Film Review

I love movies that completely surprise me and catch me off guard!  I admit that I thought Nefarious would be some Christian movie that was being too preachy,  and I couldn’t be more wrong.  This is why you don’t judge a book by its cover. Starring Sean Patrick Flanery as a convicted serial killer about to be put to death, he has to be evaluated by a psychiatrist to determine if the execution will go through or he spends his life in a mental hospital.  Then he tells the Doctor that he is a demon controlling the killer. Imagine being a psychiatrist who has to evaluate someone that’s possessed by a demon. I’ve been a huge fan of Sean Patrick Flanery ever since he was Young Indiana Jones and of course, I love him in The Boondock Saints films, but this is one of the best performances he’s ever given and it makes this movie better than it probably should be. But that’s the thing about indie films, Great Performances make them better than what’s in the script.

This film is very much like Primal Fear, there’s so much ambiguity to it that you don’t really know for sure whether the death row inmate is telling the truth. Is he really a demon that’s possessing the body of a killer or is it the greatest con job ever to avoid the death penalty? Does he have multiple personalities? Primal Fear is still one of the best thrillers and I would easily put this film next to any great mystery when it comes to finding the truth. You want to believe that it may just well be a demon controlling everything, but there are moments that make you question that and that is to the standout performance of Sean Patrick Flanery. At the same time, Jordan Belfi shines as the psychologist having to evaluate the killer. It’s the ultimate cat-and-mouse game with two people outwit each other as you decide for yourself what’s true or not. It would be easy to have a very Christian message in this movie, but it really doesn’t. Yes, religion is in all things, but we all have to decide for ourselves and the only conclusion that the psychologist comes to is it’s something he can’t explain and the things that we can’t explain our faith. In a lot of ways, I felt like I was watching a really good stage play with an actor portraying two very different characters. The confident con artist who may be a demon and the scared somewhat dimwitted man who still lives with childlike innocence. One moment you’re going from the ultimate Evil to the ultimate vulnerability in the character.

I don’t really consider this a Christian film even if there are some elements there. It is more Supernatural than anything else There are so many subtleties that make you believe that the main character really is a demon, but I still don’t know. The one thing I am certain is this is one of Sean Patrick Flanery best performances. He will keep you glued to your seat with his performance all the way to the end. Great movies always have a lot of what-ifs, a lot of questions that remain unanswered and leave you wondering in the end. As I said before, I was completely surprised by how much I would like this movie. I don’t know if you really needed to have Glenn Beck in the film, but there is a good message within the movie that makes you re-examine your own morality and you don’t have to be a Christian for that. This movie could have easily been one of the best X-Files or Supernatural episodes. Should you see it, of course, because the performances are brilliant! Sean Patrick Flanery makes this movie worth watching with his fantastic performance.