Genre: Thriller

Director: Peter A. Dowling

Cast: Radha Mitchell, Rupert Graves, Ian McElhinney, Joanne Crawford, David Robb, Liam Carney, Peter Vollebregt, and Declan Conlon

Studio: IFC Midnight

Runtime: 91 Minutes

Release: In Theaters NY and VOD April, 29

Rated: NR

Rating ★★★★★

Sacrifice tells the story of Dr. Tora Hamilton (Radha Mitchell) and her husband Duncan (Rupert Graves) who move to the Shetland Islands off the coast of Scotland with the hope of adopting a baby from the local adoption agency. Shortly after moving, Tora discovers the body of a woman with mysterious runes carved into her back and her heart torn out buried on her property. Despite being told to leave it alone, Tora decides to try to uncover the identity of who this woman was and who killed her. Could something sinister be lurking on the island?

Radha Mitchell as Dr. Tora Hamilton

I was immediately drawn to Sacrifice because of its intriguing premise. I love a good thriller, especially those involving a detailed mystery. I’m fascinated when a film keeps me on the edge of my seat, making me unsure of what’s going to happen next. Unfortunately, Sacrifice fails at its most important element—being thrilling. As Tora delves deeper into the mystery, the sense of urgency never arises. The film moves at such a slow pace, you become anxious for Tora to finally solve the mystery so the movie will end. While some films move more gradually to build the tension, the so-called payoff in Sacrifice isn’t worth the agonizing crawl to get to it.

Ian McElhinney as D.I. McKie

Some scenes are meant to be exciting but unfortunately, don’t provide the adrenaline rush they’re going for. If anything, they come across as awkward. Throughout Sacrifice, a few confrontations occur but the combatants fight as if they’re in middle school. The way these scenes are shot is pretty disorienting. The combination of the scenes shot in the dark and the angles director Peter Dowling chooses to use every time a punch lands makes it difficult to tell which actors are involved and exactly what is going on.

Despite starting off strong, the mystery surrounding the deceased woman almost solves itself not long after being introduced. I’m usually wrong at guessing the big twist in films like Sacrifice, so because I was able to guess most of the major plot points before they happened is disappointing. It’s as though the writer is afraid you won’t understand what’s going on so there is a plethora of hints and clues to guide you in piecing the puzzle together. The problem with that is every clue is so obvious, you half expect someone to turn to the camera and say, “Hey, this is really important so remember it.” It kills the sense of intrigue Sacrifice attempts to have. There are some unexpected and interesting curve balls sprinkled throughout that fortunately help the plot from being totally predictable.

Joanne Crawford as Sgt. Dana Tulloch

Sacrifice’s saving grace is its cast. Mitchell carries the entire movie and is the only reason I cared about what was happening. The scenes she shares with Graves are easily the best in the film. These two have great chemistry and I genuinely enjoyed their interactions. Another character worth mentioning is Sgt. Dana Tulloch (Joanne Crawford), who teams up with Tora to help solve the mystery. Watching the two of them working together, sharing some great banter is quite entertaining.

Sacrifice is pretty disappointing, to put it bluntly. The film takes a promising premise and wastes it with uninspired direction. Although the cast elevates the movie from being a total loss, you’re not missing much if you choose to skip this one.

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