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Anthony Hopkins is a veteran exorcist who shows a novice the tricks of the trade, so to speak, in The Rite, a decidedly sober supernatural thriller about demonic possession that stands in stark contrast to the gymnastic pyrotechnics of The Exorcism of Emily Rose and The Last Exorcism. Colin O'Donoghue is the new-minted priest with a truckload of familial baggage (as a boy, father Rutger Hauer showed him his mother's corpse shortly before preparation in the family's funeral business) and a sincere crisis of faith. His adviser (Ciarán Hinds) ships him off to Rome, where he studies under Hopkins, who treats the dismissal of evil forces like a not particularly strenuous therapy session. But when a young pregnant woman turns up with a nasty case of the Devil inside, the tables are quickly turned, and O'Donoghue is forced to ply his training in an actual confrontation with demonic forces. Director Mikael Håfström has an extraordinary visual eye for malevolence in architecture, and his pacing and restraint in delivering full-bore shocks are admirable. Unfortunately, the result is somewhat stillborn, never quite fulfilling its promise as a thinking person's exorcism film, and instead hoping that meaningful glances and mounting shadows will suffice as atmosphere. Hopkins is also restrained in his performance, which works in its early stages--his post-Silence of the Lambs roles have hinged so often on operatic rages that one forgets what a subtle actor he can be--but falters in his later scenes, which require him to deliver the film's central chills. The Rite is a notable effort that simply doesn't translate beyond the page. --Paul Gaita
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Most helpful customer reviews
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
4.0 out of 5 stars
Catholic Drama, not horror movie,
By
This review is from: The Rite (DVD)
The acting is first rate, but what do yo expect w/ Hopkins as co-star. This movie is thought-provoking, not scary. The young priest questions his vocation, but follows his teacher's suggestion and heads to Rome to study exorcism. Following the young priests angst between science and superstision is riviting and Hopkins is an understated, but powerful mentor. He asks the young priest a question quoting from the former movie -- paraphrased -- "what did you expect green soup and turning heads?" What i found so interesting was the ending. Has the pendulum swung from psychiatry to demonology in the RC church? Hopkins poses these questions to his young colleague suggesting perhaps he'd be more comfortable believing in szhizophrenia and other psychiatric diseases? Has the Bible replaced the DSMVI (Psychiatric Bible)? Do demons exist and is posession possible? Can one be cured of possession or is it in the mind and one is cured because they believe in demonology? A fascinating movie and an original drama.
5.0 out of 5 stars
Wonderful Thriller!,
By Tazmanian She Girl "Tasneem" (Canada) - See all my reviews
This review is from: The Rite (DVD)
Wonderful Thriller!I just had to have a copy of my own! Anthony Hopkins is one of the best actors I know!
1 of 3 people found the following review helpful
3.0 out of 5 stars
A decent, non-exploitative entry into the possession sub-genre...,
By
This review is from: The Rite (DVD)
The Rite approaches its subject matter with earnest, but ultimately fails to deliver. There are some nice set pieces and eerie hints of something unsettling and demonic. It's heavy on atmosphere, created mostly by some great cinematography. The exorcism scenes were not overdone or schlocky, indeed they leave you for the most part questioning if anything supernatural is going on at all. The slow pace and shortness of scares will leave a lot of horror fans disappointed. I didn't mind the low-key approach, but it all ends in a surprisingly weak climax. It has a great cast, with a particularly strong supporting cast. Anthony Hopkins steals the show from star Colin O'Donoghue, who seems nervous and unsure of himself through the whole thing. There's just nothing new here, nothing startling or even interesting, just more Hollywood stock storytelling.
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