Season of the Witch (2011)
Director: Dominic Sena
Starring: Nicolas Cage, Ron Perlman, Stephen Campbell Moore
Synopsis:
A pair of deserters from the Crusades are tasked with escorting a suspected witch to a monastery that can perform the ritual that will seal her power and end the plague attributed to her.
Impressions:
Nicolas Cage and Ron Perlman may not be at the top of most people's casting list when looking for a pair of Teutonic Knights, but while they may not seem like the best pick for the setting, they do have a good dynamic with each other, which is probably what will get a lot of people through the next hour and a half. The core concept isn't bad, but I feel that mixed messaging undermines the tone. I'm quite sure the filmmakers want us to not be on the Church's side with their witch-hunting activities, but then you have actual witches unleashing supernatural terror on the populace, so while the approach might not be the most surgical, it's hard to call it unjustified. Similarly, if Anna is supposed to be painted as sympathetic, she really ought not be quite so unrelentingly evil. Don't come into this film looking for much in the way of depth or subtlety in the storytelling. Given how low-key the majority of the film is, the overblown finale might be welcomed by some as nice change of pace or decried by others as throwing out what little groundedness the plot had. If you can take this film for what it is and you like the Cage-Perlman dynamic, you might find this worth seeing, but otherwise, you're better off passing on it. Take it or leave it.
50/50