Reverence Movie Review: Intriguing Mystery

Though Reverence is a decent thriller that will surprise many, it’s significantly brought down by an underwhelming conclusion.

On the journey home, Mattie and Jimmy get into a car accident after hitting a deer on the road, and Mattie calls her father for help. Once Shannon (Adam Hampton) arrives at the scene, he is less than impressed by his daughter’s much older boyfriend. A few days after the wreck, Mattie asks Jimmy to meet up with her, as she feels bad about what happened. She then vanishes without a trace, and Jimmy becomes the first potential suspect.

Reverence very much reminded me of Prisoners, and it definitely seems that Harris was inspired by the film. Much like Villeneuve’s thriller, Reverence shows the lengths a father will go to in order to find his missing child, even if he has to break some laws in the process. Shannon will stop at nothing to find Mattie, even when all hope is lost, and many roads lead to frustration and no real answers. Hampton is fantastic as Shannon, bringing a gritty rawness to the character while also letting the father’s sensitive side shine through when it comes to his relationship with Mattie. He’s certainly the highlight of the film, and their special bond reflects how special daughter/dad bonds can be. 

We also discover that Mattie’s parents are divorced, and she describes her mother, Cherry (Connie Franklin), as controlling and too wrapped up in her career to care much about her. Of course, this information is given to us from Mattie’s point of view, but it still makes for an interesting dynamic when we consider Mattie’s homelife and whether it has any ties to her disappearance, considering her mother’s political job.

Not only is Shannon searching for his daughter, but so is Detective Cassandra (Whit Cunshik), a level-headed investigator determined to do things the right way. The contrast between them is compelling and makes the story all the more captivating. Shannon’s desperation and emotional intensity clash with Cassandra’s calm, composed, and methodical pursuit of the truth. As a father and a detective, they represent two very different sides of the equation, though, ultimately, both have the same goal in mind: to find Mattie.

For the first hour and 45 minutes, Reverence effectively lays the narrative groundwork and is an anxiety-inducing ride. The film will have your mind going into overdrive as you attempt to put all the pieces together and try to figure out who may be responsible for Mattie’s murder. The movie’s atmosphere is also spectacular, reflecting a town steeped in dread and uncertainty.

Despite the film’s fantastic setup and waiting desperately throughout the film’s runtime to find out what happened to Mattie, once that answer was revealed, I couldn’t help but feel it was a huge disappointment. Reverence introduces viewers to various characters, many of whom seem suspicious and may have a hidden agenda, and the story leads you to believe there will be some sort of explosive ending. However, once the person responsible for the crime is revealed, it doesn’t quite deliver on the momentum created early on. 

This is a great shame, as it had so much potential. Ultimately, the ending feels anticlimactic, failing to match the tension that preceded it, which is quite unsatisfying. That said, Reverence is still a gripping ride for most of the film. I’d just temper expectations when it comes to its conclusion.

Reverence will be released in select U.S. theaters, on digital and on demand on November 21, 2025.

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