Hellboy: The Crooked Man (2024)

In the moonlit hollows of 1950s Appalachia, you feel the hush of a land that refuses to forget its secrets. The film leverages its supernatural stakes by pairing Joaquin Phoenix—who drifts between brooding detachment and feral rage—with a frantic rookie from the BPRD, turning a classic hero’s journey into a claustrophobic espionage thriller. The standout is the town’s crooked clock tower, whose spiraling interior mirrors Hellboy’s own fractured past and pushes the visual composition to a disorienting crescendo. A minor pitfall is the second act’s sluggish pacing, which tempers the build‑up and can leave some viewers craving a quicker thrust. You’ll be drawn in whether you’re a fan of occult horror or a devotee of character‑driven action.