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Released by: Shout! Factory
Released on: May 28, 2013.
Director: Olli Saarela
Cast: Peter Franzen, Irina Bjorklund
Year: 2010
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The Movie:
Based on a series of Finnish crime novels, featuring police detective Timo Harjunpí¤í¤, PRIEST OF EVIL is a decent if slightly over complicated example of some of the current trends in European thrillers.
Timo is dealing with a great deal of turmoil and tragedy in his life. His 15 year old daughter was recently raped and murdered after a rock concert. Timo feels responsible for this because he was late picking her up from the show on the night she died. He also has another daughter and a wife who blames him for the death of their youngest child. To say Timo's home life is a disaster is an understatement. He's also showing up late to work and pissing off his bosses with his shoddy job performance.
In the midst of all this two narrative strands emerge - one is the impending release of Timo's daughters killer (who served a shockingly short prison sentence) and the other is a new case he is working on. The case involves the murder of someone on a subway platform that is actually the work of a serial killer. Timo manages to track down the suspect and chases him but is bested. He manages to beat the man up but the criminal lifts Timo's wallet.
As more killings occur Timo becomes increasingly unhinged. He and his family also become the targets of stalking by the subway killer. The murderer is a religious fanatic who targets his victims due to some arcane logic. The problem with this aspect of the film is that it doesn't really flow well or make sense.
Since this is a Finnish film shot in its native language, non-native viewers benefit from the "exotic" feel of the film. It certainly captures an interesting view of Helsinki that won't be popping up on any travel brochures soon. Similar in themes and graphic violence to a souped-up CSI episode it's an effective if convoluted experience. The strongest parts of the film are the ones relating to the severe disintegration of Timo's home life. This thriller elements are rote but handled efficiently. Overall, I found it interesting and engaging if a bit labor-intensive due to the over convoluted plot.
Video/Audio/Extras:
Shout Factory! deliver a good 2.35:1 anamorphic widescreen transfer for this. And while an HD presentation would have been infinitely preferable there are no complaints here for a standard def presentation. Color, clarity and definition are what you'd expect from a recent film and there are no image anomalies present.
The Dolby Digital 5.1 Finnish mix (with English subtitles) is accomplished and well laid out. Rear channel and LFE activity is present and judiciously applied. Dialog is always clear and there are no audio dropouts that I heard.
The only extra is the film's trailer.
The Final Word:
Recommended for fans of gritty foreign thrillers - PRIEST OF EVIL may have a sensationalistic title but its fairly thoughtful and well acted.
