The Rite: And All Things Wrong With It

To some degree, all the characters in The Rite are searching for a clear delineation between black and white within a hotly debated and controversial topic – the existence of evil and its manifestations within our lives – that is largely shrouded in countless shades of philosophical, psychological, and theological gray. After all, they say the devil's greatest trick is to convince us he doesn't exist. Therefore, it should be no surprise that despite the fact that Michael Kovak (Colin O'Donoghue) studies to become a priest, he's extremely skeptical of the whole "my name is Legion, for we are many" thing. "These people need to see a psychiatrist," Michael frequently insists.

It also makes sense then that the man he trains under, Father Lucas Trevant (Anthony Hopkins), experiences his own moments of uncertainty, despite having resided over countless exorcisms, some of which have resulted in the possessed (or would patients be a more suitable word?). "Just because you don't believe in the devil, doesn't mean you're safe from him," retorts Father Lucas.

So we've got an old priest and a young priest – one steadfast in his faith, one who doesn't have any – trying to find the black and white within the gray together. Pretty standard stuff for a film about exorcism, right? Right. And that's exactly what's wrong with the film.

A clear delineation between black and white is totally acceptable when it comes to the themes and morals found within a film. Most films, especially those from Hollywood, are meant to be cathartic more than revelatory, and screenwriter Michael Petroni, himself compelled by the power of Christ, knows what notes to hit when it comes to conveying, "I think this" instead of commanding, "you think this."

Aside from that, the script for The Rite is, unlike the tone of the film, a nightmare seemingly assembled from scenes jettisoned from the first draft of a better film about exorcism. All the things that aspiring screenwriters were taught not to do in Screenwriting 101 can be found included in The Rite. Do you want gratuitous exposition? You've got it. How about flashbacks and dream sequences with art house aspirations that muddle the story? They're yours. Don't want to think too much about how your setups will be paid off? The Rite has you covered.

But perhaps the worst offense committed by The Rite is that both Petroni and director Mikael Håfström execute the story in a bland, black and white manner. You know how if you make enough photocopies of photocopies you'll eventually just wind up with solid masses of black and white that somewhat resemble your initial picture? That's The Rite. Though it contains many of the scenes you'd expect to see in a film about exorcism – the establishment of doubt, the physical manifestations of an evil presence to test that doubt, the climactic showdown, the ultimate confirmation – they feel hollow and colorless, simple copy and paste jobs from The Exorcist or The Exorcism of Emily Rose instead of intimate explorations into the fate of these individual mens' souls.

The exorcisms lack any weight or tension considering their implications to all parties involved, and most of the blame for that should be laid at the feet of Håfström, who between 1408 and now apparently forgot how to craft tone and who can't coax an even mediocre performance from the incredibly stiff Colin O'Donoghue. Were a better actor cast in the role around which the entire film is supposed to revolve, then perhaps I'd care more about whether or not Michael discovers his vocation, and perhaps Anthony Hopkins' equally grave and eccentric performance wouldn't stand out as the film's sole redeeming factor. But as it stands, The Rite is a bland and colorless film dealing with a topic that should be anything but.