The Righteous (2021) (BLU-RAY REVIEW)
Director: Mark O’Brien
Starring: Henry Czerny, Mark O’Brien, Mayko Nguyen
RATED: UR/REGION A/2:39/1080P/NUMBER OF DISCS 1
AVAILABLE FROM Arrow Video
A brooding occult horror with echoes of Bergman and Pasolini, The Righteous insinuates its way beneath the skin by way of an intelligent script, taut direction, and strong performances. Writer and actor Mark O’Brien (Ready or Not) pulls no punches as he confronts grief, guilt, faith and atonement in his remarkable directorial debut. A former priest, Frederic Mason (Henry Czerny), anguished by the tragic death of his young daughter, finds himself wrestling with his religious convictions when a mysterious young man (Mark O’Brien) appears wounded on his doorstop in need of assistance. After he and his wife Ethel (Mimi Kuzyk) welcome him across the threshold and into their household, Frederic sees an opportunity for redemption in this mysterious and troubled lost soul, who might just be an emissary from God, or maybe the Devil…
Everybody knows Arrow Video isn’t just about old movies (even though they do a great job on them), they also have very nice releases of modern things and that is what we get with 2021’s The Righteous. A movie that you can now own on Blu-ray from Arrow Video. Keeping with the norm for modern movies that have special release treatment from Arrow Video, The Righteous is a bit on the artsy side and comes complete with being in black and white. Because everybody knows black and white is a sure sign of being a bit on the ol’ fancy side of things. We follow an older couple here who has lost their adopted daughter and as you can guess that isn’t easy. People are questioning their faith among other things but stuff gets going as soon as a young man comes stumbling into their life hurt but not really giving out any info to the couple. You know, that never does end up being a good thing.
So things tend to get a bit complicated as the young man has lots of evil and weird things going on with him and what follows is a story that will be a bit mixed for most people that watch it. The movie being in black and white alone will turn most off and for those that it doesn’t the slow burn of the plot might just be enough to drive them over the edge with this one. So you have to have a love for the style and for a movie that likes to take its time before you’ll really be into this one. I’m sorta into all of those things to a point, but even I am not sure if the payoff is worth what we get leading up to it. So, if you like artsy horror flicks then you might want to give it a try. If that isn’t you, then you should know what to do.
Extras
- High Definition (1080p) Blu-ray presentation
- Original 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio
- Optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing
- Brand new audio commentary by writer, director and actor Mark O’Brien and editor Spencer Jones
- Cast and crew interviews with writer/director/actor Mark O’Brien, producer Mark O’Neill, actors Henry Czerny, Mimi Kuzyk, and Kate Corbett, editor Spencer Jones, cinematographer Scott McClellan, and production designer Jason Clarke
- Roundtable discussion with Mark O’Brien and Matt Bettinelli-Olpin, Tyler Gillett and Chad Villella of Radio Silence
- Stage Presentation and Q&A with Mark O’Brien and Henry Czerny from the World Premiere at Fantasia International Film Festival 2021
- Grimmfest 2021 live-streamed Q&A with Mark O’Brien
- Original soundtrack
- Image gallery, accompanied by the film’s original score by Andrew Staniland
- Reversible sleeve featuring newly commissioned artwork by Grant Boland and Oink Creative
