Resurrection (1999 film)
| Resurrection | |
|---|---|
|
Original film poster | |
| Directed by | Russell Mulcahy |
| Produced by |
Howard Baldwin Karen Elise Baldwin Jack Gilardi Jr. Christopher Lambert Nile Niami |
| Written by |
Brad Mirman Christopher Lambert |
| Starring |
Christopher Lambert Leland Orser Robert Joy |
| Music by | Jim McGrath |
| Cinematography |
Jonathan Freeman Brett Reynolds |
| Edited by | Gordon McClellan |
Production company |
Baldwin/Cohen Productions Interlight Resurrection Productions Inc. |
| Distributed by | Columbia TriStar Home Video |
Release dates | 1999 |
Running time | 108 minutes |
| Country |
United States Canada |
| Language | English |
Resurrection is a 1999 American-Canadian horror thriller film directed by Russell Mulcahy and starring Christopher Lambert, Leland Orser and Robert Joy. David Cronenberg appears in a cameo as a priest. Lambert co-wrote the story for the film with Brad Mirman, who also wrote the screenplay.
The film was theatrically released in most of Europe, Asia and Australia, but went straight to DVD in the US.
Synopsis
Detective John Prudhomme, a Cajun transferred to Chicago, is assigned to investigate the savage murder of a man who has bled to death from a severed arm. A message, "He Is Coming", written in blood on the victim's window, is a dark, foreboding clue. After two more victims with missing body parts are discovered, Prudhomme realises he is on the trail of a serial killer who is using the missing body parts to reconstruct "the body of christ" in time for Easter.
Cast
- Christopher Lambert — John Prudhomme
- Leland Orser — Det. Andrew Hollinsworth
- Robert Joy — Gerald Demus
- Barbara Tyson — Sara Prudhomme
- Rick Fox — Scholfield
- David Cronenberg — Father Rousell
- Jonathan Potts — Detective Moltz
- Peter MacNeill — Captain Whippley
- Phillip Williams — Detective Rousch
- Jayne Eastwood — Dolores Koontz
- David Ferry — Mr. Breslauer
- Chaz Thorne — David Elkins
- Darren Enkin — John Ordway
- Michael Olah — Michael Prudhomme
Production
Some of the film was shot in Chicago, Illinois and New Orleans, Louisiana, but most of it was filmed in Toronto, Canada.
According to director Russell Mulcahy's DVD commentary Resurrection was originally rated NC-17, which is why several scenes of violence and gore, like the leg cutting scene, were excised to achieve an R rating. The "Uncut version" of the film was never released.
Release
Resurrection was released in the fall of 1999 on cable television in the United States. In other countries such as France, Spain and Switzerland, it was shown in theatres. In France it was a modest success, with nearly 400,000 film admissions. The film was quite popular in Spain, with 1,198,684 admissions.
Critical reception
Critical reception for the film has been mixed. Marc Bernardin of Entertainment Weekly called the film "woefully derivative" but "well-crafted."[1]
John Fallon of Arrow in the Head called it "a taut, clever thriller, directed with kinetic style and energy" and "one of the more entertaining serial killer movies on the block." Fallon added, "If you can get past the similarities with Seven, you will surely enjoy this razor sharp, nasty flick."[2] Chuck O'Leary of FulvueDrive-in.com said the film is "a blatant rip-off of Seven, but pretty scary and unsettling in its own right."[3]
Carlo Cavagna of About Film called Resurrection "an entertaining movie," remarking that "the cinematography is quite good by any standard, and the writing is decent enough to keep you interested." Cavagna felt that the plot was "by-the-numbers," but added that it [has] a new twist on the killer's motivation."[4]