Every once in a while I start craving for those juicy, moody, and gruesome serial killer movies. Several things led me to Resurrection, a sturdy and quite refreshing thriller following a detective trying to catch a vicious serial killer. I know, I know, you’ve seen a thousand movies with a plot like this but have you seen one with religious themes? I know, I know, if you see another movie where someone quotes the bible you’re going to lose it. Trust me, I’ve seen my fair share of “Matthew 3.14” thrillers and horrors. Just think of it this way, despite all this, I truly enjoyed Resurrection. It’s atmospheric and full of graphic scenes, as any self-respecting serial killer movie should be.
As I previously mentioned, several things pointed me towards this underrated nineties gem. First of all, this is one of Russell Mulcahy’s later works and as such it’s very well crafted. You probably remember him as the guy behind Highlander but he also directed Ricochet, a phenomenal police thriller starring Denzel Washington. Secondly, this is another pretty solid Christopher Lambert movie, so queue that wave of nostalgia if you grew up during the eighties and nineties. His accent was a bit off here but he still gave a believable performance. And finally, I’ve seen this movie some twenty years ago and all I could remember was that it was nasty.
We’re immediately thrown right in the thick of it as we follow detectives to a scene of a brutal murder. We get these End of Days vibes, especially since both movies share this dim cinematography where a lot of the stuff is hiding in the dark. And this is as good as time as any to mention the movie you’ll be thinking about quite often, Se7en. And I’ll leave it at that. Mostly because I think Resurrection stands quite well on its own. There are enough clever twists, gore, and engaging storytelling to keep you entertained. This is one of those movies where you precisely know what to expect and you get it. And more, if I may add as the finale is something I haven’t seen in any movie before or since.
Detective John Prudhomme is an experienced detective who just caught a pretty fucked up case. Someone is killing young men and cutting off their limbs, with no intention of stopping. Still dealing with a personal tragedy that happened a year ago, Prudhomme will have to put all of that behind him and work hard to catch his guy. A game of cat and mouse is about to begin.
Finally, a movie where a serial killer doesn’t kill prostitutes or women in general but men. And quite efficiently too, because after twenty minutes we’re already at quite the body count. Mulcahy trimmed all the fat and we will be enjoying quite the pulpy and juicy first part of the movie. The second is a bit slower but more intense and mysterious. I also liked all the camera tricks adding suspense and those foreboding vibes, like something really bad is going to happen to the scenes. This is countered with a couple of well-placed jokes that warm up on you.
In the end, Resurrection is not a masterpiece but it’s definitely worth checking out. Especially for Mulcahy and Lambert fans. If you’re looking for similar movies check out Frailty and Horseman. And you can always take a look at our Subversive Rabbit selection of Serial Killer Movies. Good luck and satanspeed.
Director: Russell Mulcahy
Writers: Brad Mirman, Christopher Lambert
Cast: Christopher Lambert, Leland Orser, Jonathan Potts, Philip Williams, Rick Fox, Robert Joy
Fun Facts: The leg cutting sequence was edited to avoid an NC-17 rating.
Rating:
IMDb Link: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0142804/
