Netflix And Chill: The Deliverance (2024)

I have been aware of director Lee Daniels for years now, but not actually gone out of my way to watch any of his movies. The one exception to that is The Paperboy, a wonderfully odd and trashy murder mystery. But, when I saw people sharing screenshot of Glenn Close uttering THAT line in this movie, I knew that I had to see The Deliverance as soon as possible. I'm glad that I did. It's a well-made horror movie that doesn't feel the need to be witty, snotty, or constantly winking at horror genre fans, and I'd say that it's a better exorcist movie than at least four movies in that franchise. It's certainly miles better than the dire Exorcist: Believer.

The plot is standard stuff. Ebony (Andra Day) is struggling to maintain a healthy household that includes her own mother, Alberta (Glenn Close), and her three children. There's the eldest boy, Nate (Caleb McLaughlin), a daughter named Shante (Demi Singleton), and a pre-teen boy named Andre (Anthony B. Jenkins). Ebony has a history of alcohol abuse, which has fuelled incidents of violence, and therefore has the added pressure of being visited by Cynthia (Mo'Nique), a caseworker representing Child Protective Services. When things start to get strange, and dangerous, in their home, Ebony has to try to keep her family safe while convincing others that she isn't the root cause of everything. 

Clocking in at just under two hours, The Deliverance is deliberately paced to give some time to the main characters, and to show how many difficulties they have in their lives even before something evil starts to play havoc with them. Daniels has been quoted as being slightly unhappy with having to placate Netflix in the final structuring of the film, but it seems as if the two have worked together well to achieve something impressive. This is grounded horror that also has the time to explore some non-supernatural issues that many of us have experienced, and it keeps increasing the stakes incrementally on the way to a climax that features someone battling for a soul that you actually really hope to see saved.

Writers David Coggeshall and Elijah Bynum may not be the first people you would think of when it comes to something both so effective and weighty, but they do a very good job of showing a loving family working hard to repair the cracks in their relationships as some external force tries to keep them apart as it makes use of their bodies to commit some horrible acts. There are a number of expected moments, hard to avoid with this sub-genre of horror, but also one or two moments that still manage to surprise and impress.

The cast also play a major part in making this a success though, handling the material with a straightforward and serious approach that allows it all to feel creepier and more dangerous for everyone involved. Day has one or two moments in which she has to act drunk, or almost cripplingly overwhelmed by the urge to drink, and those aren't her best scenes, but she's otherwise excellent and completely believable as the mother who has to dig in and find more reserves of strength when she is starting to suspect that she has nothing more left in her. Close enjoys playing a very unrestrained and bawdy character, and she gets to deliver the most memorable piece of dialogue, and Mo'Nique does well in portraying someone who gets to become more than just a potential villain by the time the end credits roll. Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor is also very good, playing the typical character who knows what is going on ahead of everyone else. The younger cast members may not always match their adult co-stars, but Jenkins, McLaughlin, and Singleton certainly don't let anyone down, and Jenkins is used particularly well for that youthful innocence that demonic forces are so often more eager to corrupt.

I'm sure that some (many?) will watch this and consider it a bit unsatisfying. I think the natural drama and the supernatural elements are blended together really well, but I can imagine some people being impatient with it. Stick with it though, be patient, and I hope you will feel rewarded by the time it ends. And if this does well, who knows, maybe we could get more horror movies like this, ones that don't feel as if they have to focus on teens or the latest trends and technology. I might sound like an old fart here, but it's oddly refreshing to watch something now that doesn't seem to be trying hard to hold the attention of viewers who shouldn't be the target demographic for it anyway. The parameters of the sub-genre still work against it, but Daniels and his entire cast and crew work hard to keep pushing right up against them.

7/10

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Netflix And Chill: King Richard (2021)

There are two big things that work against King Richard while you are watching it. One is the memory of that Oscar slap "heard around the world", especially when you realise how it underlines why Will Smith gave such a good performance in the role of a man who continues to believe in himself as others dismiss and disrespect him. The other is the fact that this is, ultimately, a film about two of the greatest sportswomen in history . . . told with a focus on the father who guided them to greatness. I'm not saying that the film isn't delivering the truth, or a truth presented to the world by the Williams sisters and their father, but it feels as if some more care could have been taken to show a bit more of the sisters dealing with the choices made by their father.

If you have even the most passing interest in sports, and particularly tennis, then you will be familiar with the Williams sisters (Serena and Venus, played here by Demi Singleton and Saniyya Sidney, respectively). Both hold multiple records, both are formidable athletes, and both have walked their career path with great dignity and a care to keep supporting, and inspiring, many others. And both were able to fully realise their potential thanks to the grand plan created by their father, apparently. This film shows how their father, Richard Williams (Will Smith), created opportunities that allowed them to break into a world that didn't look set to welcome them with open arms, and it's a superb tale of self-belief, staying grounded, and learning as much from any failures as you learn from victories.

The first developed script from writer Zach Baylin, it's easy to see why this would appeal to his sensibilities (especially when he has followed it up with a couple of other standard, and enjoyable, sport movies). There's everything you need in place for a story told within this sub-genre, and you have an idiosyncratic and flawed character in Richard. Director Reinaldo Marcus Green has half the work done from him by the time the cast is in place, and some more of the work done by editor Pamela Martin (because you have to love those transitions that show time passing from the time a tennis ball is thrown up into the air to the time it is forcefully hit over the net). That's not to take away from how he handles the material. He does a very good job, and I am just saying that getting all of the right people in the right positions is a big part of that job.

Smith is very good in the main role, although it's hard to decide whether it's a truly great performance or just something that seems better because of how far removed it is from most of his other onscreen work. Both Singleton and Sidney are excellent as the young Williams sisters, convincing on and off the tennis court, and Aunjanue Ellis does very good work as Oracene Williams, the wife/mother who supports her family at every turn, but also knows when her husband needs to have his perspective changed after too much time spent with his eyes on a distant prize while he makes decisions that start to require a bit more thought and diplomacy. Tony Goldwyn and Jon Bernthal are two main coaches who do their bit to help progress the careers of the sisters, and both give equally good performances (Bernthal particularly enjoyable playing someone much more acquiescent and passive than he usually does), and a mix of familiar and unfamiliar faces pop in to play businessmen, sponsors, spectators, and tennis players (John McEnroe, Pete Sampras, Jennifer Capriati, and Arantxa Sanchez Vicario being the other main pros shown).

Despite what works against this, as mentioned in the first paragraph, there are many positives that make it worth your time, not least of which is the feeling of jubilation and satisfaction as some of the end credits are interspersed with real-life footage of the Williams sisters and impressive stats about their sporting achievements. Whether you agree with the main character or not, the successful end result is impossible to deny. And that makes this another underdog story that is impossible not to appreciate and enjoy.

8/10 

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