Red Lights (2012)

Psychologist Margaret Matheson and her assistant study paranormal activity, which leads them to investigate a world-renowned psychic who has resurfaced years after his toughest critic mysteriously passed away.

Director:

Rodrigo Cortés

Writer:

Rodrigo Cortés (screenplay)

Stars:

Cillian Murphy, Sigourney Weaver, Robert De Niro

2 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Cillian Murphy	...	Tom Buckley
Sigourney Weaver	...	Margaret Matheson
Robert De Niro	...	Simon Silver
Toby Jones	...	Paul Shackleton
Joely Richardson	...	Monica Hansen
Elizabeth Olsen	...	Sally Owen
Craig Roberts	...	Ben
Leonardo Sbaraglia	...	Leonard Palladino
Adriane Lenox	...	Rina
Garrick Hagon	...	Howard McColm
Burn Gorman	...	Benedict Cohen
Mitchell Mullen	...	Jim Carroll
Nathan Osgood	...	Michael Sidgwick
Madeleine Potter	...	Sarah Sidgwick
Eloise Webb	...	Susan Sidgwick

Storyline

The skeptical psychologist Dr. Margaret Matheson and her assistant, the physicist, Tom Buckley, are specialists in disclosing fraudulent paranormal phenomena. When the famous psychic Simon Silver reappears to his public after many years of absence, Tom becomes obsessed to investigate whether Silver is a fraud or not.

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Plot Keywords:

psychic | skeptic | physicist | fraud | breaking a mirror | 

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Taglines:

How much do you want to believe?

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Genres:

Drama | Mystery | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for language and some violence

Details

Official Sites:

Official site Official site [jp]

Country:

Spain USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

2 March 2012 (Spain)

Also Known As:

Luces rojas

Filming Locations:

Barcelona, Cataluña, Spain

Box Office

Budget:

€14,000,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Nostromo Pictures, Cindy Cowan Entertainment, Antena 3 Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

113 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Spanish director Eugenio Mira plays Robert De Niro's character in his early 30s.

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Goofs

Near the end of the film, when Buckley confronts Silver, Buckley looks down to his left hand to reveal the coin, but in the close-up, he opens his right hand.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Tom Buckley: Margaret. Margaret. Margaret.
Margaret Matheson: [waking] Yes?
Tom Buckley: You should get some sleep.

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Crazy Credits

At the end of the ending credits, the film's title flickers in a similar manner to light bulbs do in the presence of psychic activity throughout the film.

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Connections

Featured in Projector: Red Lights (2012)

User Reviews

Paranormal Piffle

Not much has been made of it, but 'Red Lights' has a twist which, I don't care how attentive or clever you are, you will simply not predict. Paranormal-themed films are getting to be quite stale, but the ending, which actually has two twists, is marvellous and might - might

• galvanise the genre.

Sigourney Weaver and Cillian (pronounced 'Kill-ian') Murphy play Doctors Matheson and Buckley. They're a psychologist and physicist who investigate psychic claims. Invariably they come away from each case laughing. Every one is explained scientifically; rationally. They're exposed as magic tricks.

Recent roles haven't reflected why Weaver, who is nearly 65, has been so prolific of late, but here she excels. Her character is meant to be an expert and, because of the plausibility she exudes, that's exactly how I viewed her. Writer-director Rodrigo Cortes' ('Buried') excellent script assists her characterisation. Intellectual, detailed, life-like: you could be mistaken, at moments, for watching a TV show debate. Murphy gets similar credit. He invests in his role a seriousness which might have been silly if he did so in isolation.

The doctors find their match in Simon Silver (Robert De Niro), a famous psychic who comes out of retirement for one last pay check. He's the only one Weaver won't investigate because 'he's the only one who makes her doubt'. Murphy insists, however, but when he does, he – we – uncover more than we were expecting.

Like you (I hope), I'm convinced that psychic ability is balderdash. So I was more than impressed at how Cortes creates a mood and a tempo that keeps you guessing until the dramatic end. His film is original, suspenseful and, most importantly for a film with this premise, credible.

But then there's De Niro, my favourite actor. Always has been. Always will be. But my God has he been making it hard for me these past 20 years. He once said that he was an actor, not a personality. I think it's time for him to update his personal quote book. Why do I say this? Because (and I deeply regret admitting this) he's the single biggest reason why 'Red Lights', regardless of Weaver's and Murphy's endeavours and the superb final twist, will join his expanding cannon of fodder.

www.moseleyb13.com