Apostle

Dan Stevens de cara de psicopata amarrado, arrisca-se a entrar numa peculiar comunidade sectária numa ilha secreta onde a sua irmã foi sequestrada. O filme mantém a sua atmosfera e ritmo logo desde o início, e desperta interesse à medida que o protagonista chega à ilha, onde as regras da população local e, mais importante, a estranha mitologia que construiu a comunidade na ilha começam lentamente a revelar-se. Mas depois a colónia sectária começa a desconstruir-se de dentro de si mesma (infelizmente), os personagens secundários começam a falar mais alto e a história do personagem principal desvanece-se para o fundo. Devido a isto, o filme perde um pouco a energia na segunda metade, o que tenta salvar com cenas gratificantes envolvendo lobotomias medievais e um moedor de carne. Em qualquer caso, para além das cenas de gore picantes, não há muito neste filme de terror histórico que faça lembrar os filmes anteriores de Evans. (05/10/2018)

Gloomy, mysterious, brutally dark and finally after a long time also anoriginal film about something mysterious, evil, but also provocative and compelling you to learn more about it. After a long time, Apostle made me experience fear. Revulsion, too, but the fear was stronger. It was caused by a religious sect, from which I didn’t know what to expect, so I was gaping at the screen, bowing down before the director and director of photography at places, because the pictures of terror they came up with sent shivers down my spine. I wondered when was the last time something on TV made me feel like this and I think it was when I watched the first season of True Detective. And that was quite a few years ago. (11/12/2019)

The Wicker Man 1905, where one would expect that based on the style and the course of the movie the screenwriter and director would be S. Craig Zahler rather than Evans. Despite many flaws (especially the unjustified length and not used holiday masks), this is a very nice movie, which does not bring much new to the sectarian thrilleroid-horror subgenre, but is so well captured, played out, intense, bizarre and packed with uncompromising atmosphere what we can hardly view as a bad thing. (13/01/2019)

Dan Stevens goes to find his sister, who has been abducted by a strange cult from a remote island. But he discovers that this community has some ugly secrets that will soon raise hell. Action director Gareth Evans (The Raid) delivers a slow and very gritty film that isn't afraid to shy away from scares and relies on an interesting plot, good actors and a very uncomfortable atmosphere. Don't expect a classic horror film, though. (30/10/2018)

As soon as Evans goes into full horror mode, there’s hardly anything to complain about. Some of the scenes (the preparation of the brain, the meat grinder, the underground tunnels) are among the strongest that the genre has produced this year (and the competition is well above-average). It drags a little, however, when it tries to be more than just straightforward horror, especially with the relationships between the characters and their development. Paradoxically, although the film is a bit too long, I felt that those relationships were insufficiently drawn and their transformations rushed. For instance, in the second half there’s obviously an emotional bond between Thomas and Malcolm's daughter, but I have absolutely no idea where it came from. Nevertheless, Apostle is overall a good period horror film that in an interesting fashion blends the atmosphere of The Witch, Wicker Man the tales of Lovecraft, spicing it up with a pinch of gore. The main character of Dan Stevens also provides a very bizarre atmosphere. Throughout the film he appears to be on drugs, at the edge of madness, or as if someone had hit him on the head and he was about pass out. Dan can add another remarkable genre performance after The Guest. (20/10/2018)