Let Us Prey (Blu-ray / DVD)
Starring Pollyanna McIntosh, Liam Cunningham, Douglas Russell
Directed by Brian O’Malley
Distributed by Dark Sky Films
If time spent behind bars is not only meant to punish those who’ve run afoul of the law, but to make those guilty pay for their sins as well…then may I NEVER end up in a cell, strictly due to my excessive list of wrongdoings possibly condemning me for all eternity, and such is the case with director Brian O’Malley’s creep-fest Let Us Prey, which brings all-new meaning to the term “don’t do the crime if you can’t do the time.”
Pollyanna McIntosh (The Woman) takes the lead role as Constable Rachel Heggie, whose latest collar has nabbed her a sarcastic young driver (Andrew Parker), who by all looks and appearances has just committed vehicular assault. With a fresh coat of blood over the headlight of his car, but no victim to be found at the scene of the accident, we’ve already crossed over the threshold of the “WTF?” territory. Rachael’s relocation to her new job hasn’t earned her any love from her new Sergeant (Douglas Russell) or co-workers (Hanna Stanbridge, Bryann Larkin) either. As the sassy attitudes collide among all parties, another entity is introduced, and it comes in the form of a man known simply as “Six,” who may or may not be the victim of the aforementioned hit and run.
Six isn’t much of a talker, but when he does finally open his mouth, only the most mysteriously cryptic dialogue seeps out – the man knows PLENTY about his cellmates and displays some serious mind-bending to alter their thoughts and actions. As the night trucks on, the mood darkens and hell begins its descent upon the tiny police station. At the risk of blowing up a good time for any prospective viewers, I’ll refrain from spilling the details like fresh crimson and let you all bask in the darkness of a simple storyline, with evil undertones aplenty that manage to spice up an otherwise sluggish series of plot-points. This by no means is a visionary presentation in any essence, but O’Malley does a nice job of holding the dark cloud over the display.
McIntosh simply takes her role and plants an authoritative boot on its throat, displaying both the apprehensive newbie, as well as the hardened, kick-ass heroine in halves to complete a full-blown tough chick that can more than hold her own. Cunningham snags the other half of the co-mvp acting honors, giving off an ultimately eerie performance – his stare is blank and cold enough to freeze ice on a hot sidewalk. If you’re patient enough to wade through the film’s first-half mud-slogging marathon, then you’ll be rewarded with some juicy carnage in the latter acts.
Overall, I’ll happily offer this one up as a one-timer, strictly for the overwhelming dark mood contained within, and don’t hold O’Malley’s feet to the fire just yet, you skeptics – it’s his first tilt, and while this one won’t knock your socks off, it will entertain in a minimalist sense.
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Film
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