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Click here to return to the main site. DVD Review
Rachel is a WPC, and a new addition to a small, run-down Scottish police station. She is witness to an incident, when a young driver, known as Caesar, hits a man standing in the middle of the road. She drags the driver out of the car but the victim has vanished. Once they are inside the station the man mysteriously appears once more. At first he says nothing, but then he purposefully acts to have himself imprisoned in a basement jail cell. The man known as Six is here for a purpose. There are a handful of other prisoners, including Ralph Beswick, Dr Duncan Hume and Caesar; each has a dark and vicious secret. Even the police have inner demons, and Six will find them out because he is the Angel of Retribution... My first thought upon receiving this film for review was how stupid the title sounds. Yes, I know it’s a play-on-words, but it’s far from being clever and has only the vaguest connection to the plot. It’s just banal. Nevertheless, having assumed that the film would be similarly derisory, it wasn’t long before I was pleasantly surprised. I like being surprised by a horror movie. This one is very character-driven, and who better to have playing the main protagonist than Liam Cunningham. I love the idea of the Angel of Retribution; anyone who believes in what goes around comes around will willingly make a connection with this scenario. Liam Cunningham does quiet and seemingly benign but brooding strength and danger extremely well, as his character, Six, displays in spades. I was especially impressed with the manner in which the true nature of each individual in the police station’s basement cells is gradually uncovered. No one is completely innocent here; everyone has skeletons in the closet, so to speak – even the police men and women. No matter how much of a jailbird they are, no one would want to find themselves ensconced in this remote Scottish police station. It’s no exaggeration to say they are all nutters! The hit-and-run driver who has the chance to come clean and redeem himself – but takes too long to make the choice – is originally thought to be the main villain of the film. However, his accidental crime turns out to be very serious but the least of the crimes on show. To describe all of these would be somewhat giving the game away, but Six himself is revealed as a supernatural entity from the introductory sequences. So you know what he is, you just don’t know how the scenario is going to play out. I just have to mention the main music theme by Steve Lynch, which couldn’t have suited the dark and stylish atmosphere of the film more. It’s just unfortunate that it isn’t utilised enough (only at the beginning and end). Check out "Opening Theme (Let Us Prey)", and "Gather Up the Devils (Let Us Prey)" on YouTube and turn up the base. Phenomenal. Although this film has no extra features (and so drops a point), it is still well worth checking out. If you’re a horror fan I think you’ll be impressed. 8 Ty Power Buy this item online
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