The Ritual is the kind of movie that's only going to be sought out by completionists in a couple years. Whether they're looking to complete Al Pacino's filmography or watch every "based on a true story" exorcism movie, that's going to be the driving force to seek out the film, not any of its own merits. Which isn't to say the movie's dramatization of "the most thoroughly documented and well known exorcism in American history" (according to a postscript) is entirely without merit. Pacino gives a surprisingly layered performance as exorcist Father Theophilus Riesinger, and imbues a monologue about enacting God's will through human kindness with genuine gravitas. The production and costume design convincingly transport us to a 1928 convent in Iowa. An early ritual...
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