Worth: $14.00
FilmInk rates movies out of $20 — the score indicates the amount we believe a ticket to the movie to be worth
Cast:
Jessica Raine, Peter Capaldi, Phil Dunster, Benjamin Chivers, Nikesh Patel, Alex Ferns
Intro:
… looking to be a taut thriller with shades of black humour thrown into the mix.
There appears to be a pattern with modern Doctor Who that as soon as your leading actor hangs up the TARDIS keys, then they must channel their energy into a darker role that will overshadow their previous engagement. For Matt Smith, it was shouting about his muscles in Lost River, David Tennant gave us a wobbly American accent in the Bad Samaritan, and Christopher Eccleston was hidden under make up in Thor: The Dark World. Now, here comes Peter Capaldi in The Devil’s Hour, a suitably spooky crime thriller released in time for Halloween.
FilmInk were only given the first two Capaldi-lite episodes to review, but writer Tom Moran has dished out enough red herrings and clues to encourage you to binge the series in one sitting.
Jessica Raine (Call the Midwife) plays Lucy Chambers, a social worker who manages to stay in control with her team and clients, more than she does with her own son, Isaac (Benjamin Chivers). If you found the child unnerving in The Babadook, you’re not going to get any respite here. Isaac is doe eyed and expresses absolutely no emotion whatsoever. This isn’t a dig at the young Chivers, so put down that tweet. The fact is, Lucy’s son doesn’t cry, laugh and or even know what interests he has. He’s a shell of a child who Lucy is, understandably, concerned about, but he is not her only problem.
For some as yet unexplained reason, Lucy has been waking up at 3:33am every day after experiencing horrific nightmares. Her night terrors are also bleeding into her day to day through unnerving visions, such as one of her client’s children being brutally murdered.
Meanwhile, Detectives Ravi Dhillon (Nikesh Patel, Starstruck) and Nick Holness (Alex Ferns, Andor) are on the hunt for a murderer who may also be connected to the unsolved disappearance of a child. Their hunt takes them – as these things often do – to a motel room plastered with news clippings and a name written on the window: Lucy Chambers.
With the first two episodes using its time to put all its pieces on the board before a big reveal in the final minutes, it’s hard to say whether the payoff will be worth it. However, everything points towards a creepy good time.
For the most part, Raine is frazzled as a woman just trying to protect her son as well as trying to keep her sanity. A set-up of each episode sees her going toe to toe with Capaldi’s Gideon in what appears to be an interrogation room. Sat down and handcuffed, Capaldi still manages to come across as a dangerous man to know. Far worse than Malcolm Tucker ever was. There is a tickle in the back of the brain that these scenes are going to lead to a Fight Club reveal, but we’re hopeful to be proven wrong.
Overall, similar to Ragdoll, The Devil’s Hour is looking to be a taut thriller with shades of black humour thrown into the mix. If you’re looking for a break from the usual Halloween fare of masked killers and haunted houses, then this could be the treat you need.
