Thrillers are almost up there with horror films in that there are new ones hitting the shelves all the time. Sadly more often than not they miss the mark and end up being yet another forgettable film, but every so often one comes along the injects that bit of adrenaline that the genre needs to stand out. The latest, Convergence features a great cast including Ethan Embry, Mykelti Williamson, and Clayne Crawford, but does it have the intense story and performances needed to bring this film to the forefront or should it be institutionalized once and for all.
Convergence follows Detective Ben Walls who lives a quiet life with his wife and newborn daughter, but he’s called into action after an explosion at a local women’s health clinic – an explosion that may be the work of a terrorist bomber Ben has been tracking. While investigating the scene, another shocking event lands Ben himself in the hospital. When he awakens he is surprisingly uninjured and ready to go back into the field. But at the behest of his captain and the hospital’s few but eerily incongruous patients and staff, Ben is forced to remain inside the building. As Ben navigates the hospital’s alarmingly empty hallways, he soon finds himself hunted by a self-proclaimed avenging angel, who may be the terrorist he has been looking for, and haunted by apparitions whose deadly motives remain a mystery. As Ben’s sense of reality begins to spiral out of control and the demons that surround him close in, he must find a way to both stop the supernatural forces that want him dead and catch the bomber before he strikes again. Initially this film plays up pretty average and feels like it may not be going anywhere, but that changes for the better pretty quickly. Once he wakes up in the hospital it begins the slow build of taking the audience on a wacked out journey that on one side teeters on the edge of insanity while attempting to ground it firmly in its own crazed world. This film could have easily fallen apart had it not had the foresight to keep it streamlined just enough to be able to stick with it without sacrificing the story they are telling and making it feel like generic Hollywood. Here there is a thought provoking story that unfolds in various manners amidst the chaos of those involved.
The cast all do a good job, but it’s Ethan Embry that steals the show. Embry has showcased his ability to take on various roles throughout his career, but here he brings a presence and intensity to the role to elevate the film to the next level. Add to the mix a barrage of violence that plays just as important a role as the story itself and you have a thriller that intrigues as much as it entertains. Sure this film won’t work for everyone as you have to sit with it and pay attention to the direction it is heading, but if you can invest in the story you get so much more. Sure it may not be breaking ground in the genre and offers up aspects that you have likely seen in other films, but there is just that little something extra here that makes it work. At first the film feels pretty straight forward, but as it progresses you realize there is so much more there.
In the end director Drew Hall managed to take what could have been too chaotic to work and crafted a thought provoking film that delivers as much action as it does twists and turns. As mentioned this film isn’t for everyone, but everyone should give it a shot and decide for themselves. Love it or hate it the film will likely evoke some sort of emotion which is the real reason for watching any movie anyway. If it gets something out of you then it did its job and at the least Convergence will leave you thinking after the credits.
