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00:00Azrael, the latest from director E.L. Katz, Cheap Thrills, and writer Simon Barrett, The
00:06Guest, You're Next, takes the golden rule of showing, not telling, to heart.
00:11Samura Weaving, Ready or Not, Scream 6, takes on the title role in this survival horror
00:16movie set in a post-Rapture world where speaking is forbidden.
00:20It makes for a fascinating experiment in dialogue-free horror, where most the world-building is left
00:25to the viewer to discern amidst minimalist storytelling and propulsive action.
00:30A text card reveals that the Rapture has already happened when we meet Azrael, a terrified
00:35woman on the run with her lover, Nathan Stewart Jarrett.
00:38Azrael is terrified and on edge, constantly looking over her shoulder as her lover tries
00:43to soothe her.
00:45They can't say what they're running from, though, as the cross-shaped scars on their
00:49throats indicate speaking is an impossibility for either.
00:52It doesn't take long for their cultish persecutors to reveal themselves, though, pummeling both
00:58and dragging Azrael against her will to be sacrificed.
01:01But just as her executioner, a burned, bloodthirsty humanoid, arrives, a stroke of determined
01:07luck frees Azrael and kick-starts a violent bid for survival.
01:11The setting itself is, for the most part, as minimalist as the narrative.
01:16Nestled deep within a forest, the only telltale signs of a fallen civilization are a few clunky
01:21cars, building ruins, and a ramshackle encampment.
01:25It puts the spotlight on Weaving's Azrael, a terrified woman ill-equipped to fight off
01:30her much stronger enemies.
01:32Her wordless arc charts an intriguing course, the constant barrage of attacks injects adrenaline
01:38and character development at once.
01:40Azrael simply wants to survive, and the relentless pursuit sees her fear slowly transform into
01:46gritty resolve.
01:47Helping, of course, is the carnage.
01:50The cult members pursuing Azrael don't hesitate to dole out gruelling punishment to force
01:54her into compliance, but it pales in comparison to the ravenous creatures who tear into flesh
01:59with grotesque ease, blood spurting everywhere.
02:03Cats only dials up the gore and violence the longer the night wears on, with Azrael taking
02:08a constant pummeling.
02:09It builds to an appropriately biblical finish, a distinctly horror punchline at the end of
02:14a gruelling, thrilling gauntlet.
02:17Weaving carries the film effortlessly through an impressive, entirely physical performance.
02:22You can feel her primal scream, even if it comes out as a hollow hiss.
02:27Azrael's fear earns easy rooting interest, and that only mounts when Weaving digs into
02:32her steely resolve to finally fight back.
02:35None of the other characters get fleshed out or have much in the way of identifying personalities,
02:40but they don't need it.
02:42This is Samura Weaving's show.
02:44Azrael plays like a non-stop barrage of horror-violence over the course of twenty-four hours, a gory
02:49survival thriller that doesn't have time to dwell on the story specifics.
02:53It doesn't really need to—Barrett's lean, efficient script gives enough clues to let
02:58viewers fill in the blanks of this very biblical horror tale.
03:02The experiment in dialogue-free action can be a tricky one—it's a tough ask for audiences
03:07wanting spelled-out answers.
03:09But Weaving's capable performance and the visceral siege horror ensure this experiment
03:13succeeds.
03:14Azrael releases in theatres on September 27, 2024.
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