The Raven

[andrews]

In this gritty thriller, Edgar Allan Poe (John Cusack, Being John Malkovich) joins forces with a young Baltimore detective (Luke Evans, Immortals) to hunt down a mad serial killer who’s using Poe’s own works as the basis in a string of brutal murders. Directed by James McTeigue (V for Vendetta,Ninja Assassin), the film also stars Alice Eve (Sex and the City 2), Brendan Gleeson (In Bruges) and Oliver Jackson-Cohen (Faster).When a mother and daughter are found brutally murdered in 19th century Baltimore, Detective Emmett Fields (Luke Evans) makes a startling discovery: the crime resembles a fictional murder described in gory detail in the local newspaper—part of a collection of stories penned by struggling writer and social pariah Edgar Allan Poe. But even as Poe is questioned by police, another grisly murder occurs, also inspired by a popular Poe story.

Realizing a serial killer is on the loose using Poe’s writings as the backdrop for his bloody rampage, Fields enlists the author’s help in stopping the attacks. But when it appears someone close to Poe may become the murderer’s next victim, the stakes become even higher and the inventor of the detective story calls on his own powers of deduction to try to solve the case before it’s too late.

Director: James McTeigue

Cast: John Cusak, Luke Evans, Alice Eve, Brendan Gleeson, Oliver Jackson-Cohen

‎Running Time: 1hr 43min‎‎ (Rated 15‎‎) - Suspense/Thriller‎‎ - English‎

[hopeprince]

Saw this last Monday. I was interested to see this after reading up on Edgar Allan Poe after seeing John Cusack on Graham Norton. Its a decent mystery thriller with some plot twists and loved the performances from Luke Evans and Brendan Gleeson. 7/10

[TheyCallMeMrGlass]

Went to see this last night.

I quite enjoyed this. Storywise, its a bit like Seven set in 19th century London. In other words, a serial killer detective mystery but here, the killer is forcing a storyline pattern fusing Edgar Allen Poe's stories to life creating a new one involving Poe himself.

Cusack was engaging as the drunken author/poet riding on financial hardship suddenly finding himself embroiled in his own story to save his damsel in distress and helping the detective catch the serial killer. At first he is quite unlikeable but I then warmed to his idiosyncrasies and determination to find his loved one.

There's a couple of really graphic and inventive murders suitably qualified for a SAW or Final Destination movie (one of which I literally squinted so I can just watch it in a blur without the horrendous graphic!). Strangely, there is not enough of them to satisfy the horror enthusiast. It would have been a great opportunity to make this a fun horror movie to boot given that there are several murders in the film but we are not shown the rest of them.

The dialogue alternates between dry and humorous with some fun (but admittedly way over my head) wordplay with Poe's character. Poe enthusiasts might enjoy connecting the references of the murders to the various stories that he has written. I havent read any of his stories so I cant make any connections. I do know the overall story/poem of the Raven though and I can say with confidence, this film isn't that story. Its got ravens in it but not sure that justifies the title, if it does then we might as well call every John Woo film, The White Dove.

I did look forward to seeing this film, being the 3rd directorial feature by James McTiegue who made the excellent V for Vendetta. This is not as good or as clever but has the same visceral directorial flair and vibe to it which I enjoyed. The script is actually full of plot holes when I think about it and I was annoyed with some scenes that blatantly cheated for the sake of progression. There isnt anything original here but its competent enough entertainment for a decent Friday night out at the cinema. I'd give it a 7/10.



I saw this at the Trocadero btw and the were several things wrong at the screening. First, it was pitch black when entering the screen, several people were already seated. I had to switch on the Flashlight app (incredibly useful app btw if you have an android phone, it uses the LED flash) on my phone to find my way and once seated I helped others find their seat too with it so I became the torch boy until the screen finally lit up, lol. The cinema lights do work though because it came on at the end of the film. Another problem was that the whole film was not projected to fill the screen, there was a large black border all around it. Another minor issue is that they showed the longish Guardian comercial (quite a funny one though about the real story of the Three Little Pigs) twice in succession. And finally, the screening was freezing cold, I had to have my jacket on but I was still cold throughout the film. I will write to Cineworld about it.

[jcolombi]

I have recently just seen this... It was slow but the story had some good twists. 6/10