What’s that, I hear you say? A new exorcism movie starring Russell Crowe is about to hit cinema screens and you believe you’ve already watched it?
Well, let me tell you now, you haven’t. What you’ve done here is you’ve mixed up a couple of different Russell Crowe films, which is easily done.
The film you have already watched is The Pope’s Exorcist, which was released in 2023 and starred Crowe in the lead role. Whereas this new film is The Exorcism – a totally different, totally brand-new movie, which also stars Crowe in the lead role.
So, to be clear, two movies, both with Crowe, but completely unrelated. One came out last year, whereas this new one, The Exorcism, arrives in UK and Irish cinemas on Friday 21st June.
Directed by Joshua John Miller, The Exorcism is a supernatural horror movie starring the aforementioned Crowe, alongside a cast which includes Sam Worthington, Ryan Simpkins, Chloe Bailey, Adam Goldberg, Adrian Pasdar, and David Hyde Pierce. The movie tells the story of an actor who showcases disruptive behaviour while shooting a horror movie.
In the film, Tony Miller is a troubled actor. Tony is widowed, currently on medication for depression, and hasn’t been in the acting game for quite some time.
During his darkest days, Tony leaned on drink to deal with his wife’s illness and subsequent death and this essentially put a halt to his acting career. However, it has been two years since she passed away and Tony now feels it is time to start again and try his hand at acting.
After auditioning for the part of a clergyman in a new horror film titled ‘The George Town Project‘, Tony bags the big role and joins the rest of the cast as the film enters production. But shortly into the shoot, Tony shows signs he is struggling with his lines, with his alcoholism, and with his own mind.
If you are one of the people mixing up The Pope’s Exorcist and The Exorcism, firstly it’s easily done because of the similar titles. Secondly, drop the confusion from here on out because they are very different movies.
While the former was a fairly flashy horror, in the vein of one of The Conjuring films, The Exorcism is a smaller scale affair. To quote one of characters in the film, “this is a psychological drama, wrapped in the skin of a horror movie.”
The Exorcism is essentially a character piece about one man’s battle with something sinister. During the course of the film, Tony descends into darkness, and possible madness, after being impacted by something during the shoot.
But is Tony possessed, is he back on the booze, is he depressed, or is it something else? The film flirts with the idea it could be any one of these triggers, and uses a certain level of ambiguity to shape the story.
Does it work? In part yes, in part no.
The Exorcism isn’t particularly amazing, and I imagine some will lose interest in it quite quickly. However, those who stick with it should find something to like, not least of all, Crowe’s performance.
Over the past few years, Crowe has been delivering some great performances in films such as Unhinged and the aforementioned The Pope’s Exorcist, and The Exorcism allows him to deliver another solid turn. As Tony, Crowe serves up a convincing brush with the dark side, which is pitched perfectly and is compelling to watch.
Even if the rest of the movie isn’t always firing on all cylinders, Crowe turns it up and turns it out. He is the big draw here, and keeps things interesting when the pace drops or the horror and suspense don’t quite hit their mark.
Outside of Crowe, The Exorcism looks good, has a suitably sinister tone, and a decent supporting cast. For those who like slow burning pictures, this one has its moments and makes some attempts to discuss mental health issues in relation to the theme of horror.
However, I don’t suspect The Exorcism will work for everyone, and it certainly does feel like it is missing something. Exorcism movies can be tricky things to pull off, and I don’t believe this one quite manages what it sets out to do.
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Thank you for taking the time to read this review on It’s A Stampede!. For more reviews, check out the recommended reads below.
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