 'Se7en,' and the same could be said of some of Mulcahy's stylization, too. 'Resurrection' does a great job of building earnest tension and suspense, alongside no small amount of revulsion. I really quite like James McGrath's score, bearing genuine variety and lending atmosphere at many points. The fundamentals of film-making and storytelling, that to an extent come across as just a smidgen Too Much, are reined in and tightened as the runtime advances, actually helping the picture to maintain engagement.

Christopher Lambert is arguably typecast as protagonist John Prudhomme, but he nevertheless gives a fine performance as the determined detective. Leland Orser and Robert Joy, meanwhile, are consistently underappreciated, and both demonstrate it here with charged, spirited performances that make the most of the time they're given on-screen. Even those in still smaller parts do a swell job of helping to move the feature forward, and it's an especial small joy to see David Cronenberg make a brief appearance as Father Rousell. Mulcahy's direction is rather enthusiastic, but not sloppy, and he achieves some fetching shot composition; Mirman's writing occasionally goes a half-step too far, but he nonetheless successfully crafts a gripping, gnarly tableau. The blood and gore look fantastic, as does the set design and decoration generally, and the basic orchestration of every scene is wonderfully well done, including the climax not least of all.

The violence and grim tone certainly means this won't appeal to everyone, and there's maybe nothing so essential about 'Resurrection' so as to demand viewership. Still, despite its flaws, this is much more well made than not, and if I had my doubts at first blush, I was hooked well before the ending rolled around. Recommended especially for fans of the cast or of similar crime thrillers, you don't necessarily need to go out of your way to watch it, but if you come across 'Resurrection,' it's suitably engrossing to deserve two hours of your time.

Given the opportunity of clambering to the top of the directorial heap on the back of the magnificent Highlander, Mr. Mulcahy instead managed to shoot down his own chances by unwisely having any association at all with the not-quite-so-well-received sequel. Nevertheless, Resurrection, while not exactly a triple-A title, shows that the old dog's still got a few tricks up his sleeve - even if they are being deployed on straight-to-TV efforts these days.

With old chum Chris Lambert (a man equally cursed in his career choices, and looking very old all of a sudden) on board, the scene is set for another shameless reworking of Seven - which might be an obvious comment to make, but that doesn't make it any less true. While the deadly sins are replaced with the names of apostles, the relentless rain, gloom and gritty gore are still there in force, and the plot's just as threadbare.

But! That still doesn't make it a bad film, as such. It's decently performed and nicely shot, with a few nifty camera tricks thrown in to break up the free-roaming NYPD Blue feel of the general proceedings, and there are one or two genuinely effective twists encountered along the way (with some glaringly obvious ones to balance them out, unfortunately).

So it's worth catching, as long as you're not expecting mould-breaking brilliance. One of Lambert's better films, certainly, and an example of the sort of high production values he should be aiming for. So sit back and enjoy... all in all, it's better than you might expect.