Good start, but then it gets ruined

Boring, long, and too preachy.

This is a tender, generous movie that likes its characters and presents them as real people, full of flaws and strengths.

The movie turns out to be a little better than the average. Starting from a romantic formula often seen in the cinema, it ends in the most predictable (and somewhat bland) way.

Friendship blossoms between a pregnant teenager and a lonely caterer with a history of abducting women in this stalker/psychopath movie with a difference. Unlike most sociopath thrillers, 'Felicia's Journey' chugs along based on what is implied with a constant sense in the air that Bob Hoskins is about to do something sinister. This resonates all the more strongly since the vast majority of the film is spent on jovial interactions between the pair as he constantly offers to help her out while never once imposing on her. Hoskins also remains likable throughout, with the film focused on his insecurities and loneliness rather than his heinous past actions, which we only ever see brief glimpses of. There is much to admire in how refreshingly unpredictable the film becomes with this unusual narrative approach; a particularly intense sequence of events has Hoskins successfully track down the boyfriend that the teenager is searching for, only for an engineered meeting between the two leading to unexpected results. This tension is not, however, always felt and arguably too much time passes between the pair becoming meeting and her become dependent on him, but the novel approach here still renders the film worth a look. Hoskins and lead actress Elaine Cassidy are both well cast, Mychael Danna's music is very effective and the film is utterly unsettling at its best.

I found this to be a very scary movie. From the first time I saw Joe Hilditch (Bob Hoskins) helping the innocent Felicia (Elaine Cassidy) after she had arrived nervously from Ireland, I felt uneasy. When I saw him with his eyeglass eating such a lovingly prepared meal by himself, I felt more uneasy. When I saw him look in the side-view mirror watching Felicia walk away to find Johnny (Peter McDonald), I felt even more uneasy. However, the confirmation that he was indeed a predator was when we saw the clip of Felicia unburdening herself to him...and then clips of multiple girls doing the same and realizing that those girls had not survived. From there, we are in the thrall of terror, wondering what will be Felicia's fate. We know if she remains in Hilditch's orbit that she is destined for a terrible ending. In spite of knowing Hilditch's true character well before the end of the movie, it does not deter us from being interested in how the movie turns out because director Atom Egoyan has spun such a suspenseful web.This is really a wonderfully terrifying movie. Bob Hoskins is terrifying, Egoyan is wonderful, Elaine Cassidy is good as the naive Irish girl. If you want a good scare that will stay with you, check out this movie.

A young, pregnant Irish lass (Cassidy) journeys to England to search out her baby's dad, who has left them behind supposedly to work in an English factory. In fact he has joined the army, which she doesn't know. She comes across an apparently sweet old man (Hoskins) who run a catering company in Birmingham. He takes her under his wing, but we soon see his plans for her are not exactly pleasant. Hoskins is terrific as a mild-mannered psychopath, although his unusual accent is off-putting to American ears and not always understandable. Cassidy is very convincing as the naive young mom-to-be. Very dreary setting, understandably so since it take place in dreary Birmingham; also, the time frame is a bit confusing. One would guess it must be set in the 1950s or '60s, based on the attitudes expressed toward abortion. But it is apparently set in the early 1990s. So be it. Not your conventional thriller, this is certainly not aimed at the mass audience and will find limited appeal via TV showings. Tricky flashbacks help tell the whole story and there is an equally tricky and unexpected ending.

Starring Bob Hoskins and Elaine Cassidy, directed by Atom Egoyan. I have yet to see a film by Egoyan I don't like, and this is no exception. They're all moody, tend towards the dark, alienated, and full of unspoken thoughts and emotions. However, this one has a slightly edgier, "David Lynch" sort of feel to it. Things that appear normal, sweet or soft are not so. Motivations are hidden. Actions aren't as linear as they appear. Felicia is a young Irish girl who is pregnant, rejected by her family, and leaves for England to find her so-called "boyfriend who loves her". She meets an older man who offers his help to find the future father… at least it appears so… maybe it IS so. She DOES need help… more and more. This is an evenly paced, slowly swirling story that asks you to watch for subtle changes and hints of things to come. It is part suspense story, and heavy on the psychological drama. Hoskins is gentile, obsessive, anachronistic, and eerie as hell. Cassidy is fragile, pretty, and glowing in honesty.