Blu-Ray Review: Convergence

By Tim Murr

In the summer of 1999, Detective Ben Walls (Clayne Crawford) is enjoying time off with his wife and daughter when he is called in to investigate a bombing in downtown Atlanta. Not long after arriving on the scene, Walls is injured by a second blast, set intentionally to harm first responders. He awakens in the hospital, seemingly unharmed, but nothing is as it seems. Worse, the terrorist behind the bombing may be in the hospital with him.

Convergence starts off slow, building the tension, then rides a steady rhythm through to the end. While quite violent, the film finds its strength in restraint. Though Convergence’s main mystery comes seeping through long before the big reveal, there are still layers of surprises for anyone who figures out what’s going on early. It’s hard to say more than that without giving away the best parts of the movie, but I can say that when the end credits rolled, I was satisfied. It’s a strong film, more psychological/supernatural than horror and certainly not a gore flick. It is also a very smart movie, loaded with symbolism (Dante’s Inferno was one inspiration and make sure you watch the clocks).

Another thing that inspired writer/director Drew Hall was the true-life terrorist bombings that plagued the south in the late 1990s, perpetrated by Eric Rudolph. Rudolph was a Christian extremist who waged war against abortion clinics and gay bars. He had ties to the Army of God, who are basically the Christian version of ISIS, and pose a greater threat to Americans than their Middle Eastern counterparts. You may know Rudolph as the Olympic Park Bomber (1996 Olympics, Atlanta GA), but over the next three years he also bombed two abortion clinics and a lesbian bar. He used nail bombs, meaning that he wrapped nails around the dynamite for additional shrapnel to cause maximum injury. I’m sure Jesus is so super-psyched to meet him.

Convergence’s terrorist, Daniel, is played by Ethan Embry (Late Phases, The Devil’s Candy) and he brings all the dead-eyed conviction of those religious extremists right into your living room. He’s a great adversary for Walls. The nice thing about both Crawford and Embry’s characters is that they change through the course of the movie. Embry does not play a stock villain nor does Crawford play a stock hero. They both bring a humanity and gravity to their roles, even if they start off and end in very different places.

This is what Hall accomplishes with Convergence as a whole. It embraces the horror/thriller genres, but it also transcends them with its meditation on grace and faith. Just when you think you know what’s happening, Hall pulls the rug out from under you. Gore hounds may feel cheated, but Convergence is quality filmmaking with a very cool story.

Convergence was released on Blu-Ray, DVD, and VOD on February 9 from Dark Sky Films.