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Heretic is a house of cards. It is a playful, thoughtfully crafted construction that — much like its talkative antagonist — is ultimately full of air. All it would take is one strong gust of wind or a single weak link to cause Heretic to fall completely in on itself. It needs something strong enough to protect itself from that kind of weakness in order to stay standing, and Heretic thankfully finds exactly that in Hugh Grant. A leading man of a million different, yet similar shades, Grant has spent the past 10 years of his career gleefully tap-dancing out of step with the largely rom-com rhythms of his earlier career in order to play roguish villains, cheating husbands, murder-obsessed politicians, and even a snarky, orange-skinned Oompa Loompa.
He has cemented himself as one of the most reliable scene stealers of this decade and the last, but outside of a few TV roles, Grant has found his recent successes in supporting parts. Heretic breaks that pattern by giving Grant the leading role he deserves at this stage of his career — one that allows him to use every tool in his toolbox. In Heretic, a deliciously mean helping of religious horror that feels like a contemporary Grimms’ fairy tale, he is both the attractive middle-aged professor and the witch hiding the human-sized oven in his kitchen. He is also a stammering, affable, twinkle-eyed, and hunched-shouldered man of immense charm who frequently resembles the generation-defining rom-com star viewers once knew Grant to be.
The film builds to this turning point with confidence and considered style. Its opening scene, a conversation about condom sizes between Barnes and Paxton, marks the low point of Scott Beck and Bryan Woods’ screenplay and plays up its female leads’ obliviousness about the mechanics of sex to a laughable degree. The scene’s dialogue and the visual pun waiting at the end of its first shot clumsily foreshadow the darkly funny comedic spirit that Woods and Beck go on to inject far more effectively throughout Heretic‘s second and third acts. Fortunately, the writing and directing duo don’t wait long to bring Thatcher and East’s missionaries face-to-face with Grant’s manipulator. They dedicate just enough minutes to the awkward drudgery of Barnes and Paxton’s missionary work for Reed’s excitement about speaking with them to act as an initial, effective jolt to the system.
Heretic clicks into sharper place once Reed begins deliberately pushing against his guests’ religious convictions. It’s in this sequence that three things become clear: The brilliance of Grant’s casting, the crackling potential of Beck and Woods’ dialogue, and the precision of Chung Chung-hoon’s cinematography. Beck and Woods’ previous directorial efforts, which include 2023’s sci-fi film 65, didn’t announce them as filmmakers with a particularly powerful visual style. In that respect, Heretic is a marked improvement. Many of the thriller’s most unnerving scenes, including Reed’s first quasi-interrogation of Paxton and Barnes, involve long monologues and back-and-forth exchanges. Beck, Woods, and Chung elevate these sequences with well-timed close-ups and revolving pans that add a dynamism they might otherwise lack, communicate the underlying malevolence of Grant’s villain, and establish an uncomfortable intimacy between Heretic‘s three leads that is reinforced by the inescapable nature of Reed’s labyrinthine home.
Once Barnes and Paxton come to the horrifying realization that they’re trapped, Grant’s Reed is given all the permission he needs to shed one skin for another. He exchanges his friendly, neighborly facade for that of a wannabe lecturer who gives deranged, rehearsed speeches that compare the creation of pop cultural artifacts like Radiohead’s Creep and Jar-Jar Binks to the iterative origins of the world’s “modern” religions. There isn’t enough substance in what the man says to prompt much compelling reflection on the part of viewers, and the same is true of Heretic‘s entirely surface-level, obvious thoughts on religion itself. The way in which the film reaches its ultimate points is, however, always immensely entertaining. Beck and Woods, who broke into the mainstream by writing the original script for A Quiet Place, have an understanding of dramatic escalation and tension that makes their work thrilling to watch whenever it is on full display.
The superficiality of Heretic‘s ideas does little to hamper the film’s effectiveness, though. This is a thriller told with exceptional, gripping control and a near-perfect mastery of tone. It unfolds at such a propulsive, confident pace that it leaves little room for you to do anything more than feel the visceral effects of its filmmaking and the increasing claustrophobia of its interior world as the full, suffocating cruelty of its villain’s plan is revealed. With three strong lead performances and one, in particular, that dares you to look away, Heretic also grounds its story in an enthralling battle between a trio of very different, but similarly capable performers.
Heretic is now playing in theaters.
Conclusion
Heretic is a thrilling and entertaining film that keeps your heart rate up and your eyes glued to the screen. With a standout performance from Hugh Grant, the film is a must-see for fans of the thriller genre.
FAQs
Q: What is the plot of Heretic?
A: The film follows two Mormon missionaries who visit a reclusive professor, only to find themselves trapped in his labyrinthine home.
Q: Who stars in the film?
A: Hugh Grant, Sophie Thatcher, and Chloe East star in the film.
Q: What is the tone of the film?
A: The film has a darkly comedic tone, with a focus on suspense and tension.
Q: Is the film based on a true story?
A: No, the film is an original screenplay.
Q: What is the runtime of the film?
A: The film has a runtime of 111 minutes.
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