Apostle

Apostle

Netflix is premiering Gareth Evans’ “Apostle” today. This movie is a journey into a dark corner of the world which at first may seem like a radical departure for the man who made “The Raid” and its even-crazier sequel, both packed with stunts. The first hour or so of this ambitious work brings viewers slowly into a mystery and raises questions about the exact dynamic at play; then it answers those questions with brain matter, plasma, viscera and other bodily fluids.

A psychological riff on “The Wicker Man” turns into a gore-filled riff on “The Wicker Man,” with all the flair and élan you’d expect from the guy who designed the stunt sequences in the “Raid” movies. Not unlike “Mandy,” some of both halves feel self-indulgent, and I’m not sure “Apostle” justifies its 130-minute running time, but here’s one thing you have to say about it: It’s unlike anything else you can put in your annual Halloween horror marathon this year.

It’s 1905 and Thomas Richardson (Dan Stevens, in full-on wide-eyed “Legion” mode) has just discovered that his sister Jennifer (Elen Rhys) has been kidnapped. She’s being held on a remote island that’s running out of resources trying to fund its increasingly desperate religious cult. Prophet Malcolm (Michael Sheen)’s followers are losing faith; their crops have dried up and conditions are worsening on their small patch of land.

But Malcolm preaches patience and he sees an opportunity in this girl who could be ransomed by the cult. So Thomas goes undercover to get to the island, infiltrate society and learn that this religious group isn’t as harmless or even earthly as he might have hoped.

Shot by frequent collaborator Matt Flannery (“Safe House”), “Apostle” has a gritty look; the first half is filled with mud and dirt, the second with blood and guts. But most of all this is a movie about desperation primarily religious but also carnal and societal and that theme plays out in the design as well as the storytelling. Everything here feels so desperately dangerous and ruined.

There’s a slicker, cleaner movie called “Apostle” that simply wouldn’t work, and I appreciated Evans’ commitment to his aesthetic. He wants you to be nervous, to be grossed out; it’s rare for a filmmaker to pull off that kind of discomfiting for over two hours (And, again, there’s a stronger 115-minute version of this 130-minute movie).

There are so many horror movies every year that do the things that simply never cross Gareth Evans’ mind. He’s not here to hold your hand. He’s not here to present a straightforward narrative. He’s not here to make you happy. Some people will call “Apostle” incoherent, but it was its very lack of coherence the eagerness to deliver an exact vision that I found admirable in this weird, scary film.

In an era when more and more movies feel focus-grouped to death or designed by committee or engineered only to sell toys, it can still be refreshing just see one like this: So completely the crazy brainchild of its creator. Well, as refreshing a movie with this much bloodshed can be.”

Watch Apostle For Free On Gomovies.