''Solace'' is a 2015 American mystery

thriller film Thriller film, also known as suspense film or suspense thriller, is a broad film genre that evokes excitement and suspense in the audience. The suspense element found in most films' plots is particularly exploited by the filmmaker in this genre. ...

directed by Afonso Poyart and starring

Anthony Hopkins Sir Philip Anthony Hopkins (born 31 December 1937) is a Welsh actor. Considered one of Britain's most recognisable and prolific actors, he is known for List of Anthony Hopkins performances, his performances on the screen and stage. Hopkins ha ...

Colin Farrell Colin James Farrell (; born 31 May 1976) is an Irish actor. A Leading actor, leading man in blockbuster (entertainment), blockbusters and independent films since the 2000s, he has received various List of awards and nominations received by Col ...

Jeffrey Dean Morgan Jeffrey Dean Morgan (born April 22, 1966) is an American actor. He is best known for playing the character Negan in the AMC horror drama series '' The Walking Dead'' (2016–2022) and its spin-off '' The Walking Dead: Dead City'' (2023–present ...

and

Abbie Cornish Abigail Cornish (born 7 August 1982) is an Australian actress. In film, Cornish is known for her roles as Heidi in ''Somersault (film), Somersault'' (2004), Fanny Brawne in ''Bright Star (film), Bright Star'' (2009), Sweet Pea in ''Sucker Punch ...

. Its storyline follows a psychic doctor, John Clancy (

), who works with FBI special agent Joe Merriwether (

) in search of serial killer Charles Ambrose (

). The film's script was originally planned and developed as a

sequel A sequel is a work of literature, film, theatre, television, music, or video game that continues the story of, or expands upon, some earlier work. In the common context of a narrative work of fiction, a sequel portrays events set in the same ...

to the 1995 thriller film '' Se7en'', but the idea was eventually scrapped. ''Solace'' was completed as a standalone film. ''Solace'' was released on December 16, 2016, by

Lionsgate Premiere Lionsgate Premiere is the speciality film division of entertainment company Lionsgate Films that specializes in direct-to-video and direct-to-video on demand. Background On April 1, 2015, Lionsgate confirmed they had launched speciality division ...

. It received generally negative reviews from critics.

Plot

Dr. John Clancy has lived in isolation since the death of his daughter two years before. The psychic is contacted by his friend, Joe Merriwether, an

FBI The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is the domestic Intelligence agency, intelligence and Security agency, security service of the United States and Federal law enforcement in the United States, its principal federal law enforcement ag ...

special agent, who asks for his help in tracking down a serial killer with very elaborate methods. Joe seems unable to convince Clancy, but when his partner criminal psychologist Dr. Katherine Cowles enters and touches him on the shoulder after giving him the case files, he envisions a violent future event with blood spilling down Katherine's forehead, among other insights into her life. Clancy reluctantly agrees. Cowles is skeptical of his gift, but is soon convinced otherwise. The victims are all found to have been suffering from terminal illnesses. Clancy realizes the killer has abilities exceeding his own. Merriwether is shot by the suspect. He says that he was diagnosed with terminal cancer before dying in the hospital. After the funeral, Clancy is confronted by the killer, who explains he is sparing his victims from a slow death, killing them out of mercy, and that he arranged Merriwether's death. He arrogantly declares he has seen all the possible outcomes of their confrontation, but Clancy surprises him. Nonetheless, the killer escapes after distracting police by saying Clancy has a gun. Cowles discovers the killer is Charles Ambrose. Clancy is forced to test his abilities to their limits and is able to intercept Ambrose as he poisons his latest victim. Clancy tells him he has no right to take time away from even the terminally ill, such as his friend Merriwether. Cowles and Clancy finally confront Ambrose in a subway car. Ambrose tells Clancy that he is dying and asks Clancy to shoot him. He wants him to take over the role of mercy killing and warns him that Cowles will be killed if he does not shoot him. She runs up behind Clancy and both Ambrose and Clancy fire their weapons. Ambrose dies and Clancy is injured. Clancy and Cowles become close, as he sees her as the daughter he lost. In the hospital, Clancy gives Cowles a letter for his wife, with whom Clancy reconciles. He recalls euthanizing his own daughter as she was dying from leukemia.

Cast

as Dr. John Clancy *

as Charles Ambrose *

as FBI Agent Joseph Joe Merriwether *

as FBI Agent Katherine Cowles * Jordan Woods-Robinson as Jeffrey Oldfield *

Marley Shelton Marley Eve Shelton (born April 12, 1974) is an American actress. She made her film debut in ''Grand Canyon (1991 film), Grand Canyon'' (1991) and had a supporting role in the coming-of-age film ''The Sandlot'' (1993) before receiving recognition ...

as Laura Merriwether *

Xander Berkeley Alexander Harper Berkeley (born December 16, 1955) is an American actor. Since beginning his career in the early 1980s, he has appeared in over 200 film and television projects. His films include ''Terminator 2: Judgment Day'' (1991), ''Candyman ...

as Mr. Ellis * Kenny Johnson as David Raymond * Janine Turner as Elizabeth Clancy *

Sharon Lawrence Sharon Elizabeth Lawrence (born June 29, 1961) is an American actress. From 1993 to 1999, she starred as Sylvia Costas in the American Broadcasting Company, ABC drama series, ''NYPD Blue''. The role garnered her three Primetime Emmy Award nomina ...

as Mrs. Ellis * Jose Pablo Cantillo as Sawyer *

Matt Gerald Matt Gerald (born May 2, 1970) is an American actor and screenwriter. Gerald was born in Miami, Florida. A graduate of The University of Pennsylvania, he is best known for his Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) roles as White Power Dave in ''All Ha ...

as Sloman * Autumn Dial as Emma Clancy * Joshua Close as Linus Harp * Luisa Moraes as Victoria Raymond

Production

The original script was written by

Ted Griffin Ted Griffin (born December 21, 1970) is an American screenwriter whose credits include '' Ravenous'', '' Rumor Has It'', and '' Ocean's Eleven''. Born in Pasadena, California, Griffin graduated from Colgate University in 1993. While attending u ...

and Disney executive

Sean Bailey Sean Bailey is an American film and television producer. He served as president of Walt Disney Studios Motion Picture Production from 2010 to 2024. Career Early career As a co-founder and executive of LivePlanet, Bailey served as executive ...

in 2000. James Vanderbilt contributed to the script and final changes were made by

Peter Morgan Peter Julian Robin Morgan (born 10 April 1963) is a British screenwriter and playwright. He has written for theatre, films and television, often writing about historical events or figures such as Elizabeth II, Queen Elizabeth II, whom he has ...

; neither were credited on the final film. At one point the script was picked up by New Line Cinema and intended to be rewritten as a sequel to '' Se7en'', tentatively titled ''Ei8ht'', with

Morgan Freeman Morgan Freeman (born June 1, 1937) is an American actor, producer, and narrator. In a career spanning six decades, he has received numerous accolades, including an Academy Award and a Golden Globe Award, as well as a nomination for a Tony ...

returning as Det. William Somerset, who would have developed psychic powers. The idea was eventually dropped when ''Se7en'' director

David Fincher David Andrew Leo Fincher (born August 28, 1962) is an American film director. Often described as one of the preeminent directors of his generation, David Fincher filmography, his films, of which most are psychological thrillers, have collectiv ...

responded negatively to the idea, and the film was subsequently rewritten as a standalone project. Shekhar Kapur and

Mark Pellington Mark Pellington (born March 17, 1962) is an American film director, writer, and producer. Life and career Pellington was born in Baltimore, Maryland, the son of Bill Pellington, an All-Pro linebacker who played American Football, football with t ...

were both attached to direct the film at different points. On May 10, 2012, it was announced that Brazilian director Afonso Poyart was attached to direct.

Principal photography Principal photography is the phase of producing a film or television show in which the bulk of shooting takes place, as distinct from the phases of pre-production and post-production. Personnel Besides the main film personnel, such as the ...

began in May 2013 in

Atlanta Atlanta ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Georgia (U.S. state), most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. It is the county seat, seat of Fulton County, Georg ...

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the South Caucasus * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the southeastern United States Georgia may also refer to: People and fictional characters * Georgia (name), a list of pe ...

Release

The film made its premiere in

Turkey Turkey, officially the Republic of Türkiye, is a country mainly located in Anatolia in West Asia, with a relatively small part called East Thrace in Southeast Europe. It borders the Black Sea to the north; Georgia (country), Georgia, Armen ...

on April 24, 2015, before receiving a screening at the

2015 Toronto International Film Festival The 40th annual Toronto International Film Festival was held from 10 to 20 September 2015. On 28 July 2015 the first wave of films to be screened at the Festival was announced. Jean-Marc Vallée's ''Demolition'' starring Jake Gyllenhaal and N ...

on September 9, 2015. Following the film's troubled production and after it allegedly lay in a cupboard for more than one year, the trailers issued in summer 2015 at first couldn't motivate any American distributor into purchasing the rights to the film. It was originally scheduled to be released on September 2, 2016, by

Relativity Media Relativity Media, LLC is an American independent media company founded in 2004 by Lynwood Spinks and Ryan Kavanaugh. The company brokered film finance deals and later branched into film production and other entertainment ventures. The company ...

; that media company was in

Chapter 11 Chapter 11 of the United States Bankruptcy Code ( Title 11 of the United States Code) permits reorganization under the bankruptcy laws of the United States. Such reorganization, known as Chapter 11 bankruptcy, is available to every business, w ...

insolvency since 2015, but in January 2016 it reached an agreement to acquire

Kevin Spacey Kevin Spacey Fowler (born July 26, 1959) is an American actor. Known for Kevin Spacey on screen and stage, his work on stage and screen, he List of awards and nominations received by Kevin Spacey, has received numerous accolades, including two ...

's production label Trigger Street, with Spacey reportedly due to take over management of the film. In October 2016,

acquired U.S rights to the film, and set it for a December 16, 2016, release.

Reception

On review aggregator

Rotten Tomatoes Rotten Tomatoes is an American review aggregator, review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee ...

, the film has a rating of 25% based on 51 reviews and an average score of 4.18/10. The site's consensus reads, "''Solace'' boasts a talented cast and a somewhat intriguing premise, but they're outweighed by a plodding story that teeters between tired clichés and ludicrous twists." On

Metacritic Metacritic is an American website that aggregates reviews of films, television shows, music albums, video games, and formerly books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted average). Metacritic was created ...

, the film has a

weighted average The weighted arithmetic mean is similar to an ordinary arithmetic mean (the most common type of average), except that instead of each of the data points contributing equally to the final average, some data points contribute more than others. The ...

score of 36% based on reviews from 12 critics, indicating "generally unfavorable reviews". Peter Debruge of '' Variety'' called it a "corny but clever serial killer thriller" whose cast makes the film work. Bernard Besserglik of ''

The Hollywood Reporter ''The Hollywood Reporter'' (''THR'') is an American digital and print magazine which focuses on the Cinema of the United States, Hollywood film industry, film, television, and entertainment industries. It was founded in 1930 as a daily trade pap ...

'' wrote that the film is not as good as its inspiration, but the chemistry between Hopkins and Farrell makes it worth showing theatrically despite the film's reputation for having a troubled production.

Peter Bradshaw Peter Nicholas Bradshaw (born 19 June 1962) is a British writer and film critic. He has been chief film critic at ''The Guardian'' since 1999, and is a contributing editor at ''Esquire'' magazine. Early life and education Bradshaw was educat ...

of ''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in Manchester in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'' and changed its name in 1959, followed by a move to London. Along with its sister paper, ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardi ...

'' wrote "This could be one of those rare and terrifying serial killer cases where the psychotic culprit apparently intends to bore and embarrass everyone to death with bad acting." Tim Robey of ''

The Telegraph ''The Telegraph'', ''Daily Telegraph'', ''Sunday Telegraph'' and other variant names are often names for newspapers. Newspapers with these titles include: Australia * The Telegraph (Adelaide), ''The Telegraph'' (Adelaide), a newspaper in Adelaid ...

'' calls the film a misfire and blames director Afonso Poyart and his unusual editing and zooming.

References

External links

* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Solace 2015 films 2015 thriller films 2010s American films 2010s English-language films 2010s mystery thriller films 2010s serial killer films American mystery thriller films American serial killer films Films about cancer in the United States Films about the Federal Bureau of Investigation Films directed by Afonso Poyart Films produced by Beau Flynn Films scored by BT (musician) Films shot in Atlanta Films with screenplays by Ted Griffin FilmNation Entertainment films Lionsgate films Films about poisonings English-language crime films English-language mystery thriller films