The Lock Box: 'Deliver Us From Evil' Delivers Us From A Bad Movie

Eric Bana in Deliver Us from Evil/Screen Gems

Typically, haunting & possession movies move at a such a slow speed, I feel like I'm taking the drug, Slow-Mo, from the sci-fi, action movie, Dredd. Almost always, these types of movies start off with satanic ritual being preformed in a cave, or a kid finding a mysterious box buried in their backyard.

Like every movie ever made, they build up to the second act with exposition of story that most of us don't even care about; what we want to see is some good, ol' fashioned good versus evil. With Deliver Us from Evil, we get just that, but not just in the second and third acts.

The teaser is one of the best I've seen for a horror movie, ever, and the pace of the movie never really slows down. There are some tender moments here and there, where the story allows you to catch your breath. But, even then it's short-lived, followed by a did-you-see-that moment that will leave you jumping out of your seats.

Our protagonist, played by the gracefully-aging Eric Bana, is NYPD Sgt. Ralph Sarchie. The character is flawed with inner demons that plague him throughout the first two acts, and Bana brings very real anger and depth to the character.

Along for the ride, is his partner Butler, played surprisingly well by professional superhero banker, Joel McHale.

Olivia Munn is brought in to play Jen, Sarchie's strong yet suffering wife. The pair have solid chemistry, but the amount of screen time they have together leaves you left wanting. Look, I'm not saying they should've wrote the movie solely around those two, but maybe one or two more moments together, like her practicing jujutsu, or revealing that she's an international assassin...! No? Just me? Okay.

Anyway, yes, the two make a convincing family rounded off by the talented Lulu Wilson, as daughter Christina.

But, the star of this movie, no offense to any of the other actors, is Edgar Ramirez, who plays rock-star priest, Mendoza. Yes, the priest in a movie is finally a certified bad-ass. No more, calm, collective, run-of-the-mill goody two-shoes servants of God. Ramirez is, without a doubt, the star of the film and definitely brings his character to life; one moment he's caring for one of the flock, the next, he'll going to town on a punching bag, and then go right back to kicking a demon's ass. What would be the Spanish equivalent of 007? Dos Equis, maybe? That could work, I guess. I even have the perfect slogan for him:  I go down smoother than the beer. Awesome, huh? But I digress.

Throughout the movie, we follow Sarchie and Butler, kicking ass and taking names. But, when they investigate an attempted murder at the Bronx Zoo, things take a creepy and sinister turn. Yes, there are shock cuts present throughout the movie, but it's a horror film. Besides, I can't remember the last GOOD horror movie that didn't incorporate some kind of shock cuts into the movie, one way or another. To me, those are the best moments; you think everything's going good for our hero(s) at the moment, and then-- WHAM!

Some moments are predictable, some aren't. It just depends on how much you allow yourself to be engulfed by the movie.

Eric Bana and Sean Harris in Deliver Us from Evil/Screen Gems

In the end, to the tunes of the Doors, Sarchie must face his inner demons, and confront the one that possesses the menacing antagonist Santino, played by the nefariously looking Sean Harris.

I enjoyed this film because it was an amalgamation of action and horror, while at the same time, showing the affects of holding pain or guilt inside, as it eats at you every day of your life.

While Deliver Us from Evil may not be a pretentious, "Oscar-worthy" film, it does bring up a valid answer to the question of why evil exists. In the film, Sarchie asks Mendoza the most obvious of questions: If God exists, why does he allow such horrible things to happen. Mendoza answers perfectly by saying something to the affect of, "So that people like you[Sarchie] can rise up and stop them." That's some good stuff there.

The ending was intense that left me clutching my teeth together, and couldn't have ended any other way. I give this movie a solid 4/5 stars.