Directed by:
Gareth EvansScreenplay:
Gareth EvansCinematography:
Matt FlanneryCast:
Dan Stevens, Michael Sheen, Lucy Boynton, Bill Milner, Mark Lewis Jones, Kristine Froseth, Catrin Aaron, Richard Elfyn, Ioan Hefin, Elen Rhys, Blake Ridder (more)VOD (1)
Plots(1)
Thomas Richardson arrives incognito on Erisden Island with the intention of saving his sister from the mysterious cult that kidnapped her. There, he’ll find a society that lives according to its own rules, and has a dark secret. (Sitges Film Festival)
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Reviews (8)
Gareth Evans, director of The Raid , serves up uncompromising period horror on an isolated island with a religious cult. Dan Stevens (The Guest) travels to an island to free his kidnapped sister, but the local religious fanatics are up to no good and there's plenty of danger ahead. The only downside is the running time of 2 hours and 10 minutes, with the first hour being considerably slower, but the second is so full of gripping scenes that Apostle becomes a definite genre gem and a tribute to the original The Wicker Man. Bleak atmosphere, with solid gore, it's incredibly raw with an excellent villain, where besides Michael Sheen I think his buddy Mark Lewis Jones shone more (I had respect for the guy), and the music is also great. The scariest scene in my opinion is the grandma who appears in a tunnel full of sh*t. I loved the nice dose of mystery and mystique at the end. Evans showed that not only action is one of his triumphs, but he has no problem making an atmospheric historical horror film. If it wasn't for the weaker first half, it would be a clear five stars. 85%
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Gareth Evans partly returns to the theme that made him shine with his part in the horror anthology V/H/S/2. Funnily overplaying, Dan Stevens arrives on an island ruled by a sect of dangerous fanatics whose leader is the eccentric Michael Sheen. The hero’s goal there is to find his kidnapped sister. However, things are considerably worse than what he had expected and most of the islanders are facing a catastrophic fate. Although Apostle is more than two hours long, it gets into a brisk pace right from the first minutes, then, without fiddling around, throws us into a thrilling life ’n’ death game. Unfortunately, it doesn’t spare us from some cliché towards the end, where the main villain has to explain all the motives that led him to his crimes. Nevertheless, the flick nicely entertains and its fiery finale is totally worth seeing. What’s more, Apostle boasts an incredible stage set and all outdoor scenes look truly magnificent. Gareth Evans achieved great heights, and I’m definitely not going to miss his next piece of filmmaking. [Sitges 2018]
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Gloomy, mysterious, brutally dark and finally after a long time also anoriginal film about something mysterious, evil, but also provocative and compelling you to learn more about it. After a long time, Apostle made me experience fear. Revulsion, too, but the fear was stronger. It was caused by a religious sect, from which I didn’t know what to expect, so I was gaping at the screen, bowing down before the director and director of photography at places, because the pictures of terror they came up with sent shivers down my spine. I wondered when was the last time something on TV made me feel like this and I think it was when I watched the first season of True Detective. And that was quite a few years ago.
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The British movie Apostle proves that the subject of fanatical religious cults is by no means exhausted. Movies like this still have a very strong potential, and you can definitely squeeze some great stuff from their potential. Apostle is a depressing, gritty, and sometimes even brutal movie that also tugs at your heartstrings and pulls it off quite well.
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As soon as Evans goes into full horror mode, there’s hardly anything to complain about. Some of the scenes (the preparation of the brain, the meat grinder, the underground tunnels) are among the strongest that the genre has produced this year (and the competition is well above-average). It drags a little, however, when it tries to be more than just straightforward horror, especially with the relationships between the characters and their development. Paradoxically, although the film is a bit too long, I felt that those relationships were insufficiently drawn and their transformations rushed. For instance, in the second half there’s obviously an emotional bond between Thomas and Malcolm's daughter, but I have absolutely no idea where it came from. Nevertheless, Apostle is overall a good period horror film that in an interesting fashion blends the atmosphere of The Witch, Wicker Man the tales of Lovecraft, spicing it up with a pinch of gore. The main character of Dan Stevens also provides a very bizarre atmosphere. Throughout the film he appears to be on drugs, at the edge of madness, or as if someone had hit him on the head and he was about pass out. Dan can add another remarkable genre performance after The Guest.
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