Páiric O'Corráin
Shelter (6 Souls): Forensic Psychiatrist Cara Harding (Julianne Moore) doesn't believe in Multiple Personality Disorder but her father (Jeffrey Munn), also a psychiatrist, tries to shake up her thinking by introducing her to Adam (Jonathan Rhys Meyers) who is also David and Wesley. Apparently some of his physical abilities and characteristics change with his personalities.Not just a tale of a disturbed patient, this film also brings in serial killing, Appalachian Folk Magic and a curse. Good Folk Horror but with perhaps a few too many forced shocks. At 112 minutes it would have benefited from a 15 minutes cut in it's running time. Convincing acting by Moore and Meyers. 6.5/10.
Paul Evans
I quite enjoyed this, it's one of those films I saw the trailer, was wowed by it, and wanted to be utterly blown away by. Excellent in a number of ways, principally the performances of Julianne Moore and Jonathan Rhys Meyers, the latter in particular fantastic. A very dark story, with some cracking concepts. Lost its way a bit when the Witch Doctor was introduced, those scenes were so over the top they spoiled it a bit.I wonder if M Night Shyamalan took anything from this when it came to developing Split.Some genuinely creepy, dark moments, not least the moments with Cara's father, and then daughter suffering at the hands of David. To begin with it's a little slow, the directing could have been a bit punchier, but as it opens up and moves along it becomes rather engrossing.Dark, watchable, but could have been so much better, 7/10
jaigurudavid
From the beginning, this movie can't decide what it is. A psychological thriller? A supernatural horror movie? Something else? I have no problem with a film that spans genres, or ever creates a new genre, but this film seems to fall into a narrow crack between genres.The story seems to be a hodgepodge of elements of other movies, including Soultaker (1990), The Green Mile (1999), and Fallen (1998). At just about every critical point in the film, my wife and/or I could predict the next event, or at least narrow it down to two possibilities. Very few surprises or original ideas.Julianne Moore's acting is palatable if not inspiring. Jonathan Rhys Meyers' acting is forced and cliché' and he comes across as a budget Jim Caviezel or an improved Eric Roberts.Also, so the movie makes a few references to "Night of the Living Dead," thus violating MST3K's Tom Servo's precept "Man, never show a good movie in the middle of your crappy movie." If it weren't so well filmed, with some great shots and scenery, I would have given this movie one star.
Brandon Stephens
Dr. Cara Harding (played by Julianne Moore) is a forensic psychiatrist whose faith in God has been shaken but not totally broken due to the death of her husband, yet her belief in science stays strong. She herself is a great mind in her field but isn't open to accepting anything new in the area of unexplained psychiatric theories, her father (played by The Walking Dead's Jeffrey DeMunn) introduces her to Adam,(played with a uncanny brilliance by Dracula's Jonathan Rhys Meyers) a patient with multiple personalities who also takes on the impossible physical characteristics of his other personalities.Jonathan Rhys Meyers, is a Irish born actor who is completely mesmerizing in character. When he tackles multiples accents from various distinct areas in the US, you question yourself he is Irish or not, it's a truly a amazing thing to hear. He has such a strong presence whether he is playing weak, fragile, or strong & terrifying you just can't take your eyes off of him. His chameleon-like ability even surpasses Edward Norton's performance in PRIMAL FEAR.As the story continues, the personalities get more intense as we begin to get various back stories as well as present abnormalities in the possibility that "ADAM" is faking this condition. It's not till later on that a sinister presence is introduced and completely takes Dr. Cara Harding and her father for a complete mindfuck. Once this presence makes it self known Cara quickly discovers that the more she finds out about Adam and his past, the closer she and her loved ones are to becoming murder victims themselves.This film has a wonderful buildup and the tension itself well written. The visuals are well done and are quite believable. The acting in my opinion is top notch and it has enough scares as well as psychological aspects to keep you on the edge of your seat until the final twist at the end.
AD
