Red Lights

As the director of last year’s intense horror/thriller Buried, Rodrigo Cortés certainly made an impression on the cinema industry with his film-making debut and established his name as “one to watch” for 2012.

Now in Red Lights, his second feature film for the big-screen, Sigourney Weaver and Cillian Murphy double up as a team of psychologists responsible for studying cases of paranormal activity and uncovering fraudulent psychics. However, Tom (Murphy) treads on dangerous ground when he begins an investigation of Simon Silver (Robert De Niro), a world-famous psychic whose life is shrouded in mystery and suspicious circumstances. Despite continuous warnings from his colleague Margaret (Weaver), Tom is determined to expose Silver as a phoney, leading to a relentless battle for the truth which threatens to descend into chaos when Silver angrily learns of Tom’s persistent enquiries.

Cortés has surpassed himself once again in this ambitious movie, with its sophisticated narrative generating more twists and turns than an English country road, and a conclusion which will leave you reeling in astonishment, as you realise that the clues to the truth – although cleverly disguised – have been there all along. The casting is the film’s greatest accomplishment, with Weaver and Murphy delivering stellar performances that really compliment one another and make their partnership seem all the more believable. Taking on the villainous part of Simon Silver, De Niro also proves he is still worthy of his two Academy Awards, a role that is arguably a more intense version of the unnerving character he so brilliantly portrayed in Taxi Driver.

With its quick-paced energy, Red Lights is an exciting thriller, guaranteed to set your heart racing and your mind boggling as you furiously attempt to foresee the outcome. You’ll be glad you went to see it.

Laura Davenport