‘Before the apocalypse. There will be war.’
Righteous Villains is a 2020 British crime horror film – a modern-day tale of good vs evil, secret societies, sorcery and Satan.
Written and directed by Savvas D. Michael (The Phantom Warrior; The Bezonians; Original Gangster; Red Devil).
The Saints and Savages production stars Steven Berkoff, Gary Dourdan, Steven Brand, Gianni Calchetti and Adam Deacon.
Reviews:
“There is a certain feral quality to Michael’s films, a creative, unbridled talent. But, given the commercial restraints his films are produced under, the results say much of his talent, creativity, and resourcefulness. And British films need more of this idiosyncratic approach.” Brit Flicks
“This inept film at least has a promising opening twenty minutes as Jolie and Jeremiah’s stories intersect (poor old Crew gets some bewilderingly complicated lines with which the actor’s mouth can barely keep up), but once on the island any semblance of tension (and logic) gets lost amid a mess of confused exposition, random nakedness and shouting.” Dark Eyes of London
“The beginning oozes style from every pore, but ultimately, I felt let down as the story went on. I wanted to love this film, especially after Jolie’s barroom shoot-out and Jeremiah’s monologue justifying his theft. Unfortunately, the screeching halt to the first act’s momentum, and the unceremonious ending left me longing for more from the beginning.” Film Threat
“Righteous Villains is a well-written multi-genre independent film with some solid acting and a unique spin. Savvas D. Michael and his troupe may not impress the hard-core cinephiles of our time, but Righteous Villains may push some casual viewers towards the indie film world – and there’s nothing wrong with that.” Indy Red
“Though it runs out of steam towards the end with a disappointing denouement, full marks for effort. There’s two-thirds of a great film here […] The easily shocked may want to avoid, and there are too many F-bombs to the point of weakening the script, but there’s a lot of potential in this jumble of ideas.” On: Yorkshire
“There are some gorgeous images amongst things, with Argento-esque colour washes cover the cracks in the mise-en-scène. Michael perhaps uses too many narrative shifts in such a short film (running around 75 minutes, including credits), leaving the viewer breathless trying to keep up with everything.” Starburst
Cast and characters:
Steven Berkoff … Grandfather
Gary Dourdan … Mickey Monroe
Steven Brand … Francis
Gianni Calchetti … Sebastian
Adam Deacon … Satan
Andreas Karras … Mr Hector
Alexander Garcia … Felix
Cavin Cornwall … Adrestos
Lois Brabin-Platt … Jolie
Sophie Pâris … Tina
Jamie Crew … Jeremiah
Shezai Fejzo … Gomez
Nicky B … Mrs Hector
Jarreau Benjamin … Ricky
Jason Duff … Rabboni
Technical details:
75 minutes
Aspect ratio: 2.39:1
Related:
THE BEZONIANS (2021) Reviews and release news for satirical crime thriller
Trailer:
