Heretic: a great number by Hugh Grant (review)
With this horrific thriller with a religious backdrop, the screenwriters of Without a Sound have had a blast molding the British actor into a fascinating figure of fear.
Screenwriters of the triumphal Without a sound then directors of the much less appreciated 65 – the Earth before, Scott Beck and Bryan Woods had to study their subject to make it happen again and this horrific thriller mixed with psychological closed doors contains a whole cerebral and reflexive side which gives it its originality. Following two young women missionaries from the Mormon church who show up one evening in a house in Colorado to try to convert the inhabitants, the film takes great pleasure in making the guest of the house, Mr. Reed, a be mysterious, erudite and potentially dangerous.
As a long conversation about religion begins in this home, a trap will in fact close on the two visitors. By choosing the attractive Hugh Grant to embody this frighteningly duplicitous character, the filmmakers demonstrate their faith in the powers of casting and counter-use. The paradox being that the story questions religious faith in the form of a vast mental labyrinth. Driven by the photography of Chung Chung-hoon, cinematographer ofOld Boy Or Last Night in Soho which highlights the fear lurking in every corner of the setting, the first part proves captivating.
If the sequel does not completely keep its narrative promises, we remember from this tense thriller the trio formed by Hugh Grant, Sophie Thatcher and Chloe East, who offer a sensory and carnal dimension to what could have been only a concept of disembodied horror.
By Scott Beck and Bryan Woods With Hugh Grant, Sophie Thatcher, Chloe East Duration 1h51. Released November 27, 2024
