The Raven - C

Rated R, 103 minutes

"The Raven" is the dark, unsatisyfing new thriller that's a fictionalized account of the last days of Edgar Allen Poe, played by one of my favorite actors, John Cusack. Gruesome and bloody, it's peppered with some decent, tense moments but Cusack goes through the paces to resolve the mystery of a serial killer."The Raven" is directed by "V for Vendetta's" James McTeigue, and the movie is set in 19th Century Baltimore, and a serial killer is on the loose, basing his murders on Poe's stories. The police detective Emmitt Fields (Luke Evans) is assigned to case and initially believes Poe is the prime suspect until Poe's girlfriend (Alice Eve) is kidnapped by the serial killer (Sam Hazeldine). Fields and Poe must track down the killer before he harms his girlfriend and possibly Poe himself.  "The Raven" is a dark, violent tale with some stylish twists and turns that McTeigue is noted for, but the film strives to be too unconventional, a quality that made his most well-known film, "V for Vendetta," a hot mess. Cusack is always watchable and Brendan Gleeson is around for a good bluster or two, but down the stretch it's hard to believe Poe would've ever got involved in something like this. "The Raven" is an interesting (but very depressing) concept that's mishandled by McTeigue, and in the end it's an unsatisfying trip.