It would be an exaggeration to describe Scott Derrickson’s Deliver Us From Evil as a great film, but it is certainly better than its reputation suggests. I think part of its problems is a refusal to comfortably sit within one genre. That is certainly not all of it, but for horror fans it is not that frightening and for viewers seeking a decent police procedural what horror there is will simply frustrate.

The film features Eric Bana as NYPD Sergeant Ralph Sarchie, apparently a real-life person although the film’s story is largely an invention. Gifted with a seemingly preternatural gift for sensing violence, Sarchie investigates a series of horrifying crimes that centre on three Iraq veterans. He soon runs into maverick priest Mendoza (Édgar Ramírez), who claims demonic possession is behind the crimes Sarchie is following.

On the one hand Deliver Us From Evil is a hard-boiled police thriller, populated by awful crimes, cynical burned-out detectives, and atmospheric rain-slicked streets. An awful lot of the film takes place at night, because that is when things look their most trodden-down and dangerous. Sarchie is a heavy-handed (his words) sergeant with a tendency to punch suspects in the face. His partner Butler (Joel McHale) is a high-energy adrenalin junkie who may as well have an expiration date tattooed on his face. The visual inspirations largely consist of 1990s serial killer films: Seven, The Bone Collector, you can likely imagine the others.

At the same time the various crimes are being manipulated by a possessed marine veteran, with an actually rather clever method of bringing the devil into random unsuspecting people’s homes. There are a fair range of spooky and unsettling occurrences, and – rather predictably – there is an exorcism-based climax by the conclusion. It is an interesting blend, albeit one high on stereotype and flooded with predictable developments. Derrickson has a strong handle on the aesthetics of horror, but possibly does not provide enough jumps and scares for an audience primed to receive them. This is definitely more supernatural thriller than police-based horror; adjusting one’s expectations will ensure a more enjoyable ride.

The cast do a decent job of lifting the material. Eric Bana is a convincing moody cop with a broad Bronx accent, and time is taken to give him a modicum of depth through his family life. Olivia Munn (The Newsroom) appears as his wife, but she is not given a lot of room or time to work in.

Édgar Ramírez plays an archetypal ‘hot priest’, clad in tight jeans and leather jackets with his sex appeal forced through the roof. While it is a cliché, it is an amiable one. The film is at its best once circumstances push Sachie and Mendoza into an unlikely buddy cop arrangement. It is a solid enough arrangement that the film often feels like a feature-length pilot for a television procedural, teaming ‘gruff cop’ and ‘hot priest’ to fight supernatural crime.

The end result is sometimes a rough watch, and certainly does not stand up alongside Scott Derrickson’s best works, but like all solid Hollywood entertainment Deliver Us From Evil does what it says on the tin and provides a straightforward genre piece. It is a film with merit, so long as the viewer wants what is being offered.