Item: Seven
Rating: 8
Author: The Arrow

Last Updated on August 2, 2021

"Arrow Recommends is a column that has my sorry ass advise older movies to your royal asses. I will be flexible in terms of genres i.e. I will cover whatever the bleep I want. For now, it will be the way to keep my voice on the site."

PLOT: It’s almost Easter and a Biblical inclined serial killer starts whacking peeps and running away with their body parts. Who is he/she? What’s his/her motive? That’s up to grieving Detective Prudhomme (Christopher Lambert) and his fast talking partner (Leland Orser) to find out.

"Do you have any idea how difficult it is to get away with murder? There are fifty ways to f*ck up a crime and if you can think of twenty of them, you're a genius. So far, this guy is batting a thousand. " – Prudhomme

LOWDOWN: I had another movie recommendation lined up for today, but being that it’s Good Friday and Easter weekend is upon us, I wanted to pick a solid genre film that somehow related to it. Sure I could’ve covered the hilarious NIGHT OF THE LEPUS (giant killer bunny movie), but I wanted something that used Christianity based themes in the name of horror – a tough combo to find outside of your usual demon/devil related stuff. But then It hit me like a ton of limp dicks – motherf*cking RESURRECTION (get the DVD or watch it HERE) starring class-act Christopher Lambert. It is so the ideal Easter horror jamboree! Here's why!

Stylishly directed by Russell Mulcahy (who also directed Lambert in the iconic Highlander), RESURRECTION was the best thing (in my useless opinion that is) that came out of the success of SEVEN in 1995. After that sucker hit the three cherries, all kinds of serial killer movies were pumped out (like Kiss the Girls or Copycat) and RESURRECTION was the best of the lot. Although it got a theatrical release in Europe, Asia and Australia, it went straight to DVD in North America and it’s a ow down dirty shame that to this day, it’s so under-seen. I am hoping that this Mountain Dew induced keyboard vomit brings more attention to it.

Resurrection wasted no time in tossing me into its gore bath to play its sordid game. The pace was fast, the suspense thick, the drama genuine/moving and the chain of events always gripping. The clever story/screenplay by Brad Mirman and star Christopher Lambert was filled with impact charged plot turns, solid dialogue, one hell of a mean streak and a killer that went buck nuts in terms of his religious M.O. I don’t want to spoil things so I'll keep it vague, but I'll just say that I loved how meticulous the killer was when it came to his dirty deeds and sticking to scripture. How he chose his victims, what he did to them and the WHY behind it all were pretty damn out there! And wait till you see what his end game is. F*cking nuts! Wow!

Another plus was that Mulcahy was on top of his game here putting forth all kinds of memorable set pieces. Top of my head; there was one murder (the last one) that totally stood out in terms of the novel way it was shot and the morose music it was tagged with. The scene came off as despair filled poetic, appalling and mucho sad.You don’t see a kill in a serial killer flick handled in this manner very often – and was one proof of just how brilliant Mulcahy can be. Well played! On top of that, I was sucker punched by wild camera movements, a sly use of stretched out lens, powerful slow motion/fast motion sequences, novel angles and a gleeful approach to the red grub. Speaking of gore, I have to applaud this one for going all out and then some with its graphic violence. I winced like a bitch in heat many o times throughout with that blood spraying decapitated leg gag being my highlight. Yeesh!

The cherry on top was the top-notch cast on deck! Christopher Lambert hit all the right notes as a man angry at God who now happens to be chasing a person who’s killing in the name of God. No, the irony wasn't lost on me. Cool parallel. We also got director David Cronenberg in a small role (playing a priest, even as a good guy, all I saw was Decker from Nightbreed though) and the always-reliable Robert Joy as a helpful FBI agent. But straight up, it was the great Leland Orser (who was also in SEVEN) that stole the show! He can nail dramatic and funny better than most out there and they used him to his full potential here. Man I love that dude! His performance alone made this one worth a look!

Any drawbacks? Sure, but nothing major. The narrative structure was borderline the exact same thing as SEVEN but I easily got past it. Furthermore, I always felt that Lambert figured out the killer’s end game too easily. Also was it me, or did the killer get much less intelligent once his/her identity was revealed? He/she did some dumb ass rookie moves in the last act. Lastly, the whodunit might have been a tad too easy to figure out – am not 100% on that one though, I don't remember if I saw through it on my first watch. Other than that? I got nothing!

I first saw RESURRECTION in the year 2000 on DVD (or was it VHS) and I wasn’t sure if it would still hold up today 18 years later. Am in a tizzy to report that f*ck yeah it did! You in the mood for a clipped paced, visually dynamic, well written and uber grisly Easter themed horror treat that has nothing to do with bunnies of any kind? RESURRECTION is for you. Now, where's my f-ing Blu-Ray already?! Somebody should get on this (cough, cough, Scream Factory) and re-release this bad boy for next Easter. I said it! Enjoy the long weekend mofos and mofettes! I'm out!