The Righteous is exciting not only because it’s a painfully tense and thought-provoking film (which it certainly is), but also because it announces an astounding new talent in Mark O’Brien.

| Jul 11, 2024

If you’re looking for an exciting addition to the horror genre, The Righteous nails it. With complex themes and a character-driven storyline it manages to keep the audience curious til the end.

| Jul 20, 2023

The Righteous starts intense and intriguing, but it ultimately feels like a stage play that went on for too long.

| Original Score: 7.5/10 | Jan 22, 2023

The Righteous is honest about intractable despair and fear in a way few films are, and it has an ace in the hole in that longtime reliable acting wizard Henry Czerny.

| Original Score: A- | Aug 24, 2022

Decades after The Boys of St. Vincent, it's oddly appropriate that Henry Czerny has been handed another plum part in a religious drama that deals with the sins of a priest.

| Original Score: 3/4 | Jul 31, 2022

The Righteous is a film that cannot be easily summed up with words, but there’s no denying the sheer talent and craftsmanship involved nor its ability to leave a lasting impression on the viewer.

| Jul 8, 2022

Mark O'Brien’s black-and-white thriller The Righteous is a visually stunning, dialogue-heavy tour-de-force that will enthrall viewers.

| Jun 18, 2022

The Righteous is a tightly wound horror film, testing the audience to see a battle of good vs. evil, in this spectacular film from Mark O’Brien.

| Original Score: 3.5/4 | Jun 17, 2022

It works both as a dark narrative and as a beautifully-made homage to films of the past.

| Original Score: B | Jun 15, 2022

The sum effect is rather dreary, though the story does head somewhere, and its ambitions are (at least in the abstract) admirable.

| Jun 14, 2022

It works, as its tormented ex-priest character Frederic Mason (an excellent Henry Czerny) ponders his place in the universe. Close-ups on his weathered face actually do encourage deep thoughts about faith, God, fate, etc.

| Original Score: 3/4 | Jun 11, 2022

An insightful, disturbing, heartrending, borderline Shakespearean film...

| Original Score: 8/10 | Jun 10, 2022

Great storytelling and direction along with powerful performances make this stand out. More concerned with world building than scares and better for it.

| Jun 10, 2022

... a psychological thriller flirting with existential threat, the story of a man desperate for accountability yet foolishly vague on the fulfillment of such penance... and the horrific revelations that might come of it.

| Original Score: 3/4 | Jun 10, 2022

Meandering around complex spiritual inklings more than it makes a coherent statement out of them, The Righteous manages to impress with its curious demeanor even when its overwrought ideas don’t add up to an articulate whole in the aftermath.

| Original Score: 2.5/4 | Jun 10, 2022

This movie’s a must for anyone who enjoys seeing terrific actors given the space to explore their characters’ pain — and to spin riveting moments out of rich words and subtle moods.

| Jun 10, 2022

While the acting is top notch and the dialogue crackles, The Righteous is a very dour affair. Either you settle into the pew or you don’t, but the movie isn’t going to make it comfortable.

| Original Score: 3/5 | Jun 9, 2022

Sure, this is a talky movie, big on debates and low on action, and may feel somewhat theatrical – but that’s not necessarily a bad thing, especially when the performances are this subtle, expressive and electric.

| Original Score: 3/5 | Jun 7, 2022

The Righteous works as a supernatural chamber piece and brain-tickling religious dialectic wrapped in chilly black-and-white visuals.

| Original Score: B- | Jun 7, 2022

…Horror fans with patience may well dig the outcome, but The Righteous has no gore or exploitation elements, and is worth commending to those who fancy an acting master-class…

| Original Score: 4/5 | Jun 6, 2022