We can’t wait for this.
There are certain scenes from certain movies that just stay with you.
For example, film fans can probably remember where they were when they saw that famous moment in Jurassic Park when Dr. Grant (Sam Neill) and Dr. Sattler (Laura Dern), saw their first live dinosaur – the Brachiosaur.
You may also remember, for example, the shock at discovering the endings to The Usual Suspects, The Sixth Sense and The Shawshank Redemption.
On this note, I’d like to add one particular moment from The Raid. Rama impaling the head of a henchman through the jagged end of a door*.
From that moment on, we knew that Gareth Evans was a talent to watch and the Welsh director is back with another film that’s picking up some incredible buzz, Apostle.
A few days ago, we brought you the first trailer for Evans’ occult-thriller but Apostle has screened for the first time at Fantastic Fest and the initial reviews are excellent.
Ok, what’s it about?
London, 1905. Prodigal son Thomas Richardson (Dan Stevens) has returned home, only to learn that his sister is being held for ransom by a religious cult. Determined to get her back at any cost, Thomas travels to the idyllic island where the cult lives under the leadership of the charismatic Prophet Malcolm (Michael Sheen).
As Thomas infiltrates the island’s community, he learns that the corruption of mainland society that they claim to reject has infested the cult’s ranks nonetheless – and uncovers a secret far more evil than he could have imagined.
The film is released on Netflix on 12 October and it sounds like an essential watch.
Check out some of the early buzz around the movie below.
#Apostle is among the craziest of the crazy-cult movies I’ve seen. Gorgeously shot, gnarly as all hell – Gareth Evans continues to churn out ferocious genre movies – this time he creates a slow-growing morbid vibe that becomes a wildly graphic gothic horror..and it hits damn hard pic.twitter.com/2TrxbT4SA3
— Erik Davis (@ErikDavis) September 22, 2018
Wow, I loved Apostle. Very much in the vein of The Wicker Man and Black Death. I expected to love it and I did. Gareth Evans is so awesome. I would kill for him to direct something I wrote. Not literally. #fantasticFest
— Philly M. Nerd (@PhillyMovieNerd) September 22, 2018
Fuuuuck. I was not prepared for APOSTLE. No one can prepare for APOSTLE.
— Meagan Navarro (@HauntedMeg) September 22, 2018
Gareth Evans' APOSTLE is SUCH a tense, breathless experience. Extremely over-the-top gory, but strangely not gratuitous about it — the film builds up the stakes until the violence feels appropriate to them. Dan Stevens is mesmerizing. Again. #FantasticFest https://t.co/wslJw5CIw2
— Tasha Robinson (@TashaRobinson) September 22, 2018
So #APOSTLE was pretty damn great. The last 45 minutes were insanely gruesome & uncomfortable & I loved every second of it. So glad I got to see this on a big screen. #FantasticFest
— Heatherface Wixson (@thehorrorchick) September 22, 2018
APOSTLE: Gareth Evans makes the gnarliest and craziest cult movie in some time. Dan Stevens crushes it, skulking for two hours and carrying the movie’s wildest ideas on his capable/handsome shoulders.
— Jacob Hall (@JacobSHall) September 22, 2018
APOSTLE could best be described as “Dan Stevens descends into hell”. An unsettling, immersive trip of a film, this is a movie that will put a lot of people off, but honestly.. I think it may be Gareth Evans’ masterpiece and my favorite thing at the fest. #FantasticFest
— James Preston Poole (@JamesPPoole) September 22, 2018
Apostle is BRUTAL. I’m not kidding, you are not prepared. To Netflix’s credit, they let Gareth Evans run absolutely wild. Hints of Lovecraft, Wicker Man, and even a little Silent Hill, etc. Go in cold if you can. #fantasticfest pic.twitter.com/Bq9f4cJq3j
— The Film Coterie (@FilmCoterie) September 22, 2018
*Seriously, any person that can film action this good is somebody that everyone should watch.
Clip via AdrianKimmett1
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