Friday, April 27, 2012

MOVIE REVIEW: The Raven

Director: James McTeigue
Writers: Ben Livingston (screenplay), Hannah Shakespeare (screenplay)

CAST:

John Cusack Edgar Allen Poe
Luke Evans Detective Fields
Alice Eve Emily Hamilton
Brendan Gleeson Captain Hamilton
Kevin McNally Maddux
Oliver Jackson Cohen John Cantrell
Jimmy Yuill Captain Eldridge
Sam Hazeldine Ivan


The storyline: A copycat killer is taking the tales of mystery and imagination from Edgar Allen Poe himself and making them real. The madman raises the stakes when he kidnaps Emily Hamilton, the young woman for whom Poe wrote "Annabel Lee" and advises the police that Emily will die if Poe does not solve the crime.

When I heard John Cusack was going to play Edgar Allen Poe, I was skeptical. Within moments, I was lost in the storyline. The treatment of Poe's work was respectful and ingenious. The acting was above what I expected. This is not a "family film." Six people started in the theater when my husband came. Only three of us remained. My husband and two ladies left due to suspense and gore.

In my opinion, The Raven was well worth the matinee price we paid and I plan on buying the DVD when it becomes available. Fans of the recent Sherlock films with Robert Downey Junior will enjoy this one as well, but it's just not for the faint of heart.

Rebecca McFarland Kyle, April 2012

1 comment:

  1. Glad to see your review, Becky. Makes me want to check out the film. Also I went to see Bully, but the shaky camera movement made me so nauseous I sat at another movie for half an hour.

    ReplyDelete