Director: Stephen Hopkins
Starring: Hillary Swank, David Morrissey, Idris Elba
Synopsis: A grieving widow and mother debunks miracles until she’s called to a town experiencing the great plagues
Review: Way back in 2007, I’d not really heard of Idris Elba, with David Morrissey yet to terrorise survivors in The Walking Dead and Hillary Swank was the big name draw for this movie. So it was a pleasant surprise to see so many recognisable faces during a recent rewatch.
Swank plays ‘Catherine’ who has a convoluted back story relating to being a minister who lost her family while acting as a missionary in Sudan. Her story is very contrived and for me pulls the movie down. The constant flash-backs to her time there pull you out of the movie and in my opinion do not add to her story or explain her actions. I would have found her a stronger character had she have been firmly a scientist, seeking to disprove ‘miracles’ like Sigourney Weaver in ‘Red Lights’. Elba is slightly misused throughout, although his devotion to Swank is clear, although it’s never explained why. Morrissey is restrained, with flashes of his character from Walking Dead seen.
Some scenes seem overly long while others are drenched in colours which make it difficult to clearly see following scenes which are too dark. It’s not particularly original and the twist is fairly obvious from the beginning but that doesn’t make it unwatchable.
This movie has a low score on IMDB and I think it’s slightly undeserved. Many people will be put off by the religious storyline – a town is experiencing the Biblical plagues – but that’s doing a disservice to the film. It’s a solid thriller, with good performances from the cast, albeit with some interesting director and editing decisions.