Priest

This Paul Bettany thriller directed by Scott Stewart is a good film unto itself. Set in an epic landscape, this film makes very good use of slick editing, which gives the film a stylised look. However, style can only carry you so far and it seems that the film in a strange way wants to pay homage to a variety of different movie genres from sci-fi to action to horror and some Korean styles.

Paul Bettany plays a magnificent role, albeit being quite similar to his role in the Da Vinci Code. But we all know that he can play these characters that are quite extreme in their own way, with a degree of flair and composure rarely shown by other actors.

The film also has a bit of Indiana Jones elements to it, especially during all the search and rescue scenes. However, the depth and feel is missing, partly due to the script which doesn’t quite bring out the true personalities of its main characters.

Even though the film is quite stylised, the action scenes are dedicatedly dull. A few scenes might be great but it is quite far from the edge-of-your-seat thriller this film seemed to be.

All in all, it’s a film that has its flourish but just not enough to really draw the audience to the movie halls even though Paul Bettany himself came in the trailer and specifically addressed the Indian audience to come and watch the film… We did, and we aren’t all that pleased.