Plot
An American seminary student travels to Italy to take an exorcism course.

Release Year: 2011

Rating: 5.9/10 (34,745 voted)

Critic's Score: 38/100

Director: Mikael Håfström

Stars: Colin O'Donoghue, Anthony Hopkins, Ciarán Hinds

Storyline
Michael, the son of a funeral director grows indifferent to his father and joins a Seminary. On his way to the course completion, he is overwhelmed by a strong lack of faith. His religious beliefs are further jolted when he sees a young girl haplessly dying in a road accident for whom he reluctantly performs the ritual to absolve her sins. His mentor still believes in him and urges him to go to Italy to take an exorcism course hoping that he it would strengthen his faith in Christianity. In Italy he attends a session from Father Xavier who soon becomes aware of his skepticism. As a result he sends him to an eminent Jesuit exorcist, Father Lucas, whose ways though questionable are quite effective. He witnesses the exorcism of a sixteen year old girl but still seems unconvinced. Father Lucas explains to him that it takes multiple sessions over a long stretch of time to completely free a victim from the demon...

Writers: Michael Petroni, Matt Baglio

Cast:
Anthony Hopkins - Father Lucas Trevant
Colin O'Donoghue - Michael Kovak
Alice Braga - Angeline
Ciarán Hinds - Father Xavier
Rutger Hauer - Istvan Kovak
Toby Jones - Father Matthew
Marta Gastini - Rosaria
Maria Grazia Cucinotta - Aunt Andria
Arianna Veronesi - Francesca
Andrea Calligari - Vincenzo
Chris Marquette - Eddie
Torrey DeVitto - Nina
Ben Cheetham - Young Michael
Marija Karan - Sandra
Rosa Pianeta - Woman in Exorcism Video

Taglines: Inspired by true events.

Official Website: Warner Bros. [United States] |

Release Date: 28 January 2011

Filming Locations: Budapest, Hungary

Box Office Details

Budget: $37,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend: $14,789,393 (USA) (30 January 2011) (2985 Screens)

Gross: $33,037,754 (USA) (3 April 2011)

Runtime: 114 min

Trivia:
Mikael Håfström attended exorcisms to prepare for directing the film. He was not allowed to witness them, but he could hear what was happening from outside the door.

Goofs:
Errors made by characters (possibly deliberate errors by the filmmakers): When Rosaria dies, the policeman in uniform has the gun hooked to his belt with the stock on the wrong side.

Quotes:
Father Lucas Trevant: [from trailer]
[Father Lucas shows Michael a possessed girl he is trying to perform an exorcism on]
Father Lucas Trevant: What is it that you believe?
Michael Kovak: That's not the devil.
Father Lucas Trevant: Does a thief or a burglar turn on the lights while he's robbing your house? No. He prefers you to believe that he's not there... like the devil!
Michael Kovak: Gets complicated when no proof of the devil is somehow proof of the devil.

Anthony Hopkins at his best

Rating: 7/10

The Rite looked like it would be a mixed bag right from the start. The film seemed to suffer the same fate many other films before it fell victim to and that's giving away too much of the storyline in the trailers. On top of that, it was a film that revolved around exorcism which is a subject that usually leads to disappointing results. Expectations would lead one to believe that The Rite would have enough momentum to reel you in only to drop the ball during its finale similar to last year's The Last Exorcism (except hopefully without the appearance of a neon red, glow in the dark fetus). Luckily, the film has a few surprises up its sleeve.

The cinematography in the film is probably the first thing you'll notice visually. The opening of the film makes things like dripping embalming fluid, a swing set on a playground, and an overturned shopping cart seem more interesting than they really are. Rain is an element used fairly often in the film to usually signify when something has gone wrong or is about to. Whether the camera is placed up high to make it seem like you're looking down on the cast from the heavens or down low as if you're looking up at them from the depths of the earth, the rain sequences in the film are definitely some of the most memorable due to the camera work.

This is probably a pretty obvious statement, but the film is worth seeing for Anthony Hopkins alone. It's not that Colin O'Donoghue does poorly since he certainly has a strong screen presence and does a fantastic job carrying the film, but Hopkins just manages to trump that while stealing every scene he's in and rightfully so. Father Lucas Trevant is the strongest and creepiest role Hopkins has played since Hannibal Lecter and his best role overall in years. It's just amazing seeing a man in his seventies give a performance that's this physical and this absorbing. Speaking of distinguished actors, it was nice seeing Rutger Hauer as well even if it was just for a small role.

The dream sequences and hallucinations in the film may have been my hands down favorite. I've always been a fan of the surreal, the imaginative, the creative, and the things that don't seem to make sense at first but gain meaning as the film or story progresses. I never thought I'd find myself intrigued with the actions of a mule or that frogs could have an even deeper meaning than what you're probably expecting, but The Rite accomplishes this very well.

Thankfully, The Rite delivers an exorcism film that is actually worth seeing. It'll probably be forgotten about in a year filled with so many blockbuster film releases, but considering that January and February are usually filled with such monstrous duds at the box office The Rite manages to surpass expectations. While the film does seem rather reminiscent of The Last Exorcism and borrows the atmosphere from the Heath Ledger film The Order, The Rite is actually a better experience overall. With an engrossing performance by Anthony Hopkins along with a fairly strong cast all around, its fantastic cinematography, surreal dream sequences, and a satisfying conclusion that doesn't hint at a sequel, The Rite is actually a surprisingly decent film all around.

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