Hellgate (2011) - 2/4

Hellgate is a film about a man (Cary Elwes) who survives a car accident that kills his wife and son. From then on he can see ghosts. They can see him, too, and seem to want something from him. Fortunately, he lives in Thailand, where they have mystics coming out the wazoo, so he learns that he's fading from life and has to reclaim his soul from the world of the dead.

Hellgate's primary attraction to me was certainly the part about reclaiming his soul from the dead. What really sealed the deal, though--I can't lie--was the presence of both Cary Elwes and William Hurt. A lot of actors I used to count on, like Michael Madsen and Christian Slater, take any five minute role for top billing and sucker me into mediocre film experiences. Screw them, man! But Elwes and Hurt are still cool cats--or are they?

Structurally, Hellgate is an odd experience, almost like a few different films merged. The first half is a tasteless gruel of Asian ghost movie cliches, probably because this is a Thai co-production. Plaintive Asian ghosts shamble and beckon, trying to touch Elwes. They don't seem particularly scary or threatening. That's the major problem with this segment. It's just not scary, tense, or suspenseful; nor does 'seeing dead people' strike me as particularly interesting. Blame Shyamalan and Japan.

The second half of Hellgate is much more interesting. This is the section where Elwes ventures on a mystical journey courtesy a Thai mystic and an ex-patriate American (William Hurt). Leading up to the journey to the world of the dead, Hellgate has the mystical feel, if not the depth, of a film like Dragonfly. Once taken to the world of the dead, however, the film excels. The portrayals of this world and the ritual required to enter it are as creepy, strange, and inventive as they should be. I wished writer-director John Penney had gotten the film to the world of the dead much sooner, in fact, or at least showed the same level of invention in earlier parts of the film.

The overall experience of Hellgate is disjointed, held together only by the gradual unfurling of the characters. It has its charming moments, mostly involving William Hurt. But there's an awkwardness to the writing and direction that just never goes away. If you know what to expect, it's an adequate mystical adventure/horror film, only really worth watching for the final twenty minutes.