The Raven (2012 film)
| The Raven | |
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| Directed by | James McTeigue |
| Produced by | Marc D Evans Trevor Macy Aaron Ryder |
| Written by | Ben Livingston Hannah Shakespeare |
| Starring | John Cusack Alice Eve Michele Hudson Luke Evans |
| Music by | Lucas Vidal |
| Cinematography | Danny Ruhlmann |
| Editing by | Niven Howie |
| Studio | FilmNation Entertainment Intrepid Pictures |
| Distributed by | Relativity Media[1] |
| Release date(s) |
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| Running time | 111 minutes[2] |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $26 million[3] |
| Box office | $26,059,817[4] |
The Raven is a 2012 American thriller film directed by James McTeigue and based on a screenplay by Ben Livingston and Hannah Shakespeare.[5] It stars John Cusack, Alice Eve, Brendan Gleeson and Luke Evans. It was released March 9, 2012 in Canada, Ireland, the United Kingdom and the United States on April 27, 2012.
Set in 1849,[6] it is a fictionalized account of the last days of Edgar Allan Poe's life, in which the poet and author pursues a serial killer whose murders mirror those in Poe's stories. While the plot of the film is fictional, the writers based it on some accounts of real situations surrounding Edgar Allan Poe's mysterious death. Poe is said to have repeatedly called out the name "Reynolds" on the night before his death, though it is unclear to whom he was referring. The title derives from Poe's poem "The Raven", in the similar manner of the unrelated 1935 and 1963 previous films.
Panned by critics, the film barely made back its budget. The visual affects garnered praise, as did the musical score by Lucas Vidal, but reviewers criticized the various twists and turns of the plot-lines as well as the performances.
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Plot [edit]
In 19th century Baltimore, Maryland, several policemen burst into an apartment to discover a murdered woman sprawled on the floor. Detective Emmett Fields is called to assist in the investigation and discovers that the crime resembles a fictional murder in the short story "The Murders in the Rue Morgue".
The alcoholic writer, Edgar Allan Poe, is brought to see Fields for questioning and learns someone is using his stories as the backdrop for a series of murders. The two men are called to investigate the murders and Edgar's fiancee Emily is held as ransom. Poe's lodgings are burned down by people who believe he is responsible for the murders, and he moves in with Fields.
Poe and Fields search tunnels under the city with several policemen and discover the walled-up corpse. Two clues are found. Poe and Fields deduce these clues to refer to the Holy Cross church. As the police attempt to break down the church doors, the killer attacks and wounds Fields. Poe gives chase but the killer escapes. Poe writes a new column and tells the killer that he's tired of this.
In the morning, the maid gives Poe a letter from the killer. Believing the editor to be the murderer, Poe races to the newspaper office but finds the editor's corpse. The real killer then appears and congratulates Poe on finding him. The murderer gives Poe a vial of poison and tells him to drink it in exchange for the location of Emily. Once Poe is too weak to go for help, the murderer tells Poe that he's moving to Paris with the name "Reynolds" and where to find Emily.
As the killer leaves, Poe rescues Emily and then wanders off to a park bench to die. A man recognizes him as "Edgar Poe," the famous writer. All that the dying Poe can say to the man is "Tell Fields his name is Reynolds". When Fields comes to view Poe's corpse at the hospital, the attending physician tells him the writer's last words.
In Paris the killer enters a carriage where Fields greets him with a pistol.
Cast [edit]
- John Cusack as Edgar Allan Poe
- Luke Evans as Inspector Emmett Fields
- Alice Eve as Emily Hamilton
- Brendan Gleeson as Captain Hamilton
- Oliver Jackson-Cohen as PC Cantrell
- Jimmy Yuill as Captain Eldridge
- Kevin McNally as Maddux
- Sam Hazeldine as Ivan
- Pam Ferris as Mrs. Bradley
- John Warnaby as Griswold, a reference to Rufus Wilmot Griswold
- Brendan Coyle as Reagan
Production [edit]
Jeremy Renner was originally going to star in the film (playing the role later taken by Luke Evans), but he dropped out so that he could star in Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol.[7] Ewan McGregor was also in talks for a role,[8] but he also dropped out.[9] On August 28, 2010, it was confirmed that John Cusack would play Edgar Allan Poe in the film. Joaquin Phoenix was also approached to star at one point.[10]
The filming began on November 9, 2010 in Belgrade and Budapest.[11] The first images from the set were revealed on November 15, 2010.[12] A trailer for the film was released online October 7, 2011. This date is significant because it also marks the anniversary of Poe's death at age 40 in 1849. In 2011 Relativity acquired U.S. rights for only $4 million.[13]
Reception [edit]
Critical reaction to The Raven has been mostly negative. The film holds a rating of 22% on Rotten Tomatoes based on 123 reviews[14] and a 46 on Metacritic.[15] James Berardinelli gave the film two and a half stars out of four, writing: "The Raven looks great and is well-paced, but a lack of a compelling resolution makes it an anemic effort."[16] Mick LaSalle of the San Francisco Chronicle wrote, "The story has its moments, and yet there is something about this tale ... that doesn't completely satisfy."[17] Richard Roeper though gave the movie a very positive review, giving the movie a B+.
The Raven barely brought back its budget at the box office by grossing $26.05 million worldwide on a budget of $26 million.
See also [edit]
References [edit]
- ^ "The Raven". Relativity Media. Retrieved 2012-07-15.
- ^ "The Raven". bbfc.co.uk. British Board of Film Classification. January 9, 2012. Retrieved January 9, 2012.
- ^ Los Angeles Times http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/entertainmentnewsbuzz/2012/04/five-year-engagement-box-office-raven.html
|url=missing title (help). - ^ "The Raven (2012)". Box Office Mojo. Internet Movie Database. Retrieved May 15, 2012.
- ^ "Luke Evans and Alice Eve in James McTeigue’s The Raven". HollywoodTrailers.net. Retrieved 2011-07-22.
- ^ Nathan Clark (2012-05-07). "The Raven « The Washtenaw Voice". The Washtenaw Voice. Retrieved 2012-07-15.
- ^ "The Raven Loses Jeremy Renner, Gains Luke Evans, Alice Eve". ScreenCrave.com. Retrieved 2011-07-22.
- ^ "Jeremy Renner and Ewan McGregor in Talks for James McTeigue’s Raven; Renner Might Also Star in Peter Berg’s Battleship". /Film. Retrieved 2011-07-22.
- ^ "John Cusack Is The Raven's Poe – So Tweeteth the actor...". EmpireOnline.com. Retrieved 2011-07-22.
- ^ Kit, Borys (2010-10-14). "Joaquin Phoenix not quitting acting just yet". The Hollywood Reporter. Associated Press. Retrieved 2011-09-14.
- ^ "First Set Photos of John Cusack as Edgar Allan Poe in James McTeigue’s THE RAVEN". Collider.com. Retrieved 2011-07-22.
- ^ "Look At John Cusack As Poe In THE RAVEN First Set Photo". RamaScreen.com. Retrieved 2011-07-22.
- ^ Forecast: 'Five-Year' Will Likely Lead Last Weekend of Spring
- ^ The Raven at Rotten Tomatoes
- ^ Critic Reviews for The Raven at Metacritic
- ^ Raven, The – Reelviews Movie Reviews
- ^ "'The Raven' review: "Cusack inspired, movie isn't" – San Francisco Chronicle
External links [edit]
- The Raven at the Internet Movie Database
- The Raven at Rotten Tomatoes
- The Raven at Metacritic
- The Raven at Box Office Mojo
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