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| Red Lights |
July 1 2012 – Traversing the country for the sole purpose of debunking psychic phenomena, faith healers and the odd grifter who crosses their path is the M.O. that paranormal researchers Dr. Margaret Matheson (Sigourney Weaver) and assistant Tom Buckley (Cillian Murphy) have enlisted. With uncompromising ease, Matheson picks apart a series of unexplained phenomena with paint-by-numbers precision as she finds “Red Lights” (anomalies that reveal themselves as part of everyday life) that form the basis for all paranormal activity. Matheson’s 30 years of debunkery have left her hollow, hard and questioning the very existence of life itself as she holds intermittent vigils for her dying son.
When legendary blind psychic Simon Silver (Robert De Niro) comes out of retirement after 30 years, his once fearless adversary Matheson warns Buckley to stay away. Matheson’s undercurrents of fear towards Silver is never really explained but we feel that tension manifest itself in Buckley’s psyche. Its this tension that becomes the sole driver that forces Buckley to reexamine his core beliefs while stopping at nothing to expose Silvers secrets.
Kudos to writer, director Rodrigo Cortes for crafting a taut edgy thriller layered with an A-list cast that’s rounded out by Toby Jones and Elizabeth Olsen. The city of Toronto helped set this moody turn with various locations that create the gritty dark side of all things paranormal. Although a couple of melodramatic plots twists underwhelmed in their delivery, Cortes still managed to elicit the supernatural that makes this psychological thriller worthy of your time.
Review: 3.5 / 5 Red Lights pulses with intensity.
Review by: John Dash
