Let the Truth Reveal Itself

Way of the Wicked Review

Way of the Wicked

I try not to watch a horror movie for the first time without knowing at least a little information about it. I try to watch the trailer or read other’s thoughts on it, something to give me an idea of what I’m getting myself into. Sometimes, on the other hand, I just dive right in, with no background whatsoever and just hope for the best. I knew that Vinnie Jones and Christian Slater both had starring roles in Kevin Carraway’s film, Way of the Wicked, so I said, what the heck, how bad could it be…?

Father Henry (Slater) is convinced that a young neighborhood boy is somehow tied to the devil, after a schoolyard incident left one bully dead. Five years pass and that same young boy, Robbie (Jake Croker), now a 17-year-old student, has moved back into his old town, to the very school that his only childhood friend, Heather (Emily Tennant) is currently attending. The two friends get re-acquainted, but not without causing a little jealousy amongst the other students of the senior class. As the number of accidents and deaths seem to rack up once again, Father Henry tries convincing Heather’s father, John (Vinnie Jones), that Robbie is here to finish his job, as the devil as planned all along.

I commend Way of the Wicked for its ambition. It passes itself off as a cross between great films like The Omen and Carrie, but it just feels flat to me. It falls short of capturing any of the aspects of those films that actually made them as great as they are.

It is very confusing to me when films star some pretty talented actors, but under-utilizes them, making it seem that said actors really aren’t very talented, after all. Vinnie Jones is an okay fit for police officer, John Elliot, but seeing him in the daddy role just didn’t seem to work for me. Additionally, Christian Slater as the priest, Father Henry, is one of the most unconvincing performances I’ve ever seen. Admittedly, I haven’t seen too many of Slater’s films, but I have to think after all of these years, he is a better actor than what we witness in Way of the Wicked.

Likewise, I was very disappointed by Jake Croker’s character of Robbie. Not because he is this well-known actor of many years, but because he is the opposite of that. Here’s this young kid who I can be impressed by, but instead he delivers a forgettable performance lacking any kind of emotion. The only thing I may remember about the Robbie character is his strange haircut and his huffing and puffing face, after being attacked in the boys locker room.

I do appreciate the twist ending that writer Matthew Robert Kelly threw into the script, but it was too little too late for me and for a film that had a lot of potential, I was extremely let down.

If you’d like to see for yourself, you can purchase a copy of Way of the Wicked, being released by RLJ Entertainment and Image Entertainment, tomorrow, May 20.

I give this movie 1.5 giant golden crosses out of 5.

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