Let there be no confusion: this is an unarguably bad film.

Ambition is muted by Emmett, who fails to manage subplots, summon suspense, and rethink a last act that turns a dull movie into a terrible one.

Perhaps Emmett was trying to make a film that would broaden its appeal by crossing over into other markets, but the opportunistic pandering is obvious, and some may even see it as blasphemous.

Savage Salvation squanders the talents of a venerated Hollywood cast. Robert De Niro, Jack Huston, and John Malkovich stumble with Southern drawls as backwoods Georgia residents. They're unconvincing in a predictable narrative with a grating soundtrack.