Apostle is 2018 American/British action horror film written and directed by Gareth Evans (The Raid 2; V/H/S/2 ‘Safe Haven’ segment; The Raid: Redemption). The movie stars Dan Stevens, Lucy Boynton, Mark Lewis Jones, Bill Milner, Kristine Froseth and Michael Sheen.
The year is 1905. Thomas Richardson travels to a remote island to rescue his sister after she’s kidnapped by a mysterious religious cult demanding a ransom for her safe return. It soon becomes clear that the cult will rue the day it baited this man, as he digs deeper and deeper into the secrets and lies upon which the commune is built…
Reviews:
“Evans departs from his usual action fare to weave a gripping story centered around unique Pagan-like mythology steeped in blood and sacrifice. It’s folk horror, but with a new level of brutality and viscera unlike most of its ilk. A slow-burn mystery that crescendos into madness, Apostle made me a firm believer.” Bloody Disgusting
“It’s a surprising, sometimes shocking cult horror movie that mixes the legacy of The Wicker Man with carnal, fleshy frights and a hint of freaky folklore. It’ll make you groan and grimace through the torment, but it will get your heart racing in all the right ways, even when it occasionally stumbles over its own ambition.” Collider
“One of the best things about this upcoming Netflix original, aside from the stunning visual feast that it winds up being from beginning to end, is the top-to-bottom showcase of raw acting talent. Dan Stevens, who has proven himself a formidable leading man in the past in projects such as The Guest and Legion, delivers a powerhouse performance.” Movie Web
“Some people will consider Apostle incoherent, but it’s the eagerness to deliver an exact vision that I admired about this strange, frightening work. In an era when more and more films feel focus-grouped to death or designed to sell toys, it can still be refreshing to see one that it is so completely the crazy brainchild of its creator.” RogerEbert.com
“There is a lot to like in Gareth Huw Evans’ ambitious folk horror tale, Apostle. The problem might be that there is just too much of everything to really fall in love. The film takes huge swings at slightly incongruous tones and while it works to create a sense of unease throughout the running time, it does leave this viewer wondering exactly what kind of film this is meant to be.” Screen Anarchy
“Apostle is a solid mystery-thriller, but save for predictably engaging performances from Stevens and Sheen, it’s largely unremarkable. Though it’s interesting to see Evans tackle something a little more conventional, this feels almost too conventional for the man who gave us The Raid and its sequel.” Screen Crush
