Red Lights
Two investigators of paranormal hoaxes, the veteran Dr. Margaret Matheson and her young assistant, Tom Buckley, study the most varied metaphysical phenomena with the aim of proving their fraudulent origin. Simon Silver, a legendary blind psychic, reappears after an enigmatic absence of 30 years to become the greatest international challenge for both orthodox science and professional skeptics. Tom starts to develop an intense obsession with Silver, whose magnetism becomes stronger with each new manifestation of inexplicable events. As Tom gets closer to Silver, tension mounts, and his worldview is threatened to its core…
2.4 out of 5 based on 13 reviews
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Omniscore:
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| Certificate |
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| Genre |
Thriller |
| Director |
Rodrigo Cortés |
| Cast |
Elizabeth Olsen, Sigourney Weaver, Joely Richardson, Cillian Murphy Robert De Niro |
| Studio |
Momentum Pictures |
| Release Date |
June 2012 |
| Running Time |
109 mins |
| |
Two investigators of paranormal hoaxes, the veteran Dr. Margaret Matheson and her young assistant, Tom Buckley, study the most varied metaphysical phenomena with the aim of proving their fraudulent origin. Simon Silver, a legendary blind psychic, reappears after an enigmatic absence of 30 years to become the greatest international challenge for both orthodox science and professional skeptics. Tom starts to develop an intense obsession with Silver, whose magnetism becomes stronger with each new manifestation of inexplicable events. As Tom gets closer to Silver, tension mounts, and his worldview is threatened to its core…
Reviews
Empire Magazine
David Hughes
“An impressive cast ... have their work cut out selling this overwrought thriller which, in its best moments, combines Hitchcockian intricacy with the cinematic sleight-of-hand of Christopher Nolan’s The Prestige, but more often feels like a shabby X-Files episode with 50 times the budget but a fraction of the wit.”
12/06/2012
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The Evening Standard
The Evening Standard
“Elizabeth Owen appears as Murphy’s prize student and would-be lover and there are parts too for Toby Jones and Joely Richardson. With this cast and Cortez’s smart directing, Red Lights examines the distance between fakery and reality with some aplomb, even if by the end you feel slightly cheated by its attempt to be a less intelligent version of Inception.”
15/06/2012
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The Guardian
Mike McCahill
“ It's the kind of semi-savvy pulp nonsense that'll do if your first choice is sold out.”
14/06/2012
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The Observer
Philip French
“After an extremely interesting first hour demonstrating their investigative methods, the movie flags rather badly. The climax is preceded by one of the most absurdly violent fights of recent years staged in a lavatory where the combatants inflict terrible injuries on basins and toilets.”
17/06/2012
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Total Film
Richard Jordan
“Some will think it preposterous, even pretentious; others will find it perfect fodder to debate over a post-screening pint. Either way, it’s destined to intrigue and infuriate in equal measure.”
11/06/2012
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Screen
Tim Grierson
“The reality is that Red Lights isn’t hamstrung so much by its slowly intensifying pace as it is by a generally loopy execution that, while endearingly goofy at times, tends to undercut the film’s sense of creeping dread. Rather than proving himself a master of switching between tones, Cortes errs by treating his outlandish story deadly seriously, which can provoke the occasional unintentional laugh because of the overwrought happenings on screen.”
21/01/2012
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The Daily Telegraph
Tim Robey
“Half of a decent role for Sigourney Weaver is better than none at all, but this bottom-drawer hokum about debunkers of the alleged paranormal comes at us with a regrettably dim script and very uncertain style from gimmick-fond director Rodrigo Cortés”
14/06/2012
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Time Out
Ben Walters
“A dollop of ‘The X Files’, a dash of ‘The Sixth Sense’ and a whole lot of blah. ”
13/06/2012
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The Times
Kevin Maher
“the kind of workmanlike piffle that might have slipped straight to video if it wasn’t for the starring presence of Robert De Niro, Cillian Murphy and Sigourney Weaver.”
15/06/2012
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The Sunday Times
Edward Porter
“If you could read De Niro’s mind, you’d probably find him to be focusing intently on his pay cheque, but he at least finds the energy for a bit more shouting than we’ve had from him recently.”
17/06/2012
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The Independent
Anthony Quinn
“Cortés can't keep a high portentousness from leaking into the mood. The philosophical talk of truth and illusion feels just a bit creaky after the sealed-coffin nightmare of his earlier (and brilliant) Buried.”
15/06/2012
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The Daily Mail
Chris Tookey
“manages to create an intriguing scenario, but the characters feel thin and unexplored. Worse, [Cortes'] screenwriting skills let him down with a couple of melodramatic plot twists that are meant to be clever but undermine the plausibility of all that has gone before.”
15/06/2012
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The Scotsman
Alistair Harkness
“Cortés leapfrogs up the Hollywood ladder with this disappointing slice of sub-Shyamalan silliness.”
14/06/2012
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