150 Word Review: 'Legion' (2010)
In the arms of an angel
This is a Paul Bettany appreciation post. The veteran Hollywood actor is lithe and mercurial, capable of intense vulnerability and icy detachment. He moves effortlessly between period dramas and loud blockbusters. In director Scott Stewart’s 2010 fantasy-horror Legion, he’s archangel Michael, fallen to Earth to save mortals from God’s wrath. It’s fun and dopey with a tremendous supporting cast, like old pros Dennis Quaid and Charles Dutton. Minutes in, Bettany’s avenging angel cuts off his wings, dons a chic suit, and steals machine guns. Then he’s on the road to protect a waitress carrying a holy baby (heroic Adrianne Palicki).
The evil angels possess humans, producing wall-crawling grandmothers, knife-wielding toddlers, and other Exorcist-adjacent zombies. The movie is a bloody siege set in a hard-luck desert diner. There is some amusing, if incoherent, theological prattle. Bettany is noble, even while unloading thousands of rounds from matching assault rifles at murderous seraphim.
Best Of Bettany: ‘Master And Commander’ (2003)
