Page 24 THE VILLADOM TIMES I, II, III & IV • May 9, 2012 Edgar Allan Poe hunts a killer in ‘The Raven’ by Dennis Seuling “The Raven” combines a real-life character with a bunch of fictional ones, providing a clever spin on a tale of murder and mayhem in mid-19th century America. Gruesome murders are being committed in Baltimore, and Detective Fields (Luke Evans), who is investigating the crimes, finds them disturbingly familiar. He has encountered similar acts of depravity before, not in actuality, but in the gothic tales of local author Edgar Allan Poe (John Cusack). Poe, his greatest works behind him, now barely survives as a literary critic and occasional guest lecturer at ladies’ poetry circles. The bottle has replaced his enthusiasm for writing the tales that made him famous. Fields questions Poe and the two band together in an attempt to stop the serial killer. Poe is entranced by a beautiful wealthy woman, Emily Hamilton (Alice Eve), whom he wants to marry, but her father, Captain Hamilton (Brendan Gleeson) looks down on Poe and forbids Emily to see him. When Emily is kidnapped by the killer and imprisoned in a manner that assures a slow, painful death, Poe determines to find her before she dies. Time is a crucial factor. Using Poe’s tales as a guide, Fields and Poe attempt to follow clues that will lead them to the murderer before Emily meets her end. Using the same tales, the killer brazenly plants clues to his intended crimes as a cat-and-mouse game is set in motion with human lives at stake. There is much to like in “The Raven.” Cusack turns in a quirky performance as the celebrated author whose stories have not been published for some time. He is portrayed as a penniless drunkard, is intolerant of contemporary authors such as Longfellow and Emerson, is not above begging for booze, picks fights constantly, is contemptuous of authority, and bears a sense of selfinflicted tragedy with aloof pride. Cusack has been around for some time, but has seldom carried a film. He gets the chance here and shoulders the weight nicely. Director James McTeigue has given the movie a lush appearance, with Belgrade and Budapest standing in for Baltimore. The cinematography by Danny Ruhlmann is dark, shadowy, and highly atmospheric, with scenes of the 19th century city streets reminiscent of Jack the Ripper’s London. The literary references are fun, particularly for those who know the stories, including “The Tell-Tale Heart,” “The Cask of Amontillado,” “The Mystery of Marie Roget,” and “The Pit in the Pendulum.” Poe was unsurpassed in capturing mad- John Cusack stars as Edgar Allan Poe in ‘The Raven.’ ness, horror, and depression on the printed page. Those elements are exploited in “The Raven,” which is graphic in its depiction of the serial murderer’s crimes. The problem with contemporary thrillers is that they often seem interchangeable, with only minor variations from one to the other. “The Raven,” rated R for bloody images and drug and alcohol abuse, stands out because of its period setting and above-average acting. It is a nifty thriller that places Poe in the midst of a city-wide murder mystery, an appropriate homage because the author is acknowledged as the very creator of the detective mystery. Watching Poe enter the mind of the murderer through his own stories and imagination keeps viewers riveted.