In recent years, the horror movie has taken a turn into the supernatural thriller.

Studios no longer seek to torture audiences, but instead scare them with cheap thrills and clichés. In an effort to rejuvenate the genre director, Scott Derrickson combines elements of the action thriller and horror genre for his latest film "Deliver Us From Evil." However, the end product is a confused movie that lacks any fresh ideas.

The film, starring Eric Bana and Edgar Ramirez, tells the story of Ralph Sarchie (Bana), an NYPD detective, who is confronted with a supernatural case that he is having trouble figuring out. As a result he seeks the help of an unconventional priest, Father Mendoza (Ramirez), who is schooled in the art of exorcism.

The film's major issues become clear right at the beginning. The movie opens in a desert area in Afghanistan with a number of soldiers in a battle. Suddenly, these soldiers enter a cave where they are attacked and the film goes to black. Derrickson then decides to cut to an action sequence with Sarchie and his partner Butler (Joel McHale) on a mission. The result is jarring, as nothing seems to connect and it takes too long to even get started or understand what exactly this movie is about.

Once Sarchie begins investigating the case of a possessed woman, Jane, who throws her child into a lion's den, the movie begins to get interesting, as Derrickson connects the soldiers from the beginning to this mysterious woman. However, it takes too long to get into this case as audiences must first see a conversation between Butler and Sarchie that drives the plot nowhere and which seems more like a filler to make a casual joke and keep the tone light.

This leads to the next issue. Derrickson attempts to infuse the movie with a number of gags which are led by Butler. In many instances, Butler has to throw a one liner that should elicit laughter. However, most of the time the one liners feel out of place especially when they are said during important investigation sequences. In one of the most crucial exorcism scenes that includes Mendoza and Sarchie in a police questioning room, Derrickson decides to cut to another detective Gordon (Dorian Missick) who is viewing the event through a glass window. Gordon's reactions are also there to elicit laughter and relief but ultimately it takes the viewer out of the climactic moment. Once Derrickson cuts back to the exorcism it is difficult to forget Gordon's over-emphatic reaction and, as a result, it is hard to take the entire exorcism scene seriously.    

Another big issue is the constant referencing to the music of The Doors. For whatever reason, every time a possessed human is around, the music of the aforementioned band starts playing and only Sarchie can hear it. While it can at some points be haunting, it ultimately does nothing for the story. There is never a single explanation as to why the music is used and the audiences are left confused when all is said and done. It also causes a huge distraction, particularly in the aforementioned exorcism scene. While Mendoza is performing his ritual all of a sudden the song "People are Strange" starts playing; the choice disturbs the tone and makes this tense moment borderline laughable.

The plot also has a number of holes. The possessed woman's story is ultimately connected to the soldier but her case is never resolved. Jane (Olivia Horton) is technically possessed by the devil and as a result is indestructible. Throughout the film it seems she is a very important character as she not only plays a crucial role in the investigation but she also has key scenes. There is even one scene where the director focuses on the character breaking out of an insane asylum and it seems as if this character will play a major role in the climax. However, Jane ultimately disappears in the film and her role, which is built up throughout, comes to nothing.

The importance of Sarchie's family is also questionable. Jen (Olivia Munn) and Christina (Lulu Wilson) serve for nothing more than to elicit clichéd scares. Munn's character comes off as a whiny wife who incessantly complains about her husband's night job. Meanwhile, Wilson's Christina only gets to do the casual screams. During one sequence, Christina hears scratching noises and later her door is locked. The sequence feels recycled from other movies. Even when the family gets attacked by one of the possessed soldiers, Santino (Sean Harris), Derrickson never really follows through and the conflict for Sarchie to save his family feels forced.

Derrickson's attempts at combining the action and horror also make the film feel like two different movies and ultimately the director resorts to tired and unoriginal camera movements. The action sequences are all filmed with handicam which are all jarring and difficult to see at times, especially since most of the movie takes place at night. One of the most difficult action sequences to see is the fight sequence between Butler and Santino. Both characters pull out knives and get into a very physical confrontation that Derrickson decides to cut with quick edits and handicam movements. The result, keeping with the frenetic mood, is nauseating and unwatchable.

Meanwhile, when Derrickson is shooting a scary sequence he resorts to the overused slow dolly, tilt and pan movements. For example, in one sequence when Sarchie is looking through his daughter's room to see what is causing scratches on the floor, Derrickson decides to tilt the camera down under the bed and later bring it back up to a mirror where an image of a bloody Santino appears. It is effective but it's ultimately overplayed various times in the film.

Another very jarring sequence which feels like it is part of another film is the flashback. When Sarchie tells Mendoza that he killed a pedophile, Derrickson decides to show another action sequence instead of keeping the camera on Bana's performance. This time, however, the sequence is shot as an experimental film with lots of oversaturation. The flashback sticks out greatly because at no point in the first hour and half is this style used. Earlier in the movie, Mendoza tells the story of an affair he had with one of his patients. However, rather than cutting to a flashback, Derrickson stays on Ramirez's performance; the choice is far more effective and potent thanks to the solid performance from Ramirez.

The movie, however, does have some redeeming qualities. Eric Bana and Edgar Ramirez give strong performances with very credible Brooklyn accents. Bana embodies the tough guy policeman with swagger and charisma. However, beneath it all he gives the character a vulnerability that makes Sarchie three-dimensional. Meanwhile, Ramirez gives Father Mendoza a mysterious feel. As the film starts to develop and Mendoza reveals why he became a priest, Ramirez quickly breaks and his weaknesses start to appear. However, as good as these actors are, they deserve better.

"Deliver Us from Evil" is ultimately an overlong messy film with cheap thrills and quite forgettable. The lack of a unison style ultimately makes the movie confused and hard to follow. While the intentions are understood, one wishes there was a more defined and original way of making the film. If you're looking for a procedural horror film, look elsewhere.