The Exorcism ★★½

WHAT is Russell Crowe doing?

He seems happy to take roles that don’t require too much effort.

Recently his output has been decidedly B-grade fare, but he is always a strong presence and sometimes still the best aspect of the film.

Maybe that’s his strategy – to not take risks and still shine the brightest.

Good luck to him, but eventually he may not be.

One of his latest (he makes about four a year these days), The Exorcism, is a good example because his performance is probably the only reason to see this 2024 American supernatural horror film.

After recently playing a real-life exorcist, in The Pope’s Exorcist, Crowe swaps sides to play the possessed subject.

His character, Anthony Miller, is a veteran actor and recovering alcoholic who is also coming to terms with his ex-wife’s death.

Miller is thrown a career lifeline when the actor playing a priest in a horror film dies on set and needs to be replacement at short notice.

The director reluctantly agrees to Miller taking over the role.

Miller’s assistant on the set is his daughter Lee (Ryan Simpkins) who is also wary of her father’s willingness and ability to hold everything together.

The film starts to affect Miller in strange ways. The crew and Lee think his addictions have returned and are impacting his mental state.

But other strange occurrences on the film set and in Miller’s home lead them to suspect a more sinister cause.

The character of Miller has considerable depth and Crowe plays him well to the extent you wish both of them were in a better film.

Watched on  Apple TV.