The Righteous (2021) User Reviews

A dread inducing black and white thriller

[hfgoreybits · 7/10 · 14 May 2022]

THE RIGHTEOUS is a 2021 noire style psychological thriller from writer/director Mark O'Brien. This full length directorial debut had its world premiere at the Fantasia International Film Festival in 2021, winning the Cheval Noir and Silver Award. THE RIGHTEOUS earned some positive buzz among critics during its festival run. I was granted an opportunity to watch the film for myself, and while most of my feelings for THE RIGHTEOUS are positive, I do have some gripes with it. Particularly towards the ending and shifty tone.

THE RIGHTEOUS tells the story of Frederic (Henry Czerny), a grieving man who's struggling with his faith after he and his wife Ethel (Mimi Kuzyk) experience a tragic loss. One night, the couple hears strange noises outside of their home. There's an injured young man named Aaron (Mark O'Brien) laying on the floor begging for their help. Frederic and Ethel tend to the Aaron's injury and invite him into their home for the night. As time passes, Frederic begins to have doubts about Aaron's story, resulting in what feels to be the wrath of a vengeful god.

What sold me on THE RIGHTEOUS from watching the trailer was the fact that it's entirely in black and white. You don't see that too often with new movies. Especially ones that fit into the "horror" category. It's a bold and risky move, making THE RIGHTEOUS different from your average release. This film feels like a throwback piece; sort of paying tribute to the thrillers of the 60's and 70's. THE RIGHTEOUS wears its inspirations on its sleeve, and I'm willing to bet that it has to do with Mark O'Brien's love for cinema.

THE RIGHTEOUS feels old fashioned, and the lack of color sells that concept. From a technical standpoint, this film is incredible. THE RIGHTEOUS makes great use of black and white with excellent cinematography. The visuals are absolutely gorgeous. With the nature of what takes place in the film, I do wonder if having it in black and white was the original intent. The overall plot is simple enough to digest. However, the places it takes you do become confusing. THE RIGHTEOUS is a character driven movie that focuses on a small cast of actors. It's heavy on dialog and builds tension for some of its 97 minute runtime.

The film purposely throws you off by changing the tone throughout. It'll go from one dread building scene to a moment of laughter and bonding between two characters. Some of it comes off as a morality play, even while its dark and dreary score puts you on edge. The tension buildup works a little too well. There were moments in THE RIGHTEOUS that got under my skin. This in large part is due to the incredible performances. THE RIGHTEOUS feels like a master class in acting. The entire cast does a tremendous job with their roles.

Henry Czerny is absolutely phenomenal as the lead character (Frederic); even if you do question some of Frederic's odd actions. You may also recognize Henry from the film READY OR NOT alongside Mark O'Brien. The conversations between Frederic and Aaron (O'Brien) are the heart and soul of this movie. The chemistry between the two lead actors is great. When you add in the performances of Mayko Nguyen, Mimi Kuzyk, Kate Corbett and Nigel Bennett, you can't help but be invested in the story.

THE RIGHTEOUS touches on topics of religion, guilt, loss and deception. It's marketed as a noire horror thriller, but there isn't enough of those elements for me to put this into the "horror" category. It's mostly a drama that focuses on building dread. There are some dark moments of violence in the film, but it's certainly not the main focus. As unsettling as the death scenes were, it was the buildup to the violence that made it work. THE RIGHTEOUS focuses more on uneasy dread and suspense rather than brutal violence. This is most noticeable with the interactions between the characters. The endgame begins to make sense once some truths are revealed in the story.

The elements of "horror" in THE RIGHTEOUS are so few and far between. The elements that are present work very well (for the most part). At times, THE RIGHTEOUS pulls you into a false sense of security. You'll encounter a few "jump scares" just when you think it's safe. These unexpected scary moments might take you out of the film. It did for me, and my interest in the story was beginning to fade towards the end. The plot takes a bizarre turn, and for whatever reason there's a supernatural element thrown in. It got to a point where I was beginning to wonder if what I was watching on-screen was actually happening. It doesn't help when the film decides to time jump after having one of those "scary" moments.

What works most with THE RIGHTEOUS is the acting. Writer/Director Mark O'Brien works as an actor for movies and television. You may remember him most from such mainstream genre films like ARRIVAL and READY OR NOT (as mentioned with Henry Czerny) . Most of O'Brien's directing experience comes from television and some award winning short films. THE RIGHTEOUS is Mark O'Brien's full length feature film debut. This is an amazing achievement, and with this film it's clear that O'Brien knows what he's doing both in front of and behind the camera.

Where THE RIGHTEOUS falls short for me is with the ending. Without giving anything away, I will say that the film's climax left me with more questions than answers. I compare this ending to that of DONNIE DARKO. I think the intention was to let the audience interpret what the biblical ending means. Despite its shortcomings, that last half hour didn't ruin my overall experience with the movie. THE RIGHTEOUS is a gorgeous looking pre-pandemic film that should be watched. If you're into slow burn black and white thrillers, this one might answer your prayers.

THE RIGHTEOUS is set to be released through Arrow Films on June 10th, with a digital release in the UK, US and Eire on ARROW (the brand's SVOD service). Although I had a pleasant time watching the movie for myself, I highly recommend that you (the reader) watch the trailer before diving in. As with every movie ever made, THE RIGHTEOUS isn't going to be for everyone. It's a well crafted thriller that does a tremendous job of building tension. For that alone it's worth the price of admission; I just don't see myself going for rewatch it anytime soon.

I give THE RIGHTEOUS: 7 out of 10 vengeful gods.

A bit confusing, but mesmerizing in parts.

[hampersnow-41369 · 7/10 · 24 July 2022]

Written , directed and starring Mark O'Brien, a favorite actor of mine, The Righteous is an excellent film that at times soars, due to some superb acting, a great script and gorgeous B&W cinematography. When a movie relies on very little action and lots of conversation, you need to give the audience something great and interesting to listen to and film it well. This movie does both. The problem with the film is that it leaves you with some questions, certain angles in this are not made clear and it doesn't always hit the high notes. The best scenes by far are the ones between O'Brien and Czerny, these scenes are mesmerizing. Both are wonderful actors and in top notch form here. One of the best new films I've seen lately. I wish more film makers were daring enough to film in gorgeous B&W.

Great tension, but kind of falls apart

[donnellymatt · 6/10 · 19 August 2021]

I have mixed feelings about this one. First, the pros. It looks incredible, cinematography is stunning through the entire picture. I also really enjoyed the tension building throughout. Plot and tone-wise it reminded me a lot of Brimstone and Treacle, or the more obvious Night of the Hunter. The music was well crafted and helps immensely in building the tone of the film. And for the most part I thought all of the performances were great. But...

I wasn't a fan of Mark O'Brien's performance overall. It felt a little forced at times and his glossy eyed bad boy just didn't work for me. There were also issues with the plot, mostly small stuff but I also found the final act to be a little too short on information. Obviously that's intentional but I feel too much was left unsaid about what exactly is happening.

Overall, definitely worth a watch if you're into slow-burn tension filled occult/folk horror. But you may be disappointed with where it all ends up.

When a stranger calls ...

[parry_na · 7/10 · 6 April 2023]

This is a very good, intelligently scripted film. The cast comprises of three people mainly, and contains many long conversations. For such unrelenting dialogue, most of it one-note, nearly 100 minutes is far too long. Shorn of twenty minutes, things would be so much more effective.

Having said that, the acting on display is excellent, with the intruder suggesting a number of possibilities that remain largely unexplored, leaving the implications to the audience. The ending, for example, is largely open to question.

Filmed in cold black and white, and featuring some memorable haunted-house imagery, often beautifully lit, 'The Righteous' is unquestionably a fine film, and although the attention wandered a little once or twice, I ended up enjoying it a lot.

Religious murder mystery

[avindugunasinghe · 6/10 · 16 July 2023]

There's blackness of dark and then there's white of light for penance there's no in-betweens. It's a slow moving story which when realised is a delight for most fans of suspense and thrillers. There's metaphorical imagery scattered everywhere leaving room for many avenues for explanations. Great cinematography and use of audio. Well written story with sharp dialogues that actually brings the first shade of horror into the sluggish stretch. Performances were excellent portraying the unspoken emotions of every character in this silent cat and mouse game. The Righteous is a story with a twist and good work.

Don't let anyone in

[BandSAboutMovies · 5/10 · 15 June 2022]

This first feature from director-actor-writer Mark O'Brien (Ready or Not) is about Frederic (Henry Czerny) a grieving man already struggling with his faith who decides to help an injured Aaron Smith (O'Brien) when the man knocks on his door and claims to be lost in the woods.

Frederic and his wife Ethel (Mimi Kuzyk) invite the man to stay, but Frederic soon begins to doubt why the man is there and the stories he tells. In fact, he could be there to test everything that Frederic -- a one-time priest before he got married -- knows. He's already endured the tragic loss of his daughter. What can be next?

Filmed in striking black and white by cinematographer Scott McClellan, this movie is either a man of lapsed faith against the very human past sins made flesh or a home invasion movie. It could be both. As Aaron starts putting his feet up on the table, reading the brochure on the dead child's funeral expenses, asking some very personal questions and perhaps getting too close to Ethel, this film proves itself to be a long simmering and suspenseful effort that isn't afraid to its time, nor worried about a small cast. After all, there's so much talent here.

Nearly good.

[What-a-Punk · 5/10 · 27 June 2022]

I'd say the setting is okay, the black-and-white thing, some tension is there - that's good. Henry Czerny did good throughout the movie - yes.

On the other hand, there's no horror, no mystery, some cheap thrills and whole lot of dark blunt drama. And that's it.

There's no meaningful culmination, no good lesson. The whole plot is just unbearably blunt. And if you ever seen more than few movies in your life, you know from the beginning where the whole thing is going, and it goes exactly there... cause this plot has no depth and there is no surprise.

Overall, it's too superficial to be any good.

Not good

[young-r-46 · 3/10 · 7 August 2022]

Some of the acting is good, most is terrible and makes it difficult to have interest in the story as you are very aware of the GCSE acting. Nothing scary, happens, not much interesting happens, I would advise not watching unless you are a fan of boring, black and white weirdness.

This was surprisingly good.

[atwiththestars · 8/10 · 5 June 2022]

Black & white was a great choice for the look of it. From the acting to the writing to the direction everything worked in this production that had an Alfred Hitchcock vibe to it. The story gets muddled a little bit here & there, but everything else worked so well that I didn't care.

Classic Horror Film!

[bowiebob · 8/10 · 29 June 2022]

A well written, well acted and well directed tale of personal horror, of loss, of abandonment, of the inequities of the human soul. Yes, I found this very good, not a comfortable film, but one of excellence.

Loved it!

[rocketmike-82795 · 9/10 · 28 March 2023]

Interesting Indie movie, shot god knows where. Maybe in Pennsylvania where maestro M. Night shoots his films. Well this amazing film (shot in BW) reminded me of Bergman and Woody Allen (go figure). Overall I loved the feel of this film and it's signature acting by the four main leads. Frederick, Aaron, Ethel plus 1. I love the camera work, the various shots, the starkness of a Pennsylvania forest; the POC police woman. Bubbling anticipation to see what developes. Hallelujah. Well, all of the characters were very interesting but I don't want to put any spoilers here. The movie cost me two dollars on YouTube and it was worth it because I love in the films and I love the black-and-white aspect of these films and the dialogue was really good.

7.5/10. Recommended

[athanasiosze · 8/10 · 30 September 2022]

1) I believe that this movie is more like a religious experience than a story about loss and guilt. I don't think it is ambiguous, there is only one explanation. In any case, regardless if i am right or wrong, there are many layers here, Existentialism, Metaphysics, God and, simultaneously, the absence of God. Pick your poison.

2) This is a psychological/dialogue driven drama with mystery and horror elements. If you are looking for mindless fun/gore/people killing each other, you will not like it. You will probably don't like it either if you are under 25 years old or if you don't like movies with religious tone. Filmed in black and white, there are many intense and thrilling moments if you are into this kind of movies. Actors and actresses are excellent, cinematography too.

3) I can understand why the ending is polarizing. I found it great, it's a great and appropriate ending for this movie.

It's not a flawless movie, i would prefer it longer, 90 plus minutes aren't enough for this story to be told and unfold. Some scenes ended abruptly while it was getting interesting. But, overall, it was very interesting and most importantly, somewhat original. I wish other directors can be so bold and courageous in this genre, down the road.

A masterpiece

[carlos-pires · 8/10 · 27 August 2023]

Highly recommended masterpiece. Perfect acting, direction, camera work, editing, soundtrack... Just enough character depth is revealed to turn out believable characters and to move the plot forward.

The script is really good and the director makes a great job of unfolding it on screen, although this is certainly easier when writer and director are the same person.

Camera work and editing support direction perfectly, and although this is a slow-paced movie, you can feel the tension mounting and you are never bored. The soundtrack is a major in that.

This is an intense drama-mistery-thriller that challenges your mind and expectations.

Even the ending leaves you wondering, although this isn't one of those open-ended movies. Some directors get to the end of a movie and just don't know how to wrap things up: that is NOT the case here. What you are shown here is a man's spiritual and emotional world unravelling around him and the ending is the culmination of this unravelling.

Absolute Gem

[amirzal-92137 · 10/10 · 10 July 2022]

An A+ character study, with a twist. Essentially 3 characters, no CGI. The black and white picture grading is timeless/priceless. It is a slow burn, but well worth the ending scene...

Contained Drama with Religious Tones

[Reviews_of_the_Dead · 8/10 · 22 December 2022]

This is a movie that I got turned on to thanks to Duncan from the Podcast Under the Stairs. It went on a list of movies that were released in 2022 that I wanted to check out when compiling my end of year list. I knew that he enjoyed it and what he said ticked boxes for me. There has been time in between so I didn't remember what he said about this though. I came into this one blind aside from what I've said.

Synopsis: a burdened man feels the wrath of a vengeful God after he and his wife are visited by a mysterious stranger.

We start this at the funeral of a little girl, Joanie (Briar-Rose Stone). She was adopted by Frederic (Henry Czerny) and his wife Ethel Mason (Mimi Kuzyk). Joanie's mother wasn't prepared to take care of her and she is Doris (Kate Corbett). It worked out where Frederic and Ethel could raise her as well as having Doris be part of her life. This is rocked though when she was killed in a hit and run while riding her bicycle.

To give a bit more background, Frederic is a former Catholic priest. Father Graham (Nigel Bennett) is worried about him and wonders if returning to the faith would be good for him. Frederic seems to have lost that faith though. This is partially why he left. The other is that he met Ethel, or at least that is what I'm gathering. These two try to grieve over the death of the girl.

This gets rocked though when Frederic hears a male screaming in the night. He goes outside to investigate and Aaron Smith (Mark O'Brien) stumbles into the backyard. His foot is injured. When Frederic asks what happened, how he got there or where he was going. Being that our lead is a good man, he allows him inside to tend his injury. Ethel is at first leery, but soon she loves having him around. Frederic is disarmed at first. The more he gets to know him though, the more he is taken aback. This is the just the beginning of the nightmare and the ultimate decision for Frederic.

That is where I'm going to leave my recap as well as introducing the characters. Where I want to start would be that I'm guessing this was made during the pandemic. We only have a cast of seven characters. There are never more than a few of them together, so that would make sense. This is also a simple enough story. What is interesting about it though is that there are layers to it that get revealed as things go on. Frederic is harboring a secret that no one knows except that it seems that Aaron does. It also might not be a coincidence that he shows up here like he did. There are also religious and supernatural elements that could be involved to complicate things further.

Now that I've given that overview, I want start with delving into Frederic. He is a complicated character. He's a former priest who is now married. We learn there was an incident when he was younger. With that as well as wanting to marry Ethel, he either wasn't as devout or he was just not as strong in his faith as he would like us to believe. None of this is bad though. He made a poor decision. It went against what he is supposed to do in that position. That makes it an issue since he is 'abusing' his position. Outside of that though, it isn't a mortal sin. I also can't blame Aaron either. He has a right to be mad. This develops to make Frederic such a dense character with multiple dimensions. I should also give credit to Czerny. His performance brings it to life.

Where I want to then go would be if this is supernatural or not as well as the character of Aaron. I didn't know if this was going to be a horror film when it starts. We see the outcome of this tragedy. Then Aaron shows up. It is mysterious how he gets there and he is suspicious in the sense that he doesn't answer Frederic's questions directly. He also words his responses in a way to make Frederic pity him as well as to be able to stay. The whole time saying though that he can leave.

Now none of this is in line with what I said I was going to go into. Aaron knows things that he shouldn't. Is this because he lived them? Or was he given information through a higher power? I got vibes that if this is supernatural, then Frederic is forced to atone for his sins and is in line with the biblical story of Job. Frederic has things taken from him and must decide to give in or not. He's faced with a horrible decision that makes him question his faith even further. Is it God? It is Satan? Also, what happens at the end. Is it happening like he thinks or finally been broken by this ordeal? I like that this is ambiguous to allow us to make a choice. To give mine, I think that what Aaron is saying is real. Religion plays into it in my opinion as well.

I don't think there is more I need to go into for the story so I'll go over the other performances. I've said how good Czerny was already. Kuzyk is solid as his wife. She disappears though for stretches here. It isn't a bad thing though as she isn't being 'punished' outside of losing Joanie as well. O'Brien though is excellent. What is interesting is that this is a character study of Frederic. The one forcing him to come to terms is Aaron. What is interesting is how they develop this character is that we feel sorry for him while also not trusting him. By the end, we see that he is a villain. Not fully though. This made complicated character which is excellent. Other than that, I'd say the rest of the cast rounded this out for what was needed.

Then the last things to go into would be with the filmmaking. I'd say that this is well made. This is filmed in black and white. Sometimes that can come off as pretentious. I think that it adds something here. I forgot that it was to be honest as it just felt natural. What is interesting there is that I almost feel like you could correlate how the Masons are feeling due to the tragedy. This isn't a movie that needs effects outside of the ending. That is fine, especially since we aren't entirely sure if that is real or not. Other than that, the soundtrack fit for what was needed.

In conclusion, I'm glad that I watched this and didn't sleep on it. It won't be for everyone; I should establish that. This is a minimal story. There are layers to it that get revealed as things go on. The writing is well done to set up complex characters. Our 'hero' has a past and our villain isn't completely wrong. The acting helps to bring these characters to life. I also think this is a well-made movie from the cinematography to the soundtrack. Not a great movie, which should be said. I would recommend it though if you like a contained, character study. I mean that for horror and non-horror fans alike.

My Rating: 8 out of 10.

Excellent opera prima

[EdgarST · 10/10 · 11 December 2022]

«The Righteous» is an amazing first film by Mark O'Brien, a 38-year-old Canadian actor, who since 2005 began directing and writing well-received short films. In making this first feature film, O'Brien demonstrates mastery of the elements that make up his work, while delivering a first-class performance on camera, that inspires the excellent cast.

The movie addresses two subjects that genre filmmakers often combine: religion and fear. Or more specifically, Catholicism and terror. But just as the formula is liked, it is also one of the subgenres that incurs the most in sensationalism, green liquids, spinning heads and the profane. Not here. «The Righteous» is a sober, original, and well-written film, which I would only question its propensity for extensive use of dialogue.

The protagonist is Frederic (Czerny), a former priest who hides a couple of secrets that lead him to a deep moral and ethical crisis when his adoptive daughter dies. His wife Ethel (Kuzky) is devastated, but he endures most of the unexpected tragedy, realizing that he has some "unsettled issues with God." The conversations with his priest friend Graham confront him; the visits from Doris, the dead girl's biological mother, stress him out; and finally, the arrival of a stranger at his house, 20 kilometers from the nearest town, alters everything.

Aaron (played by the director) does not remember how he got there, why he is limping, and although the couple fear and mistrust his presence at first, they end up accepting him... until Aaron asks Frederic to kill him.

The interest of what follows increases as the minutes go by, up to the ending, when the film reaches a paroxysmal and almost apocalyptic conclusion. It is true that, for an audience accustomed to superheroes, Disney or anime, the verbal exchanges of «The Righteous» could seem enigmatic, not helped much by the inclination of the dialogues towards the arcane to explain motives and reasons. But it is not fair to reject a film because it is not made to please a large audience, that resists reducing its components to the lowest common denominator so that everyone "understands".

It is a film of our times for a special audience, who will know how to recognize the trot of the four horsemen in the final scene, without seeing them or learning who they are. An audience that will remember that, at the end of the day, even the righteous will fall.

Fear of God

[dworldeater · 9/10 · 18 June 2023]

The Righteous is a very original and appropriately grim psychological horror drama shot in black and white. The film was nicely shot with powerful acting and great dialogue. This film shows the dark side of Christianity with God as something to truly fear. Themed of guilt and the past coming back to haunt you for things you have done in the past are prevalent as well. The Righteous builds off not only strong performances and story, but also atmosphere and suspense. It is done extremely well in a classy and sophisticated manner. The Righteous is definitely a thinking man's horror movie and I really appreciated this bleak, but extremely well made film.