Resurrection (1999) User Reviews

More than a rip-off of "Se7en"

[Johnnee-2 · 7/10 · 27 November 1999]

While I sat through the first half-hour of "Resurrection", all I could think about was how closely it resembled "Se7en". It had the same basic theme: two cops investigating a series of brutal (and unsettlingly gory) murders that follow a common theme. I couldn't help but dismiss it as a pointless, direct-to-video rip-off, but soon I found myself strangely immersed.

"Resurrection" is better than I thought it would be. Once the story started rolling along, I was surprised at how well the movie was made. The suspense scenes are first-rate, the screenplay is smart and intriguing, and the acting is well above average. Though it's not a great movie, it's definitely well worth a watch if you're into the serial-killer subgenre. 7/10

Get past the similarities

[refinedsugar · 7/10 · 9 September 2000]

Resurrection is intended to be a dark and creepy ninety minutes of serial killer heaven so probably the first thing that will jump to mind is 'that other movie'. You know the one I'm talking about. As such, its bound to suffer the wraith of armchair critics everywhere. However if you can keep your expectations in check - you'll find a decent flick that stands on its own. Don't be too quick to judge this one.

The dark foreboding imagery, religious overtones and a crazed killer has been done. The constantly dreary atmosphere, dark locales. The detective with a broken past, the second string banana who's the direct opposite of his partner. The twist you're not supposed to see coming. These are the conventions. That is formula, but its unfair to label Resurrection a rip-off. It features some good production values and there's no denying this is one of Christopher Lambert's better efforts. He's one of those guys that has slipped into B-movie obscurity like some actors do. In fact, this was a pleasant surprise.

I'm not saying Resurrection is the best thing ever, but all things considered - it's better than eighty percent of the dtv offerings I've picked up off video store shelves. The acting might falter at times, but there are also moments that rise above. A satisfying flick in its own right.

Parts of a Man

[sol1218 · 6/10 · 22 November 2008]

***SPOILERS*** What the movie "Resurrection" shows is that religious nuts, from all dominations and cultures, are about as dedicated to their religious beliefs as those who try to suppress and eradicate them.

This deranged psycho is out on the streets of Chicago trying to replicated Jesus' Easter suffering by using unsuspecting persons, whom he kidnaps and brutally murders, body parts in his recreating Jesus' ordeal on the Cross. This wacko goes so far as seeking out his victim in that they have the same biblical names that connects them, in the Bible, with Jesus' Apostles! He also makes sure that his victims are also the same age that Jesus was when he was crucified: 33 years old!

It's transplanted , from New Orleans, Cajun Chicago police detective John Prudhomme, Christopher Lambert, who gets the jump on the killer by deciphering his notes, that he carved into his victims bodies, he left at his crime scenes. Det. Prudhomme's attempt to catch the elusive killer leads to his partner Det. Hollinsworth, Leland Orsen, ending up not only getting shot by the police, in mistaking him for the killer, but having his left leg cut off, by the killer, when he's left alone and under intensive care in his hospital room!

As things turn out it takes FBI profiler Agent Wingate, Robert Joy, to get Det. Prudhomme as well as the Chicago PD to finally get it straight in not just why this psycho is committing these ghastly crimes but who he really is! This revelation, on Agent Wingate's part, is by far the most shocking and surprising sequence in the movie.

What really makes the movie "Ressurection" go completely downhill is that after the killer's identity is revealed he walks right into a trap, that with his great intelligence and intuition he should have seen coming, that Det. Prudhomme and the Chicago PD set for him. With the killer being so smart as well as omnipresent during the first 75 minutes of the movie he then, after he's discovered, does everything in not at all bothering to prove his innocence that he easily can, by his manipulating the law and the courts, but goes out of his way in his death wish-like effort to prove his guilt instead! This has him going on a mindless and murderous rampage knocking off some dozen people by the time the movies over! Most, if not all, of those that he murders have nothing at all to do with his sick scheme in replicating the Miracle of Easter!

You have to have a really strong stomach to be able to sit through this movie that tries to outdo the film "Se7en" which has an almost identical storyline. "Ressurection" goes to show how unchecked religion, or religious fanaticism, can effect a disturbed and unstable mind who uses it for his own sick and maniacal purpose's. In the case of the movie "Ressurection" the sick person who's mind is effected uses religion, like the psycho in Se7en, to mask his dark and deep psychotic and murderous fantasies by having it justify not, what in reality it would do, condemn them!

Russell Mulcahy, eh? He's a funny one.

[Leigh L. · 28 June 1999]

Given the opportunity of clambering to the top of the directorial heap on the back of the magnificent Highlander, Mr. Mulcahy instead managed to shoot down his own chances by unwisely having any association at all with the not-quite-so-well-received sequel. Nevertheless, Resurrection, while not exactly a triple-A title, shows that the old dog's still got a few tricks up his sleeve - even if they are being deployed on straight-to-TV efforts these days.

With old chum Chris Lambert (a man equally cursed in his career choices, and looking very old all of a sudden) on board, the scene is set for another shameless reworking of Seven - which might be an obvious comment to make, but that doesn't make it any less true. While the deadly sins are replaced with the names of apostles, the relentless rain, gloom and gritty gore are still there in force, and the plot's just as threadbare.

But! That still doesn't make it a bad film, as such. It's decently performed and nicely shot, with a few nifty camera tricks thrown in to break up the free-roaming NYPD Blue feel of the general proceedings, and there are one or two genuinely effective twists encountered along the way (with some glaringly obvious ones to balance them out, unfortunately).

So it's worth catching, as long as you're not expecting mould-breaking brilliance. One of Lambert's better films, certainly, and an example of the sort of high production values he should be aiming for. So sit back and enjoy... all in all, it's better than you might expect.

This scary and violent crime movie results to be an impressively nasty thriller

[ma-cortes · 6/10 · 30 September 2020]

Chicago homicide detectives Prudhome and Hollingsworth are assigned to investigate a murder . Both become entangled in the scheme of a mesianic serial killer whose goal is to recreate the body of Christ by dismembering members of murdered corpses , adding extreme bloodletting. This is a thrilling film about two homicide detectives (Christopher Lambert and Leland Orser) in desperate hunt for a serial killer who justifies his crimes as a holy sacrifice . There are various suspects but eventually seems the crimes were the work of the same man , a weird person murdering mercilessly a lot of people . Two stubborn detectives in an effort to understand the killer's modus operandi scoff at difficult efforts to get inside the mind of a killer...There is an evil which I have seen under the sun , and it is common among men . Ecclesiastes 6:1. Be afraid. For he is coming.

This is a nice thriller in which serial killers and mismatched cops overcoming antagonism , including thrills , chills , noisy action , violence and loads of blood and gore . The typical crime movie plot in ¨David Fincher's Seven¨ style blending genres to grim and gripping effect , dealing with two police inspectors tracking a serial murderer who is killing men , this time for a main purport , to use parts of his victims to reassemble the body of Christ in time for Easter Sunday Resurrection . Our protagonists slow voyage from claustrophobic murk into blinding light and rain making for a vivid dramatic metaphor . A sinister and eerie movie with dismal and gloomy environment , in which the murderer's terrible capacity is graphically demonstrated in the dark and subdued tones characteristic of film noir . It packs a great number of scenes with plenty of gory violence , these frames have been shortened for the US version where went straight to DVD . It is visually striking , in fact filmmaker Mulcahy gained fame directing films with stunning visuals.

It contains a moving and rousing musical score by James McGrath . As well as a somber and tenebrous cinematography by Jonathan Freeman . The motion picture was professionally directed by Russell Mulcahy who often cast Christopher Lambert , in fact this is 3rd film Lambert did with Russell Mulcahy after the first two Highlander I and II . The movie was theatrically exhibited in most of Europe , Asia , Africa and Australia in the United States was direct to video . Russell Mulcahy is a good filmmaker , a craftsman with a long career , he began shooting video clips for such famous artists as Elton John , Duran Duran, The Buggles , Culture Club , and Bonnie Tyler. He is also well known for feature films , starting off with the comedy Derek and Clive Get the Horn (1979) , the horror film Razorback (1984), the spectacular sword and sorcery of Highlanders (1986) , followed by the sequel Highlanders II (1991). He directed Denzel Washington and John Lithgow in the violent Ricochet (1991), Russell made a film version of the comic book : The shadow (1994) with Alec Baldwin and took the helm for Tale of the Mummy (1998) . In recent years Mulcahy has been involved in directing several telemovies , episodes of TV shows and other various films of all kinds of genres , including Queer as Folk (2000), 3: The Dale Earnhardt Story (2004), Teen wolf , The mysterious island (2005) , The curse of the tomb Tutankamon (2006) , Resident Evil: Extinction (2007) , Crash and Burn (2007) , King Scorpion 2 (2008) , Grimm (2010) , Adventures of Errol Flynn (2018) , among others . The picture will appeal to Christopher Lambert fans . Rating : 6.5/10 . Acceptable and decent sinister thriller .

Easter is drawing near! he's coming!

[ulicknormanowen · 6/10 · 1 May 2020]

Christopher Lambert (Christophe Lambert when he works in France where he has made many films too) was certainly impressed by "seven " ,for his screenplay bears more than a distant resemblance to Fincher's work : the seven deadly sins , it spawned one of the greatest thrillers of the nineties ; so what about the passion of Christ ,why not? So the cast and credits read "screenplay by Christopher Lambert( and a collaborator whose name escapes my mind)".

This muddled screenplay includes the gospels ,the apostles ,numerology (we see the detective doing knowing arithmetic ) ,Easter (which ,unlike Xmas ,is rarely exploited) ; Lambert has plenty of go , and the supporting cast is up to scratch ,particularly Leland Orsen and Robert Joy ; the role of the profiler ,who had become hackneyed in the late nineties,is renewed ,but it spoils the ending.

The main problem is that Lambert wanted to surpass "seven " in horror for lack of a strong screenplay : it's more a horror film than it is a thriller ; enough is enough and the viewer often feels sick.

"Seven " is a peak of the serial killer thriller ,"resurrection " is just OK.

What, that wasn't a joke?

[TBJCSKCNRRQTreviews · 6/10 · 5 October 2012]

A precinct already working hard fitting every cliché of these genres(psychological thriller, cop crime investigative flick) into just one 100-ish minute picture is hit by several brutal murders where limbs are missing, and Lambert(who lost his daughter... son, I'm sorry, she... he... looks... uhm, great... anyway, he died in one of those ridiculously contrived sequences that only happen in this type of movie, and that could, by the way, easily have been avoided by the introduction of common sense... oh, and if you think that will pay off, don't hold your breath, it's a cheap setup with minimal payoff) is brought in for his experience with decapitations and paint-by-numbers plots. You can figure out the basics of where this goes, everyone talks in Hollywood Dialog(and immediately after, dramatically turn to walk away, signifying how deeply they feel about how lazily this is supposed to conjure up emotion(with that said, this does make you care about some of what we see... though at least once it utterly betrays whatever confidence they might have earned for that)... did I mention that the villain has impeccable luck in where he hides is a regular occurrence(planning...does...not...cover... it)?), for every good performance there is at least two that are over the top, but still, this is a cool enough concept(I will not reveal what the endgame is... though I will say that I don't know where the bad guy got it from, nor what his motive was, and there wouldn't have been a film if it had been slightly different, and less random...), it keeps to a fast pace(you're not bored...it does help to MST3K it), there are chilling bits(helped by the impeccably done practical FX) and, directed by the usually dependably visually interesting Russell Mulcahy, it's nicely filmed and edited, except for when the cameraman gets zoom-happy in a desperate attempt to increase the tension(which is successfully built here and there), the tracking shots(typically doing a semicircle on a character, so they can remain in place and still do a powerful change of position) that are so fast and start and end so suddenly, I've nicknamed them Whiplash-pans, and it, gradually, using the "nausea-vision" filter excessively. The DVD comes with trailers for Elizabeth and Rounders. There is a lot of strong language, a moderate amount of bloody, gory, disturbing violence and a little full frontal nudity of both genders in this. I recommend this to big fans of this kind of thing, as it gets the job done and has solid production values. 6/10

'Resurrection' in Need of Resuscitation

[jtx · 4/10 · 24 January 2000]

This film truly was poor. I went to the theatre expecting something exciting, and instead was afforded the opportunity to hone my "guess the next plot twist before it happens" skills. Seriously, the plot was written with an extra thick crayon so everyone could see. Nothing was truly shocking. In fact, even the gore was met with such complete suspension of belief that it really didn't add up to much.

The excessive wise cracking and cops talking shop at the crime scenes made it seem all the more phony. And the scene where Lambert's character is struggling with the clues and reaches his "investigative epiphany" goes to great lengths to indicate the level of intellect expected from the audience - little.

Probably the most annoying aspect of the cinematography was the "X-Files" treatment: Every building in the film, whether it's the precinct building, or a house at noon, or a hospital, was suffering from a lack of any discernible lighting (not to mention a lack of 'patients' in the case of the hospital). I don't recall a single scene when someone flipped on a light switch. It sure would have been nice.

Mr. Lambert really isn't an Oscar-grade actor, so I suppose you have to take this film for what it's worth. In the end, I've reached the conclusion that the only thing that would make this film seem more entertaining is to watch it after watching "The Warriors". Otherwise, you're left with an effort that is dull and unoriginal, and nowhere near the equal of films of the genre such as "Silence of the Lambs".

One of Lambert's best!

[jbfichera · 8/10 · 20 August 2002]

We all him as the original Highlander and as Rayden in the first Mortal Kombat film, but Christopher Lambert has been around for awhile and has made a pretty impressive number of films (however the quality of many of them is not that impressive). Though many of his films lack something to be desired he has made some classics and he always brings in a solid "Lambert" performance and every now and then he brings in a performance that even surpasses that. Resurrection happens to be one of those performances.

The film itself is actually quite good and it is a bit of a shame that it did not get a wide release in theaters, but unfortunately Lambert just can't bring 'em in anymore (however he is a staple in the straight to video market). The film is a gritty detective story (so NO SWORDS guys) in the style of SEVEN and re-teams Lambert with his Highlander director, Russell Mulcahy. What is interesting here is that the film is co-written and conceived by Lambert, which I think is a first for him (though I'm not sure). What makes this significant is that, Lambert gets to branch out a little and play a character with a little more depth. Which I'm sure is something he's been longing to do since GREYSTOKE. Another interesting thing about the film is that it has genius/director David Cronenberg acting in a small part as a priest(That's what I'm waiting for, the Crononberg/Lambert, Director/Actor team-up).

The film is well shot and acted. It is suspenseful and even a little more thought provoking than the average suspense/mystery. It has a twist that I believe works pretty well.

Well in other words, the film is good. See it if you can.

Interesting

[akhilles84 · 7/10 · 31 October 2001]

I had no big expectations for this.I discovered it accidentally.But i was intrigued by it almost from the start.

What gives this film its dimension is the incredible acting of mr.Lambert.This is one of his strongest performances and it should have been awarded.The plot is already familiar from films like "Se7en",but it still makes you follow the film with anticipation,because the character of John Prudhomme is different than the other hero characters in similar films.He is a man torn apart;by loss of his only child,by his shaken faith in god and also bad communication with his wife.All he has now is his job and the murderer thats waiting for him.

I recommend this film to anyone who wants an interesting story on a rainy evening or who likes Christopher Lambert. 7 out 0f 10

Nothing special

[shinsrevenge · 5/10 · 7 July 2015]

Resurrection is your average thriller movie about a killer, who wants to build his own Jesus corpse by collecting body parts from his victims. Christopher Lambert plays the main role as the cop who tries to catch the killer. Be it on purpose or accidentally, his performance is rather bad.

It's the supporting actors that safe the movie. Leland Orser plays his part very good. Better than his jokes ^^. And then we have Gerald Demus. The villain and evil mastermind. He is such a genius that he can even pretend to be an FBI Agent and talk to them about the case. The "Agent" helps Lambert with advice and is quite likable. His superior intellect helps him keep his calm even when he gets arrested, because he knows that they don't have any evidence. So I really liked that part.

But then you have detectives throwing up all the time, victims peeing at themselves because of electro shocks and newborn babies hanging around. Not necessary! And what about Lambert? Apparently no one likes him in the office. Except Orser. Yet after they take away from him the case everyone is nice and friendly and takes him along to the investigations and before you know it he is the one in charge again.

His character is also somewhat shallow. They show a scene where he lost his child and some of the problems he has with his wife, but you can't bring yourself to really care about it. It's merely filler and doesn't help to carry the story.

To sum it up, the movie is about average. Nothing you will regret watching once. But you will forget about it the moment it's over.

Redefining the term 'devine retribution'.

[Spike-65 · 8/10 · 26 June 1999]

Due to the inability of Mitsubishi to make a VCR that can last any reasonable length of time before it dies, I had to wait two days to see this film. The frustration was worth it. This film is quintessential Christophe Lambert and a must-see for any admirer, especially if you are also into gore of the 'n'th degree (hence the British R18 rating).

The plot centres around a cop (Christophe Lambert) and his partner (Leland Orser) and their attempt to track down a serial killer (Robert Joy) who is reconstructing the body of Christ in time for Easter and the Resurrection. It is not for the faint-hearted and should be viewed during the daylight hours, as there are segments of it that will have you alternately on the edge of your seat and then running for the bathroom. Some may compare it to Seven, but the storyline is richer and more varied.

Jonathan Freeman's cinematography is ethereal, but intense, like a rollercoaster at an amusement park, with colour so subtle, it makes some scenes seem almost daguerreotypical. Just when your eyes have adjusted to the pitch of the camera..it changes. There are scenes reminiscent of many of Christophe's previous films, among them are Subway, Knight Moves, Mean Guns, Highlander, Why Me and Adrenaline. Watching it on a big screen helped, as the mood was dark, enhancing the effect rather than detracting from it.

The plot is sound and the (often unknown) collection of actors is acceptable. The only fly in the ointment was the surreptitious use of 'the laugh' at one point; one would hope this was put in to please Christophe's admirers. But once again we see the passion and the sheer volume of commitment that Christophe has given us all before. The score is understated, not at all overdone like the dozens of thrillers thrown at us lately.

If you want to sample a thick slice of what this guy is all about, it would be opportune to catch this one, especially since Christophe and Brad Mirman wrote it, while Russell Mulcahy directed. One would suspect this was a partnership made in heaven...so when do we sinners get the next taste?

SEVEN with less rain and more color

[PanDemic · 6/10 · 10 August 2003]

It has been a while since I saw it last, but as it's not mentioned in the other review I wanted to add a comment regarding the use of light and color.

What I enjoyed the most with this movie was actually that it didn't rain all through the movie. The weather varied causing the lighting to shift as well as the mood. Still, if memory serves, it was creepy.

So if you are tired of the typical wet, dark and gloomy setting of Fincher, but want to see something SEVEN'ish, then try this title.

Too derivative.

[gridoon · 4/10 · 22 July 2000]

There is a strong sense of deja vu dominating "Resurrection", and I'm using the term "deja vu" literally: there are whole sequences and bits of dialogue that you can almost SWEAR you've seen and heard before in several other movies. Director Mulcahy tries to redeem the hopelessly derivative script, but he fails: his technical tricks and fast cuts are sometimes effective but more often pointless and annoying. Lambert gives the poorest performance in the film, though the supporting performers aren't particularly memorable either.

A very interesting movie

[mrolivegarden210 · 12 February 2000]

This is the type that is made for people who love to see blood and gore.

Similar to "Seven", this film takes place in Chicago as John Prudhomme is on the trail of a serial killer along with his partner, Andy Hollingsworth, who is killing men for their body parts.

I enjoyed the way that the story was told. For example, the killer is killing to resurrect the body of Christ, which I found very interesting because I have not seen it done in film before.

I am not a huge fan of Christopher Lambert; however, this film has proven that I should take a look at more of his movies because he can be a dramatic actor as well as an action star.

I'm glad I saw this movie

Serial Killer, Part 135

[sanzar · 7/10 · 29 June 1999]

"Resurrection" is another in a long line of "police procedurals", this time involving the search for a serial-killing biblical fanatic who has concocted a psychotic plan to resurrect Christ. This picture shares a number of similarities with "Se7en", in terms of plot construction but particularly in the way the grotesque aftermath of each murder is lovingly photographed (by the way, the killer is collecting body parts - an arm here, a leg there).

There are several interesting plot twists. The rest of the time is spent exploring the usual cop-movie cliches: the lead detective's a moody loner; his partner is severely injured: the captain wants to take him off the case, etc., ad nauseum.

Amazingly, the somnambulant star, Christopher Lambert, continues to work steadily, receiving role after role even though it has been proven on more than one occasion that he hasn't a clue when it comes to giving a performance. Unfortunately, he doesn't deviate from his prior track record in this film, either.

Hopefully, Mulcahy's latest film, "Talos, The Mummy" will actually get a release, instead of going direct-to-video, as this picture did.

Seven Lite

[billcr12 · 7/10 · 29 May 2022]

Probably an unfair comparison with the great film, Seven, but the writers are pretty obviously infuenced by it. Even so, Resurrection is an entertaining movie, although some glaring plot holes are evident along the way. Christopher Lambert is good as the lead detective investigating a a serial murderer with a religious bent taking body parts for a Jesus project. Some scenes are graphic and the mood extremely dark. As a small piece of trivia, look for the director David Cronenberg playing a Catholic priest in a couple of scenes. Overall, Resurrection is worth your time.

Much like Se7en

[Naughtia_Nah · 6/10 · 2 September 2011]

In many ways 'Resurrection' reminds me of the movie 'Se7en', the plot seems quite similar.

Christopher Lambert stars as a homicide detective who is assigned to investigate a mystical and cruel murder. When he digs deeper into the case he and his family find themselves in great danger. The killer takes different parts of each murder victim and it becomes obvious that the killer has a biblical argument for these killings.

I sat down to watch this movie one night and I got stuck to my television, I just had to see the end of it because it was really catchy and exciting. I like Christopher Lambert and haven't seen him in many movies lately, I want to watch more of his movies.

An insult to anyone seeing it

[vigghan · 3/10 · 21 August 2002]

Taste differs. But after seeing this 120 min long picture and afterwards checking the ratings I must confess a deep dissapointment of my fellow raters. This film is a total orgy of all the things that defines the gengre (thriller): Smart cop with immense social problems, wierd bad guy with unessesary nasty methods & even wierder motives, ticking clock and of course: The unbelievable clues. This kind of setup actually works in some movies (Seven i.e.) but given that a child would direct it better, it only worsens the situation for this picture. C. Lambert is not as bad as he is in this film. But here he lowers my rating for this film from a weak 4 to 3. Nothing, except possible the bad guy (and hardly even that, now that I think of it) has been done in an either interesting or good way. Every scene makes you wonder if all the coworkers at the set were at least slightly ashamed after seeing the final film. After one hour every scene makes you laugh and after another 20 min you stare in bevilderment as grossly over-dramatised acting displays reason beond doubt not to ship the crap overseas. I cannot express myself more clearly, its a misstake from everyone involved.

The year's best thriller!

[tp320 · 10/10 · 21 July 1999]

Man, what a movie! I see well over a hundred films per year and although I enjoy many of them, there are only about four or five which really impress me and this one definitely did! Of course, one could say that this film is simply another rip-off of "Seven". And in fact, it is. But is that a bad thing? I liked "Seven" and want to see more films like that. And in my opinion, "Resurrection" has a better plot, better music and more atmosphere. It may borrow the elements (rain, darkness etc.) from David Fincher's thriller but it enhances them so well that if you watch "Resurrection" before "Seven", you might even be disappointed by the latter. I know I would.

I like Christopher Lambert. I think John Prudhomme could only have been played by him. He has the looks, the screen presence and the charisma. Some might say he's wooden but I think he's acting style really worked well with this film. Prudhomme has lost his only child a year ago and there is something in Lambert's performance which reflects that, something sad but hopeful, which really makes you care for his character. This is a man who's been through hell and now he's finding out that he's seen nothing yet. I also liked the performance of the actor who played his partner.

The script is clever. The dialogue works very well and everything moves at a perfect pace. But what really sets this film apart from it's competitors are the high production values. There are clearly very talented people behind the camera. The cinematography, the music, the lighting, everything works extremely well together. I would really have liked to see this film in a movie theater but unfortunately it came direct-to-video in Finland.

I'm sure some people will be complaining about the gore. This film is quite bloody but I believe a film like this must be. In here the gore really enhanced the mood and I think the film wouldn't have been as good if it had been less bloody. There are some films which work best when the details are left to the imagination but I'm glad the director knew that this wasn't one of them. If you don't have the stomach to see gory bodies, don't watch a film involving a serial killer.

Overall, "Resurrection" is a superb thriller which should appeal to anyone who wants to see more films like "Seven". I gave "Seven" an 8 but I'm giving this one a full 10.

Decent Thriller - Distinct Flaws

[theredhairedcrow · 6/10 · 10 January 2022]

The plot is a common one: a serial killer obsessed with Christ commits murders to fulfill an unknown fantasy. An unlikeable cop dealing with tragedy struggles through personal issue to try to catch the bad guy. There are several plot twists throughout, not all of which are predictable, the acting is okay, nothing egregiously bad, and the gore was well done and believable. I was enjoying it well enough, glad to have found this film, but a couple of director's decisions at the end really irritated me as they were clumsy and ridiculously improbable. If you can overlook that, it's a solid one-time watch.

Predictability to the max

[WimRam · 1/10 · 26 March 2001]

While targeting the audiences of SEVEN, SILENCE OF THE LAMBS and the likes (see video cover box...), this movie shoots WAY TOO LOW.

Highly predictable story line (Where is the unexpected ?),

Cheap trill (How often can an actor puke ?) Fast cuts (Let's not waste time on finding clues, just throw them in!) Flat characters (No acting experience required...)

Religion with a twist

[dragster-2 · 10/10 · 7 November 2006]

I saw this movie on TV for the first time. Right from the beginning, I had a strange feeling of sickness and disgust and the top scenes were not even on yet. It is compared to Se7en, but I feel it has more action in it while the gore is the same in both movies. The serial killer is very disturbing and has no pity towards his victims like most "respected" SKs. I don't remember the soundtrack to the movie, but I think it does give that eerie touch to a movie that is in itself disturbing all along. The killer doesn't give himself away that easily and he is seriously involved in what he's doing. The final scene is one of the best in horror movies, but can be quite sickening for many light-hearted viewers.

A great cop vs. serial killer film.

[Edwin-21 · 7/10 · 27 April 2000]

This is a great cop vs. serial killer film. I saw this movie on the recommendation of a friend and it took me 3 video stores to find it. Be careful not to rent the wrong movie. The first 2 video stores led me to an unrelated movie also called Resurrection. When I first began watching this movie, I was a little leary of the acting. Some of the acting didn't seem to natural and at one point in the movie, my brother was laughing when the actors were serious. HOWEVER, after about the first 25 minutes of this movie, the stride picked up and we were into it. Its a great movie in many ways. The plot is solid and the murders are gross. Its almost as good as "Seven". The storyline may be even better. The bottom line though is that Morgan Freeman and Brad Pitt (and I'm not a fan) are just better actors. If you like serial killer films, this is a must.

Cheap remake of Seven

[thorungla · 1/10 · 16 November 2004]

This movie is the worst I've seen in ages. Most of the movie is similar to Se7en (by David Fincher, 1995) to such and extend that it borders on plagiarism. Replace the 7 sins with 7 body parts of Christ, Morgan Freeman with Christopher Lambert and Brad Pitt with some unknown actor and you've got Resurrection (at least an extremely poor copy). There's even a scene almost identical to a scene in Se7en where Lambert's partner is joking about the serial killer being a raving lunatic and Lambert correcting him and personally admiring the intellect of the killer. Christopher Lambert has never been my favorite actor, but this is definitely his worst performance ever. The plot is completely recycled, no suspense, not scary nor funny at any moment. I wish I could get my money back from the video store.