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The Exorcist: Believer
The Exorcist: Believer
Borsalino
(Arrow Video Blue-ray)
The producers of that Robert Redford-Paul Newman favorite, The Sting (1973), must have watched Borsalino. The 1970 film by French director Jacques Deray opens with a similar vibe as a pair of rival-buddy small time crooks (great chemistry between Jean-Paul Belmondo and Alain Delon) decide to take on “the real bosses” of the underworld. Merry piano music of an earlier age adds a light touch to this 1930 set film. But Borsalino becomes a bloodier film than The Sting with several classic scenes, including a firefight in a burning slaughterhouse. The new Blu-ray includes the trailer, audio commentary and many other extras. (David Luhrssen)
The Exorcist: Believer
(In Theaters Oct 6)
Teen friends Angela (Lidya Jewett) and Katherine (Olivia Marcum) disappear in the woods, only to reappear three days later. Shoeless, and covered in mysterious cuts, the girls don’t recall their absent days and worse they exhibit increasingly erratic behavior. This prompts their worried parents (Leslie Odom, Jr., Jennifer Nettles and Norbert Leo Butz), to read Chris MacNeil’s book chronicling daughter Regan’s demonic possession and to realize they need MacNeil’s help. Director David Gordon Green co-wrote this two-hour, R-rated screenplay calling for Chris MacNeil’s return. Played by Ellen Burstyn in 1973, the actress, now 90, said no until she was offered double her salary. Burstyn’s paycheck will fund scholarships to the Actors Studio, of which she is co-president. In a disturbing trailer, Burstyn’s somber gravitas enhances the sense of dread. With two additional films planned, hopefully Burstyn plans to fund additional scholarships. (Lisa Miller)
Mercy Road
(Limited Theatrical Release Oct. 6, Limited, and Streaming on VOD Oct. 10)
Most of writer-director John Curran’s 85-minute thriller occurs inside Tom’s (Luke Bracey) pickup truck. He’s on the run after doing something ill-advised but is concerned that his 15-year-old daughter Ruby, is missing. The Australian production drops us into Tom’s predicament without revealing his transgression. Tom’s ex-wife Terri (Susie Porter) calls his cell phone to accuse Tom of killing her current husband and kidnapping Ruby. She’s reported all to police and claims they are hot on his trail. Tom is perplexed until his cell phone rings and an authoritarian voice, calling himself “the associate” (Toby Jones), informs Tom it is he who is behind the murder and is now holding Ruby hostage. The voice demands Tom complete a series of difficult tasks before Ruby’s time runs out. Tom concocts a countermove that is dashed once he realizes the caller knows when Tom stops his truck or exits it—forbidden behavior. This claustrophobic setup holds promise, but Bracey’s unrelenting panic and rage are wearing. Shot at night across a swath of lonely roads, the film’s cleverish twists mainly arise from revealing what Tom has done and why. (Lisa Miller)
