Capsule reviews for July 24

Amulet

The stylish directorial debut of British actress Romola Garai (Suffragette) is a muddled exercise in gothic horror in which the deliberate pace gives way to some moderate suspense in the final act. It centers on a homeless ex-soldier (Alec Secareanu) carrying psychological demons from a tormented past. He finds shelter in a rundown house occupied by a nun (Imelda Staunton) and a mysterious woman (Carla Juri) whose invalid mother lives in the attic. Then things turn dark and surreal and weird. Garai’s clever and unsettling visual touches yield an intense twist at the end, although after the excessively convoluted buildup, you might not care. (Rated R, 99 minutes).

The Big Ugly

Tough-guy brooding and macho posturing overrides narrative logic and common sense in this derivative gangster thriller about dishonor among thieves. It’s set in West Virginia, of all places, where an oil baron (Ron Perlman) runs afoul of a London mob moss (Malcolm McDowell) trying to launder money through his enforcer (Vinnie Jones). As loyalties shift, their already tenuous relationship is further complicated further when women and whiskey become involved. Some noir-style visual flourishes can’t rescue the formulaic screenplay by director Scott Wiper (The Condemned), which downplays the violent confrontations yet never musters sufficient tension or finds enough sympathy in its collection of schemers and scoundrels. (Rated R, 106 minutes).

Most Wanted

Some fascinating true-life source material yields only intermittent thrills in this ambitious Canadian saga of injustice and government corruption. Daniel (Antoine Olivier Pilon) is a recovering drug addict working a job for a boat owner (Jim Gaffigan) who runs an international narcotics racket on the side. Before long, Daniel is framed and sent to a Thai prison, where his proclaimed innocence reaches a brazen Toronto journalist (Josh Hartnett) needing a scoop to save his own career. The intriguing if convoluted screenplay by director Daniel Roby tries to coax tension by manipulating the narrative structure, although it doesn’t conjure much incentive for emotional investment along the way. (Rated R, 124 minutes).

The Rental

The heroes are also the villains in this subversive low-budget thriller that marks a confident directorial debut for actor Dave Franco. It follows Charlie (Dan Stevens) whose weekend getaway to a secluded rental home includes his wife (Alison Brie), his co-worker (Sheila Vand), and his brother (Jeremy Allen White). Franco’s screenplay toys with the expected drunken bickering and sexual tension, but there’s also an underlying discomfort courtesy of a supposed stalker lurking in the shadows. As secrets are revealed among the quartet, the film effectively exploits paranoia about online privacy in the social-media age, even as it settles for predictable genre tropes in the final act. (Rated R, 88 minutes).

Retaliation

Orlando Bloom’s deeply felt performance anchors this character-driven Irish thriller that too often lacks the subtlety and narrative dexterity its tricky subject matter requires. Bloom plays Malky, a demolitions expert tormented by the return of a priest (James Smillie) to the local church after a three-decade absence. Haunted by childhood memories of abuse, Malky’s rage and desire for vengeance leads to a self-destructive spiral that challenges his faith and tests his restraint out of loyalty to his aging mother (Anne Reid). Despite some powerful introspective moments, the film’s muddled exploration of faith, forgiveness, guilt, trust, and lingering childhood trauma is more heavy-handed than provocative. (Rated R, 91 minutes).

Yes, God, Yes

You might lose your appetite for tossed salad thanks to a recurring joke in this breezy and irreverent coming-of-age comedy. Fortunately, you’ll also laugh frequently, thanks to a witty and nostalgic script by rookie director Karen Maine that skewers the hypocrisy in organized belief systems. Alice (Natalia Dyer) is a repressed suburban teenager in the early 2000s whose hormones are making it difficult to adhere to her Catholic school’s strict ban on self-pleasure. Things get more complicated when a racy online chat leads to a salacious rumor at a church camp. The film covers familiar satirical ground, yet benefits from Dyer’s charisma and a character-driven approach. (Rated R, 78 minutes).