chand-suhas

I chose to watch this before watching the Spike Lee's remake. All I could do instantly was regret not watching this early. Akira Kurosawa's magic remained intact where I got invested in Gondo's predicament instantly. The way the first hour highlight's Gondo's frustration as well as helpless in that scenario, only to unwillingly give in to the demand was executed in a superb manner. The second hour focusing on the police procedure in finding out the suspect, followed by the elaborate plan to nab him was simply outstanding.

The story set in that particular era, Akira Kurosawa showcases the class division perfectly. That one shot of the policeman agreeing on the view of Gondo's mansion to be triggering left a lasting impression. Adding to that, the final moments where they give the actual suspect his own moment with Gondo, where he gets to vent out was another masterstroke. It wouldn't change anything for either men but that meet up just felt so right. Needless to say I would strongly recommended everyone to watch this gem.

Emma is possessed and needs help from the church to exorcise them. She is brought into a convent attached to a parish church where Father Joseph is a priest. He has recentlty lost his brother and this has pushed him into question his faith. Father Theophilus is requested to perform the exorcism and Father Josesh to assist him in documenting it. While Father Theophilus is fully committed to his belief and is aware of the threat, Father Joseph battles his own skepticism, seeking actual medical help for Emma. How do they work together to save Emma before time runs out, forms rest of the story.

David Midell's approach is more like a documentary without relying on any of the obvious jumpscares and mainly, the screenplay omits a lot of back story as well as possible subplots, to focus entirely on the time spent at the convent. This along with the decision to opt for handheld camera work, the film ends up lacking the emotional connect required. Emma is just introduced as the possessed girl and everything about her is just passed off as information. Father Joseph's pain of losing a brother too is not properly explored to establish his struggle. The church dynamics too is vaguely showcased be it the sisters or the Mother superior. The threat is there but not felt, the detailed exorcism lacks impact too. Al Pacino was the primary reason to watch this film and he doesn't bring anything substantial to the table. The Ritual ends up being an extremely dull watch.

Dani is married to psychiatrist Ted Timmis who doesn't believe in anything that cannot be reasoned with. While he is working, the night turns fateful to Dani as she is murdered. An year later, Dani's twin sister Darcy is doing her own investigation to get to the truth. Dani is a blind psychic and has an antique shop. She arrives at Ted's house where Dani was murdered. Ted's new girlfriend Yana welcomes her and Darcy has brought a wooden golem with her. She has deduced the deceasd accused in Dani's case was innocent and the truth she uncovers leads to another fateful night. Who is the real killer of Dani and does Darcy get her revenge, forms rest of the story.

Damian McCarthy's story is straight forward. There are no sudden twists in this tale as it is revealed earlier who the killer is and the narrative is all about Darcy stepping up to confront the truth herself. She is psychic but that's about it as her vulnerabilities are intact. The atmosphere Damian concocts is all too atmospheric and the effective jumpscares too are placed perfectly with no rush. Once the truth is revealed, it is all about knowing the culprit's reaction when confronted and the film does pay off with it the first time. The final act remains engaging leading to the obvious end which I did like but wanted to see more of the culprit's actual reaction to what has arrived. Overall it was definitely worth watching, with right amount of scares and the pace complimenting the narrative.