In 2015, the movie Solace (Consolation) was released, which was called Psychics at the Russian box office. Judging by the name and bright trailer, viewers expected to see a large-scale battle of psychics, or at least a thriller, like the cult film "Seven". Did this movie live up to these expectations?
The film "Psychics" (2015)
Solace is an action-packed detective thriller with elements of mysticism, shot by a director from Brazil - Afonso Poiart.
The main roles were played by Anthony Hopkins, Colin Farrell, Jeffrey Dean Morgan and the beauty Abby Cornish.
On Russian-language sites dedicated to cinema, this picture is found under different names: “Consolation” and “Psychics” (2015). There is a lot of debate about the film related to the question raised about the appropriateness of euthanasia (the killing of patients suffering from incurable diseases to end their suffering).
Plot
Before you consider the reviews of the film "Psychics", it is worth learning about the contents of the picture.
The action in the tape begins with the fact that the FBI agent Joe Merriwiser is faced with a serial killer, who has not been able to catch for a long time all the police and special services. To find the criminal, he turns to a former colleague - psychic John Clancy.
This old man had previously provided FBI advisory services, but due to illness, his daughter retired. Having undertaken the investigation, he finds a common feature among all the victims - they are all terminally ill.
Soon, with the help of Clancy, the investigation came to the conclusion that the mysterious maniac is a powerful psychic, using his gift in order not to leave evidence and escape the police.
To the surprise of the protagonist, the killer, who turned out to be a middle-aged man named Charles Ambrose, finds him himself. During a short conversation, the maniac talks about his motives - he kills only those who soon themselves will die from the disease in terrible agony. Charles commits murders to ease the suffering of these doomed people. The killer hopes that Clancy will understand his motives, because once John himself committed euthanasia for his suffering daughter.
Instead, the old psychic is trying to delay the maniac.
Later, in pursuit of Ambrose, Joe Merriouiser dies. Before his death, he confesses to John that he is terminally ill with cancer, but he hoped to live some more time to complete all his affairs.
Realizing that every terminally ill patient should be able to manage his remaining time, Clancy uses his gift to find Charles. Soon he succeeds, and he kills him, knowing that the maniac consciously succumbed to him.
The film "Psychics": actors and roles
For the role of retired John Clancy, the producers invited Anthony Hopkins (Silence of the Lambs, Dracula Bram Stoker, Thor).
This is an actor of such a high level that any picture with his participation is doomed to success. True, this time even Hopkins did not save the project from a failure at the box office.
Another star invited to the main role in the film was Colin Farrell (“Alexander”, “Bodyguard”, “Remember Everything”). He got the main antagonist of this story - psychic killer Charles Ambrose.
The role of the valiant FBI agent and Clancy’s close friend, Joe Merriewiser, was played by the role of John Winchester in the television series Supernatural, Jeffrey Dean Morgan.
In order to somehow dilute this male team, the actress Abby Cornish (Golden Age, We. Believe in Love, Robocop) was invited to the role of Merrywiser’s workmate - Catherine Coles.
Famous actors starred in episodic roles in the film: Xander Berkeley, Autumn Dial, Janine Turner and Sharon Lawrence.
Criticism of the painting by Americans
One of the reasons for the failure of the tape at the box office was the negative reviews of the film. Psychics have been harshly criticized in most print and online publications in the United States and Europe. Because of this, the rating of the picture decreased, and fewer viewers came to watch it in movie theaters.
On the well-known American site Rotten Tomatoes “Psychics” got a very low score - 4.4 out of 10 possible. On this resource, 27 reviews of the tape were published, and most had a negative connotation.
On another equally popular Metacritic resource, 4 reviews were devoted to the painting, which more favorably rated Psychics. Here the tape scored a rating of 41% (on Rotten Tomatoes 27%).
Reviews about acting
The picture received the most praise for the well-chosen leading actors. Almost all of them went to Anthony Hopkins, whose game adorned the movie Psychics. Reviews of his work in the film range from simply laudatory to enthusiastic. According to the audience, with his skill he often saved unsuccessful shots and compensated for the mediocre camera and director work.
Colin Farrell also earned no less praise. Although he has a bit of screen time, his every appearance in the frame makes him brighter. Farrell's game adds “Psychics” expression and dynamism.
But Abby Cornish did not deserve such laudatory reviews. Many found her character superfluous in the plot, and the actress's game seemed to most unconvincing. But the work of a stylist was noted, who created from a charming Australian woman an image of a typical cinematic female FBI agent: blond hair gathered in a bun, a white shirt and a gun on her belt.
The work of other actors, in particular Jeffrey Dean Morgan, was practically not noted by critics.
His dying speech was one of the best scenes for the entire film "Psychics." Reviews about this are more common with ordinary moviegoers than with professional critics.
Reviews about the direction of the project
Another reason for the failure of the Psychics box office is the directorial work of Afonso Poiarta. This person actually turned the movie "Psychics" into a set of cinematic cliches.
Reviews of Afonso's inexperience, because of which he almost ruined the project with good prospects, are very numerous. They expressed indignation that the director used long-worn tricks in the film like flashbacks, broken mirrors, crosses and slow motion.
The relationships between the characters are excessively stereotyped, which eliminates surprises and surprises. For example, upon learning of the death of John’s daughter, viewers realize that he committed euthanasia to alleviate her fate.
The heroine Katherine in John is expected to cause associations with her daughter, so he is trying to save her.
The friendship between John and Joe is also stereotyped: they eat fast food together, Clancy knows the agent’s family, and also ironically criticizes his manner of driving.
Another shortcoming of Poiart is the lack of unity of style in the tape. Because of this, while watching, it seems that the entire film is episodes from different paintings glued together.
Script Reviews
But with regards to the script, the film "Psychics" received various reviews. Many viewers note that the idea of the detective, in which the main criminal is able to see the future, is magnificent, but its implementation let us down.
The main drawback of the scenario is that the pattern of electing victims by a maniac was discovered too early. And the fact that the murderer himself deliberately revealed his identity (very much like the reception from the picture "Seven"), obviously the plot intrigue did not go to good.
The main advantage of the script of the picture (noted in most reviews and reviews) is the consideration of different views on the problem of euthanasia. So the viewer is presented with various arguments for and against. In the end, everyone is given the opportunity to independently conclude on this issue.
The film "Psychics": reviews, the essence, criticism of viewers in the CIS
Despite the low ratings, many domestic viewers liked the picture. Among the laudatory reviews and reviews were negative with such picturesque names as “The Next Step of the Windows of Overton in the Rehabilitation of Maniac Killers”, “A Mediocre Mystical and Psychological Thriller” and “Without Hopkins it would be different”. Despite this, most viewers praised the film "Psychics."
Reviews for this film mostly contain odes to the acting skills of Anthony Hopkins, as well as complaints that everyone expected more from this tape.
Still fair complaints are caused by posters. They look extremely cheap and serve as poor advertising for the movie.
Russian-speaking viewers in their reviews of the film complain of an unsuccessful translation, making it difficult to understand what is happening.
Judging by the responses and reviews, viewers from the CIS perceived the picture much better than the Americans.
Entertaining facts
- Initially, the film was supposed to be a sequel to the thriller "Seven" with Brad Pitt and Morgan Freeman. Its first working title was Eight.
- Instead of Hopkins and Farrell, it was originally planned to invite actors Shekhar Kapoor and Bruce Willis.
- "Psychics" failed miserably at the box office, barely having worked out half of the $ 40 million spent on them.
- Work on the movie was finished back in 2013. But Warner Bros. They did not dare to release it in any way. As a result, the tape was sold to the less well-known media company Relativity Media, which released it in 2015 (appeared in the Russian box office in March 2016).
Despite the many negative reviews, each viewer who decides to see this picture will have to see for himself how fair they are. Indeed, despite the shortcomings, the film has its undeniable advantages. And with regards to euthanasia, which is so hotly discussed in the film, everyone who saw the picture will have to decide for themselves whether the psychic killer is right.
Reviews of the film, even written by the most experienced and sensible person, will never replace your own viewing experience. Therefore, everyone should watch the film, at least in order to once again admire the magnificent game of Anthony Hopkins and Colin Farrell.