This Week on DVD: Anthony Hopkins, Jason Statham and ‘Vanishing on 7th Street’

That Anthony Hopkins Thing: "The Rite"
Because it's about demonic possession and has Anthony Hopkins doing his sub-Hannibal Lecter thing, it's easy to assume that "The Rite" is a traditional horror movie. In truth, it's more of a character drama in which occasionally something creepy happens. "The Rite" is about a questioning seminary student (Colin O'Donoghue) who ventures to the Vatican to become an assistant to a professional exorcist (Colin O'Donoghue) trying to solve a particularly bewildering case. When "The Rite" came out in January, critics complained that it wasn't very scary, but I'm not sure that's the film's main objective: Instead, director Mikael Hafstrom creates a nicely calibrated tone of gradual unease while focusing on O'Donoghue's wavering faith. This is by no means a great film -- after mostly being understated, Hopkins becomes his usual hammy self during the ridiculous third act -- but it's actually more thoughtful than your typical dumped-in-January horror movie. Sure, that's faint praise, but "The Rite" might be a lot better than you're expecting.

The Latest Jason Statham Joint: "The Mechanic"
If you are of the mind that any Jason Statham film is automatically worth seeing, "The Mechanic" may put your theory to the test. The movie has all the required Statham tendencies -- action, eternally cool aloofness, muscles -- but it's the kind of time-waster that makes you wish Statham would find better material. Based on the 1972 film, "The Mechanic" concerns a hitman (Statham) who takes on a young protégé (Ben Foster). Both actors are good in the movie, with Foster showing a promising future as a badass action hero if he so chooses to go that way. But like Statham, he seems to be spinning his wheels in a movie that's never quite gonzo enough to be more than a run-of-the-mill B-movie. Statham and Foster deserve better.

That Hayden Christensen Thing: "Vanishing on 7th Street"
Another horror movie that's more about giving you the willies than making you jump, "Vanishing on 7th Street" came and went theatrically but it's worth a look on DVD. Director Brad Anderson ("The Machinist," "Transsiberian") has constructed a new twist on the "Night of the Living Dead" formula by having the creeping menace not be zombies but darkness itself. In Detroit, a small group of survivors discover that the rest of the world has disappeared overnight -- and that if they don't stay in well-lit areas they'll vanish as well. Anderson's cast (Hayden Christensen, Thandie Newton and John Leguizamo) is hit-or-miss, but the novelty of this threat (and the unresolved mystery of what caused it) gives the movie enough oomph to get it over its rough spots. There have been several films of late dealing with post-apocalyptic scenarios: "Vanishing on 7th Street" isn't the most confident or accomplished of the pack, but it's one of the more unsettling.