Bless the Child

This laughable Lucifer-in-New-York thriller rehashes The Usual Suspects, warning that Satan’s greatest coup has been to convince us that he doesn’t exist. Here the Dark Side’s chief worshipper (Rufus Sewell) is a New Dawn guru who kidnaps and plans to harness the supernatural powers of a 6-year-old lass (Holliston Coleman). The girl’s fate rests on the investigative heroics of her aunt (Kim Basinger as a beleaguered psychiatric hospital nurse) and a former seminary student turned cop (a lethargic Jimmy Smits). The special effects are impressive, but the dialogue is an unintentional hoot as the Star of Bethlehem reappears, rats swarm, children are murdered and one man gets knitting needles jammed into his eyes. Directed by Chuck Russell (The Mask).