When an FBI agent is kidnapped, the only leads are the psychic visions of Father Joe Crissman (Billy Connolly), a pedophile ex-priest. The agent investigating the case, Special Agent Dakota Whitney (Amanda Peet), and her doubting partner Drummy (Alvin "Xzibit" Joiner) press upon ex-agent Dr. Dana Scully (Gillian Anderson), now a surgeon in a Catholic pediatric hospital, to contact the on-the-lam Fox Mulder (David Duchovny). As fast as you can say "we're getting the band back together," Mulder and Scully are on the case.
Mulder is willing to believe Father Joe's visions are real. Scully is more skeptical, but not for the usual reasons - as a Catholic, she is sickened by Father Joe's past crimes, and thinks the ex-priest is making up his "visions" to make himself look less monstrous. Scully also fears the case is drawing her and Mulder back into the darkness that nearly consumed them when they were in the FBI.
Beyond the case, which Carter as director unfolds with well-paced tension and solid chase scenes, what really drives this movie is the intellectual fire between Mulder and Scully. In the script, by Carter and "X-Files" veteran Frank Spotnitz, Mulder's investment in the supernatural - the "I want to believe" of the film's title and the poster on Mulder's wall - and Scully's twin faiths of science and Catholicism are all on the table for life-and-death discussion.
The movie delivers the same bracing blend of intelligence and adrenaline that made "The X-Files" such an enjoyable TV series. But the movie feels like a lost episode of the show, rather than something grander and worthy of big-screen treatment. I want to believe there's more at stake, but I have to go with the evidence before my eyes.
Sean P. Means can be reached at movies@sltrib.com or 801-257-8602. Send comments to livingeditor@sltrib.com.
The X-Files: I Want to Believe
Where Theaters everywhere.
When Opens today.
Rating PG-13 for violent and disturbing content and thematic material.
Running time 104 minutes.
Bottom line A solid thriller in the "X-Files" tradition, but shouldn't there be something more out there?
