Thoughts on the movie “Priest”

Reprinted from 2011

Its 2:44 pm

I cut and sorted out coupons,grounded up a fresh batch of coffee and washed dishes. In the afternoon we made a quick run to the store and got a few items for the rest of the week. Not an very exciting day by half but it is what it is…

I did manage to watch “Priest” on Starz on Sunday night. It starred Paul Bettany and was directed by Scott Stewart who also directed Bettany is “Legion”. While this movie was a bit more streamlined,you come away from it with two thoughts,Stewart loves westerns and he really wants a film franchise. This is his 2nd straight movie which he has left open-ended with a sequel in mind.

And Paul Bettany as a action hero is brilliant casting,he is moody,dark and extremely dangerous in both his roles in “Legion” and “Priest”. But Stewart really under uses his cast in Priest. Karl Urban,Christopher Plummer and Maggie Q are hardly on the screen long enough to register any emotion with the viewer.

The human vs. vampires storyline felt some much more like a cowboys vs. redskins in both theme and feel despite having a futuristic look to the film. The effects were sort of cool,the vampires all looked more like monsters then smooth vamps like Frank Langella or Brad Pitt played. And that is okay because vampires are not creatures.

It would have been more helpful to the plot of Stewart had explained how both Priests had gotten their powers and how Karl Urban not only stayed human-ish but also a daywalker. Small quibbles I suppose but when one has high hopes for a director like Stewart,these do matter.

Priest is now out on Blu-Ray and DVD.

Recommended but would say “Legion” is a better film.