The Ritual Killer (2023) User Reviews

Hauser and Freeman what in the world?

[jcdamien · 4/10 · 20 March 2023]

I was hoping for another Se7en like movie, my favorite genre, but man was I wrong... What has come over these three actors to make this crap? Cole Hauser, Morgan Freeman and Peter Stormare? Are they helping out the director or something? Did they enter this out of pity?

7 minutes in and I was thinking "oh boy, this is going to be bad"... It's the vibe it sends from the beginning. The first actors were so bad, but so bad (bedroom scene) I got irritated from the start.

Awful color grading, dull lighting, terrible pace and really bad acting from all of the cast. This director was able to turn good actors into something cringe to watch.

I hate being mean, but this doesn't deserve any better. I don't know if I'll be watching the whole movie, unless I'm multi-tasking. Like I'm doing now.

When you skip film school.

[Top_Dawg_Critic · 3/10 · 13 March 2023]

Right from the start, I realized this film would be a flop due to the frustratingly amateur-hour directing by George Gallo. The constant back and forth location transitions from Europe to America were poorly executed and edited, and almost every scene screamed inexperienced directing. Gallo also failed miserably to direct his cast effectively, that is seemed like this was Cole Hauser's first ever acting job. His entire tone, demeanor and dialogue was too monotonic. Sure, part blame goes to the actor, but it's the directors job to know when an actor needs to act better or in a certain way. Only seasoned actors like Freeman rarely need cast direction, as he was the only one that was somewhat convincing in his character. Everyone else seemed inconvenienced to be on set.

The next huge disappointment was how three writers couldn't get a fairly decent premise, executed properly. Aside from the writing being cliched and having elements from pretty much every film in this genre with little to no originality, it was the ridiculous ending that the three writers, Bob Bowersox, Francesco Cinquemani and Luca Giliberto gave their viewers. It was by far the laziest, asinine, and idiotic ending I've ever seen. A fifth grade drama class could've done better.

Almost every element of this film - except the score, which was surprisingly fitting, should be examined in film schools on what not to do. It's a generous 3/10 from me, mostly as pity that Freeman has to live with this mess on his resume.

Se7ven on the budget and Freeman" after second stroke"

[ldymlang · 3/10 · 10 March 2023]

Poor storyline, poor execution. I'm very suprised that Freeman accepted this role. Nothing makes sense, script very badly written, no swat called, no observation, no communication between officers, bad searches and forensic evidence, nothing makes sense. Whole movie looks fake and it is just a waste of time badly directed and acted. Could be so much better if there was more suspension, real police work etc they didn't even bother to watch police activity on YouTube to see how to walk with a gun or watch some real good movies to at least try to make it more professional and concentrate on the quality of the outcome.

Absolutely Awful

[mozmugo · 1/10 · 12 March 2023]

For the people they had on the cast here (as well as for the main plot) this movie is a colossal disappointment. I am only 25 minutes into this movie and I had to pause to write this.

There is absolutely no flow to this. No scene transition. Almost half of the scenes so far don't even make sense when added to the rest.

The actors/ actresses feel like they're reading their lines for a radio broadcast. No inflection or emotion whatsoever.

To cap it off, this is a movie that is about a ritualistic serial killer but the whole thing feels like its trying to pass the PG rating criteria.

The entire scene in the morgue where the guy is describing the injuries to the body but they NEVER SHOW a SINGLE injury or even a glimpse of the body whatsoever. They could have been looking at a chicken sandwich for all we know.

Shame on you for agreeing to this, Morgan Freeman. Shame!

Such a Disappointment

[michael-manolis · 2/10 · 12 March 2023]

I watched this movie because Freeman was in it & stuck through to the end hoping that it would be good - but it was a complete waste of time. Script, dialogue, acting and pretty much everything was just so bad! Nothing made sense & there was no flow to the movie with the jump from one scene to the other being totally confusing. Sorry I've never heard or seen the main actor & after watching the movie all the way through I know why - he was just terrible! The ending was so ridiculous that we all burst out laughing. I suggest that you give this movie a miss and spend your time watching something else.

GoFundMe me for Morgan Freeman

[Silicone54 · 2/10 · 11 March 2023]

Morgan Freeman has made millions of dollars over the course of his acting career. When you have this much money and clout in Hollywood you can pick and choose projects dear to your heart. Is the man bankrupt now or does he have a horrible agent or maybe he owes a "favor" to the Italian mafia? Why would he involve himself in this shamefully bad movie?

3 storylines are introduced at the same time. An African witch doctor is on the loose in some Italian city while being chased by Inspector Lavazza. In America, an African studies college professor Mackles (Morgan Freeman) challenges a student to find an absurd social theory so they can discuss in the next class. An unstable detective Boyd (Cole Hauser) executes a pedophile in some hotel room.

All 3 will be connected to the African witch doctor Randoku who is super human that sells his ritual powers to the rich and powerful. This witch doctor is commissioned by some rich dude to gain power so let the mutilations begin!

The plot is not at all intriguing as many variations of it has been done for decades. The only difference is an A-list Hollywood star willing to work in this B movie. Cole Hauser is not a leading man he can barely read lines and work with any emotion without being awkward to watch. There was one scene towards the end when he hugs a woman doctor multiple times for no reason and then gives her a deep sniff that reminded me of a certain US president.

The list of rhetorical questions is long and this is a reminder that if you choose to watch this don't ask any. I really don't know why Morgan Freeman chose to work in this role. If he is hard up for money then start a GFM page and save people the hours lost watching this soul crushing nonsense.

The Ritual Killer

[henry8-3 · 2/10 · 11 May 2023]

After the apparent loss of his daughter in a drowning accident, tough cop Boyd (Cole Hauser) pursues a man torturing and killing adults and children in accordance with a South African tribal ritual, Muti. Boyd seeks out the help of South African anthropologist Morgan Freeman to stop the killer.

Dull, cliched thriller with Boyd a seemingly useless mess of a cop who can't hit the side of a barn with his gun and the great Morgan Freeman, expressionless throughout. The chase sequences are just about ok but with every cop being dodged or evicerated by the killer, you just can't believe how useless everyone is. The plot is pretty minimal and the loss of the daughter element, so derivative, plus it doesn't really convince. Remarkably silly final scene. Not good.

Who wrote this?!

[hopeschmitt · 3/10 · 12 March 2023]

This could have been an amazing movie but they didn't have the budget or the script. Whoever thought it would be a good idea to waste their money 💰 damn. It made no sense and SVU had more intense dialogue and character building. Come on this could have been excellent but the script failed them! The ending was also weird and what was the point of the rome scenes? You never tied them into the movie at all!

Whoever wrote this should be ashamed and poor actors.... They did their best but every scene fell short. It is so sad to see 🙈

I felt embarrassed for the cast and staff.... Director and writers be ashamed be very ashamed!

Came for the Morgan Freeman. Left before I lost respect for him.

[jimcancook · 8 May 2023]

Where to begin? The dialog sounds like it was written by someone who is trying to figure out how humans speak. The physical actions - the hand gestures, facial expressions, the movements in general are off - real people don't move, gesture, look, behave like this.

It's almost like writers and director were trying to recreate Bill Shatner's stilted speaking style - overly long pregnant pauses leading into still-born "revelations" (and I use that word loosely). Or maybe they were just trying to pad a 45 minute concept out to an 80 minute movie. The cinematography is weak. Sequences are poorly framed.

There may have been a nugget of a story at the heart of this mess, but this movie doesn't know how to tell that story in an interesting manner.

It's leaden, overly long and boring. I bailed after about 35 minutes and the only reason I didn't bail sooner was that I was making my lunch.

We are once again tribal

[nogodnomasters · 6/10 · 26 March 2023]

The film opens with Inspector Mario Lavazzi (Giuseppe Zeno) investigating a murder with body parts removed in a ritual. The killer is soon revealed as Rondoku (Vernon Davis) an African priest who practices muti. In the US we are introduced to Detective Lucas Boyd (Cole Hauser ) who we see shoot a man almost reaching for his gun. He is distraught over his daughter's drowning. We then get our first victim with eyes cut out, left hand cut off, and genitals mutilated. By chance they find his lair and realize it is African. They consult Dr. Mackles (Morgan Freeman) who is an expert and happens to live locally. He informs him it is a muti ritual for good fortune and more killings are to come.

I like the movie all the way through until the end where it was clear they omitted a good scene and jumped to the end.

Guide: F-word. No sex or nudity.

Not the thriller you are expecting

[Xavier_Stone · 3/10 · 11 March 2023]

In the past serial killer - thriller movies there has always been some sort of tension or high drama to keep the movie flowing and interesting. Not in this one. Morgan mostly has bit parts here and there and is basically guest starring in this role for hype only.

His history of good performances is used to bolster this film but there just isn't enough action in this to carry much water. A few chase scenes and that's about it.

A decent story and good opening, but fizzles out rather quickly and all the actors are just going through the motions. Predictable and straightforward and not much really to write about. Could have been a lot worse, but held my interest for a while. No twists, no turns, just a basic a-b-c cop vs killer movie. 3/10, no more than that.

Interesting and a bit scary

[sunneerakowitz · 8/10 · 21 July 2023]

I'm going to watch anything with Morgan Freeman in it. I enjoyed Cole Hauser as detective Boyd. While there re some jerky story continuity parts, you can follow the story and keep up with it. The Italian parts are lovely and vivid as Rome is when it is shot well. The night chase scenes were energetic and easy to imagine in Rome on those cobblestone streets. Milsaps College was a great background for Freeman's role as Dr Mackles. I felt the suicide was almost an afterthought and never really part of the story which focused on the black magic of Rondoku's character. He was scary and I would not want to meet him in real life. Not a fabulous movie, but not a bad one either. I enjoyed it and though Freeman has aged, he was very believable as a College Professor.

Zulu Ritual Killer for Hire...Freeman & Hauser On the Trail...Gritty Low-Budget Thriller

[LeonLouisRicci · 7/10 · 29 July 2023]

This is an Entertaining Thriller with Mysterious Zulu "Voodoo" Elements that Lend an Unorthodox Feeling.

The Haunting, Very Foreign Rituals to "Standard" Law-Enforcement and a Seemingly "Possessed" Priest with Skills, Physically and Psychological "Off-the-Charts".

Stymied by the Power of this "From-Hell" Killer of Virgins and Anyone who Crosses His Path Along the Way, as He Services Wealthy Clients with Evil-Deeds.

A Scary Antagonist that Commits Torture and Killings Steeped in Centuries-Old Religious Practices that are Unbelievable by Modern Sensible Types.

So the Detective On the Cast (Cole Hauser) Visits University Professor (Morgan Freeman) an Expert with a Doctorate in "African Studies", Himself an Native Immigrant, who Sees the Danger at First Going Up Against Such Forces.

But, has 2nd Thoughts, and Helpfully Agrees to Assist.

This is an Edgy Cop-Thriller, with the Supernatural Haunting the Procedurals, and Although this is a Low-Budget Quicky it Delivers a 2 for 1 Story for Fans of Horror-Thrillers that is Quirky, Under-Rated and...

Worth a Watch

Note...Don't Miss the Ending that is Over-the-Top as the Police Detective Chews the Scenery, and is a F-U to the Voodoo-Priest.

Why did you do this Morgan Freeman?

[zzza-57262 · 2/10 · 12 March 2023]

I would have given only one star, but since Morgan Freeman is in this movie, I rate it two stars.

I watched this movie because of Morgan Freeman, but unfortunately it is one of the worst movies and it's not worth watching.

It's all bad, the story, script, actors, directing..

Please Morgan Freeman, do not act or approve of such roles in bad films like this one.

We entrusted you with wonderful movies as your character.

Don't watch this movie, again, don't watch this movie, it's not worth watching at all.

Don't watch this movie, again, don't watch this movie, it's not worth watching at all.

Watched it because of Morgan Freeman.

[biancob-16702 · 2/10 · 13 March 2023]

The movie does not even get started till about halfway through and the second half of the movie is used to set up for a part two in the future. The actors/acting is really not very good and the dialogue leaves a lot to be desired . This was really boring don't waste your time. Very disappointed in Morgan Freeman. I expect better from him. Suggestion for Morgan Freeman for the future. Don't let them use your name just to attract viewers. Another suggestion for this app stop making 600 characters a necessity. Some people have a point of view about a movie without necessarily having a lot to say.

YELLOWSTONE FANS

[KILBOURNE311 · 2/10 · 19 March 2023]

If you're a fan of Yellowstone, this movie is NOT for you. You may see it and think, hell yeah, RIP is staring in a movie. Welp, you don't get RIP, you're getting a terrible version of Cole Hauser, or a generic dull long lost cousin of RIP. His acting in this movie would have shot down his role on Yellowstone had they seen this prior. As for Morgan Freeman, bless his heart. Just live in retirement. You and Ashley Judd dragged these type of movies through the mud years ago. Time to let it go. As for the rest of the cast, I'm sure you all had fun, but we the viewers, wish you well on your future endeavors. Whether that be selling insurance or putting ketchup in our bags.

Sincerely, A movie goer.

PS: Someone owes me my $2.25 Redbox rental fee.

Awful

[djxtreme78 · 3/10 · 24 June 2023]

How did they even get the funding to hire all these great actors and why on gods green earth did they accept this horrible , terrible script ! This has got to be the biggest waste of talented actors in the history of film . Someone please stop this director from ever making a film again and please Morgan , don't lower yourself too this junk ! You're better then this , did they put a spell on you to accept this role ? Dear god it was awful I almost felt sorry for you all . The storyline the flow the disjointed mess that I just experienced was below you all . I honestly don't know what else to say besides even the 7 dollars I paid to rent this movie , I want back !

Terrible

[firemanbob · 1/10 · 26 July 2023]

The only thing this movie does well is waste a whole lot of good talent. Well, that and waste your time, attention, and good will. That Morgan Freeman is involved is truly astonishing...Has he taken leave of his senses? Or just hired a really, really bad agent? There is no good reason for him to have done this movie...or for anyone to have done this movie, even the cast of mostly unknowns that make up most of the cast.

The plot is preposterous, and the final scene defies good taste, common sense, or any sense of decency. Do yourself a favor.... Pass up this trash and don't give up 90 minutes of your life that you'll never get back.

Low budget time-waster

[qksfjt · 2/10 · 2 September 2023]

When an action/suspense movie only has foot chases instead of car chases, you know they didn't have much of a budget. This was my first clue that The Ritual Killer was going to be a disappointment. The early scenes in Rome added nothing to the plot. It felt like they shot them for another version, in another language, with other actors in the other roles for a release in the European market, and just worked the footage into this one to pad the running time. The American detective contacts the Italian cop, gets one name, and hangs up. The expectation was that they would team up to catch the killer, but that's the last we see of the Italian. The trope of the vigilante cop who doesn't get along with his captain is so tired that it borders on self-parody. The flashbacks about the detective's daughter's death, too, were overdone and unnecessary. Arguably, the climax of the story doesn't even occur onscreen, and the "surprise" ending feels abrupt and gratuitous.

Nope

[martin-lynch-713-581715 · 7 August 2023]

One has to ask how big names like Morgan Freeman and Cole Hauser thought this was a script worth doing... it also begs the question of how people put money into it!

Farcical is a good description, not the best acting by any of the names you recognize. It's simply a disappointment from start to finish. If this is going to be the standard for the future then, I'm happy the screen writers and actors are on strike.... long may it continue if for no other reason than to save the embarrassment of doing this type of dribble.

Do not waste your time, honesty it is worse than Freemans mistake of doing Vanquish (I never thought anything would surpass that black hole of film)

No stars, just bewildered and feeling used.... and not in a good way!

Entertained

[annamaudebug-87526 · 6/10 · 5 May 2023]

I actually enjoyed this movie. For me, the purpose of any movie is to be entertained. I don't know enough about many technical issues as others have talked about, especially those that didn't care for the movie. I can only say it entertained me. I have always loved watching Cole Hauser, maybe because I enjoyed all movies with his Father, Wings. And of course, I always enjoy Morgan Freeman. He is top notch. This one had an interesting plot though rather predictable. The very end surprised me a bit, but made sense given what the character played by Hauser had gone through. If you want to be entertained and aren't too critical of shortcomings in a movie, this one should do the trick. You may not want to pay to view it though.

Save yourself 90 minutes to do something else

[rob-lister-878-590847 · 1/10 · 10 June 2023]

Wow. Wish I'd read the reviews before wasting 90 mins of my life on this.

I won't ruin it by giving any spoilers as the writing, direction, cinematography and acting are what ruined it.

Not sure how Cole Hauser could be so bad at acting. Maybe he didn't say too much in Yellowstone so you just didn't notice but he was truly awful in this.

Even Morgan Freeman was useless which again, I'd never have expected.

It's unfortunate as the premise was good. Having visited kwa-zulu Natal in South Africa, I had come across Muti so was intrigued when it came up near the start of the movie.

I'm guessing this was one of those known flops that people write off tax against.

I enjoyed it, but it had issues.

[ws-fentress · 8/10 · 31 March 2023]

A lot of bad reviews aren't wrong in their criticisms, but some of what was said, or the 1 star ratings, were unfounded. Some were correct. For example, the lighting of too many scenes was too dark. That was a rookie mistake. But Cole Hauser played his part very well. Understated, but he came off as a real guy, a cop with some serious baggage. His last scene was especially good, although I don't quite understand why (the "muy tae" or how you spell it.

Morgan Freeman was his usual self, and he was another intriguing, understated performance that I enjoyed. You never knew which side he was on, and that kept the suspense.

This was a low budget horror film, and in that genre, I think the film succeeded, and I got my $7 worth, even at 92 minutes. The subject matter was compelling, and particularly relevant at present. I hope more people give it a chance and see it.

So if you are fascinated by Satanic evil, don't mind a bit of gore, this film kept me engaged throughout. The pacing was good, and I thought the Italy - Mississippi transitions were interesting. In fact, they could have done more.

Really, my biggest complaint was the lighting of certain dark scenes - a few too many. Give it a chance! Audiences are such critics these days!

Slow start with a bad ending, but thrilling in the middle

[joesabin-76663 · 7/10 · 11 March 2023]

My two criticisms of this movie are the slow and confusing start and the very end. Ultimately the beginning makes sense, but it isn't terribly clear so bear with it for 15 minutes or so. I only looked at the IMDB rating for this movie after renting it to stream. I was ready to give up on it based on the first 10-15 minutes and those ratings. But once it gets going, it's an entertaining movie that tells a tale and has some unexpected plot twists and tension. Vernon Davis's performance was particularly striking. The character he plays is largely without dialogue, but his physical performance both athletically and just his facial expressions at times are chilling. Give it a try, I'd recommend it without hesitation.

Don't watch this!

[remuslw · 3/10 · 12 March 2023]

Please don't fall into the same trap my parents and i did by clicking on this movie. Yes, Morgan freeman is in it (and the poster) yet he is not the MAIN character and it is clear he was only hired in an attempt to make the rest of the acting seem less rubbish. Spoiler alert: it didn't work!

You would think that if they were going to include South African culture so prominently in the movie they would at least learn the proper pronunciations- yet they didn't. The pronunciation of 'Lesotho' had my south african parents giggling next to me- and no one wants that when it's supposed to be a thriller.

The acting is more than questionable, from the first chase scene i knew in the back of my mind what we were in for. The acting was shocking and totally unrealistic. Not that movies are nowadays but this was a different level. The first 20-30 minutes was slow and due to the complexity of the plot i figured it was needed and that it would soon pick up- yet it didn't.

The ending was hugely unsatisfactory and I cannot say that i would ever watch this again in my right mind.

The only reason for the three stars is that the plot had a lot of potential, if you were to describe it to someone they would definitely be interested and would want to watch the movie.

They did Morgan Freeman dirtyyy

P. S the language on the wall isn't zulu, swahili... they are two completely different languages!!!