Resurrection (1999)

Resurrection is the kind of grimy, rain-slick Chicago thriller that grabs you by the collar and doesn’t let go, marrying a classic detective chase to a genuinely unnerving, religiously charged mystery. Russell Mulcahy stages the investigation with muscular craftsmanship and moody, shadow-drenched cinematography, while Christopher Lambert brings a weary, human edge to a cop forced to stare into something far colder than routine homicide. The film’s pleasures are in its relentless momentum and creeping dread—each discovery feels like another step deeper into a nightmare that’s been carefully, horribly designed. Fair warning: the violence is severe and the vibe is dark and disturbing, but if you’re on the fence and want a scary, unsettling crime-horror hybrid that’s better made than its reputation suggests, this one earns your attention.

Resurrection wants to be a grimy, biblically-tinged serial-killer mystery in the Se7en mold, and to its credit it commits to a nasty, oppressive tone with some effectively unsettling imagery. The problem is it feels heavily borrowed and mechanically plotted, so the “clues” and revelations often land like checkboxes rather than genuine dread or surprise. Christopher Lambert brings a weary, offbeat presence, but the characters and dialogue aren’t sharp enough to elevate the familiar setup. If you’re mainly here for a slick, original thriller, you’ll likely be disappointed; if you can tolerate severe gore and you’re in the mood for a dark, straightforward late-’90s procedural, it may scratch that itch.