Gareth Evans’s APOSTLE has three things going for it: another killer propulsive soundtrack from Aria Prayogi and Fajar Yuskemal (THE RAID), the director’s usual grisly visual panache, and Michael Sheen. The rest of it is a misstep for the previously untouchable Welsh expat. I really like Dan Stevens as an actor, but this expert at playing psychological instability cannot bring depth to a character where there isn’t any to be found in the lacking script. We’ve hit all these horror beats before with much more impact. Folk horror in THE WICKER MAN, which Apostle borrows its story structure from, was scarier because it was more grounded and mundane. The occult/horror-fantasy elements are a messy mishmash and even Evans’s usual brand of ultraviolence seems without much purpose. I can’t say it’s not bold and I do respect Evans for trying something different, but I’ve no idea what it was meant to make me feel. SSP