Movie Review: ‘Thy Will Be Done’
A serial killer and police detective play cat and mouse
I get inundated with review requests all the time, which is fine. Only I either don’t have the time, or it’s not going to be available to the Des Moines area anytime soon, or it was made by a company I know consistently makes terrible movies. There’s also another reason I just erase the email and it’s a bit hard to put into words.You see, most of these are lower budgeted productions, and there’s something I’ve noticed over the past ten to fifteen years. Productions like these more often than not have this kind of “look.” It’s hard to explain, but it’s something you know right away. I don’t know if it’s a filter or a camera type, but apparently a ton of filmmakers got together and agreed all their movies need to look this way…and that way is horrible.It’s so bad that it ruins a movie for me. Yes, just on the look alone. It is a visual medium, after all. So, I look at pictures of the movie or it’s trailer, if there is one, and if that “look” shows up, it’s an instant no-go for me.Recently, Jazz Securo, the director-star of a film called Thy Will Be Done (Available on Amazon, Google Play and Fawsome), contacted me with a request for a review. He was nice enough, very congenial, so I gave the trailer a view. It didn’t have the “look,” interesting enough seeming story, so I said yes. After getting busy enough that it slipped my mind, and after a friendly reminder from Mr. Securo, I finally got around to watching it this weekend.Det. Stefani Bennett (Callie Bussell) is extremely close to burning out, probably because she’s able to put herself into the mind of any criminal she’s investigating. Her boss, Capt. Christopher Torrance (Doug Bradley), gives her what he figures is a simple assignment: A guy who died after falling down some stairs.Yet, Stefani is too good at her job, and she figures out that it wasn’t a fall but a murder, instead. Soon, two more homicides designed to look like accidents occur. During her investigation, she seeks advice from her father’s former partner on the force, Ronnie James (Richard Huddleson), and her priest, Father Arland Anthony (Securo).Thy Will Be Done is a very strong thriller, especially for one this small and with a first-time director. I had no idea what I was getting into, but I ended up quite entertained.Securo, following the path of “if you can’t find the roles make them yourself,” has a keen eye as well as some decent acting chops, and the story is savvy enough to acknowledge the intelligence of the audience. The plot realizes that it’s rather easy to tell who the killer is, so it reveals their identity fairly early. This helps a lot, because it makes their cat and mouse game with Stefani more interesting.The film also features cameos from Courtney Gains and Kurt Angle, but the standout to me was the actor playing Medical Examiner Eric Moon, David Hejmanowski. As the comic relief, he’s given some fun lines and ends up being a joy to see pop up in a scene. Bussell does a good job of bringing Stefani to life, giving her a nice depth of pathos.I did find at times the dialogue felt a touch stilted. That could’ve been the reads of the lines or the lines themselves, but it never brought the film to a complete halt. Just a few minor speedbumps that were easy to get around.Overall, Thy Will Be Done is a decent little thriller that doesn’t necessarily bring anything new to its genre, but it does a very competent job of telling the story it wants to tell.
I get inundated with review requests all the time, which is fine. Only I either don’t have the time, or it’s not going to be available to the Des Moines area anytime soon, or it was made by a company I know consistently makes terrible movies. There’s also another reason I just erase the email and it’s a bit hard to put into words.
You see, most of these are lower budgeted productions, and there’s something I’ve noticed over the past ten to fifteen years. Productions like these more often than not have this kind of “look.” It’s hard to explain, but it’s something you know right away. I don’t know if it’s a filter or a camera type, but apparently a ton of filmmakers got together and agreed all their movies need to look this way…and that way is horrible.
It’s so bad that it ruins a movie for me. Yes, just on the look alone. It is a visual medium, after all. So, I look at pictures of the movie or it’s trailer, if there is one, and if that “look” shows up, it’s an instant no-go for me.
Recently, Jazz Securo, the director-star of a film called Thy Will Be Done (Available on Amazon, Google Play and Fawsome), contacted me with a request for a review. He was nice enough, very congenial, so I gave the trailer a view. It didn’t have the “look,” interesting enough seeming story, so I said yes. After getting busy enough that it slipped my mind, and after a friendly reminder from Mr. Securo, I finally got around to watching it this weekend.
Det. Stefani Bennett (Callie Bussell) is extremely close to burning out, probably because she’s able to put herself into the mind of any criminal she’s investigating. Her boss, Capt. Christopher Torrance (Doug Bradley), gives her what he figures is a simple assignment: A guy who died after falling down some stairs.
Yet, Stefani is too good at her job, and she figures out that it wasn’t a fall but a murder, instead. Soon, two more homicides designed to look like accidents occur. During her investigation, she seeks advice from her father’s former partner on the force, Ronnie James (Richard Huddleson), and her priest, Father Arland Anthony (Securo).
Thy Will Be Done is a very strong thriller, especially for one this small and with a first-time director. I had no idea what I was getting into, but I ended up quite entertained.
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Securo, following the path of “if you can’t find the roles make them yourself,” has a keen eye as well as some decent acting chops, and the story is savvy enough to acknowledge the intelligence of the audience. The plot realizes that it’s rather easy to tell who the killer is, so it reveals their identity fairly early. This helps a lot, because it makes their cat and mouse game with Stefani more interesting.
The film also features cameos from Courtney Gains and Kurt Angle, but the standout to me was the actor playing Medical Examiner Eric Moon, David Hejmanowski. As the comic relief, he’s given some fun lines and ends up being a joy to see pop up in a scene. Bussell does a good job of bringing Stefani to life, giving her a nice depth of pathos.
I did find at times the dialogue felt a touch stilted. That could’ve been the reads of the lines or the lines themselves, but it never brought the film to a complete halt. Just a few minor speedbumps that were easy to get around.
Overall, Thy Will Be Done is a decent little thriller that doesn’t necessarily bring anything new to its genre, but it does a very competent job of telling the story it wants to tell.