Regression (2015)

"It's incredibly important that you tell us everything."

See Hermione, this is why you attend your Defence Against the Dark Arts classes.

A father is accused of a heinous crime that he has no memory of committing.

I had a few hours to kill this weekend so I thought that Ethan Hawke in a thriller about gruesome satanic rituals would be a safe bet for something enjoyable to watch. Probably says more about my thought process than I first realised but that's where we're at.
I had seen the trailer which, admittedly, looked pretty decent and I'm a fan of witchcraft and the likes so I buckled up for some dark cinema.

Unfortunately, 'Regression' honestly left me a little bored.

It sets out with a man being accused of a crime that he can't remember committing which involves satanic rituals and his young daughter who, since the crime, has been living in the local church. Ethan Hawke plays the cardboard cut-out movie detective who doesn't like playing by the rules but is a good detective nonetheless. He takes on the case and, just like that, we have our movie.

I think there's a lot wrong with 'Regression' which, for me, is mainly the culmination of some questionable writing and acting. This fatal blend always results in a totally unbelievable film that you can't invest yourself in. 

Ethan Hawke gives a passable performance as the detective handling the case but it certainly isn't his best. There's a lot of shouting and intense stares but not a lot of great acting on display. In his defence, there's some awkward dialogue to get out and he has some pretty flat performances to bounce off which doesn't help at all, Emma Watson being one of them. She delivers an average performance of a character who could have been so much more interesting. I know for a fact that her character is more interesting than what's on screen because it's almost the exact same character from a well known piece of literature but, incase of spoilers, I'll leave it to be discovered. In short, she's flat as a pancake in this film and it really takes it's toll on the viewer.

When you mix this unstable cast with a cliché ridden script then it just becomes dull. There's not much tension or atmosphere created, there are a few jump scares that are a bit cheap and it has an ending that should have been a lot more impactful that it was. It has all the trademarks of a dark and sinister film with the ambient lighting, the moody tone and the brooding mystery but lacks the substance.

What was frustrating about 'Regression' was that it had some pretty interesting ideas but it felt like a movie. Nothing that is said or done is believable, every scene feels like a scene from a film rather than a natural flow of narrative. It does a terrible job of pulling you into the story which is a tough thing to recover from. It has a handful of scenes that hold a glimmer of hope but a scattering of good scenes amongst a film falling short of the mark isn't enough to pull it back. 

The film has to be commended for it's attempt in doing what it does towards the end but it just makes a meal out of it. The mystery is the most important part of this film and what clues you do get to solve the puzzle are not the most subtle. It's heavy handed in every way and, on the whole, becomes overly pantomime compared to what it could and should have been.

In terms of the imagery in the film, there are definitely some images that creep you out. The scenes involving the satanic cult are quite horrific but, again, it feels like style over substance in this case. 

Overall, 'Regression' boasts an interesting trailer that does capture the vibes of the film but I couldn't help but feel disappointed. You can really see what they're going for but, ultimately, they just don't pull it off. It had potential but doesn't capitalise on the promise that it makes. The intriguing concepts were good but have, unfortunately, been explored better in the past which leaves 'Regression' a little stale and redundant.

Not a great film for a dark night in with the wind howling outside but maybe just one to catch if it's in the reduced to clear bucket. It's the type of film that you won't feel bad paying like £2 for instead of the full cinema ticket.

It's the Halloween season so here's hoping there'll be some more dark films to help me remember why I love Halloween!