The Rite (Warner Brothers, 2,985 Theaters, 112 Minutes, Rated PG-13): It seems to me that in the recent years, Anthony Hopkins has been chasing Hannibal Lechter. He did have a successful career before Silence of the Lambs, but that role was so defining and his performance so excellen that it hangs over him like a shadow.
Every so often since then, it seems like Hopkins has tried to recapture that magic. Whether in showy roles like Nixon or Hannibal Lechter-esque roles like Instinct, but it never has completely worked.
This looks like another one of those roles. Hopkins plays a priest who specializes in exorcisms who appears to be taken over by demons himself. It’s a role, like Lechter, where he’ll get to play with both nobility and evil. Whether the movie will be any good is a crapshoot.
The Mechanic (CBS Films, 2,703 Theaters, 92 Minutes, Rated R): I like the fact that they are starting to remake Charles Bronson films. He is one of the most underrated action stars
of the 70s and 80s. Anything that makes his films get more exposure is a good thing. And out of his work, the Mechanic was one of his better films.
Jason Stratham fills in for Bronson in the role of an assassin who is compelled join up with his mentor’s son after said mentor is killed himself to avenge thge mentor’s death.
Stratham is a different kind of action star than Bronson was, more physical mixed in with the cerebral, so it should be interesting to see how the that changes the story. Also interesting to see will be Ben Foster as Stratham’s partner. He is one of the most interesting actors working in films today.
