Quartile rating: 6.5/10 · 1 rating
When a frightening wave of violence sweeps through New York City, troubled cop Sarchie fails to find a rational explanation for the bizarre crimes. However, his eyes are opened to a frightening alternate reality when renegade Jesuit priest Mendoza convinces him that demonic possession may be to blame for the gruesome murders. Together, they wage a valiant supernatural struggle to rid the city of an otherworldly evil.
Deliver Us from Evil blends police procedural with supernatural horror in a serviceable but familiar way. The demonic possession/exorcism premise treads well-worn ground, and the Iraq War backstory as an origin for the evil feels contrived. Eric Bana delivers a solid performance and Joel McHale adds some energy, while Edgar Ramirez brings genuine menace as the priest. The NYC atmosphere is competently rendered with grimy neo-noir visuals, but nothing exceptional. The film borrows heavily from Se7en and The Exorcist without adding meaningful new dimensions, and the climactic exorcism resolution is predictable and overlong.