Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Measured
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Layered
- Violence
- Mild
- harrowing
- paranoid
- somber
- late night viewing
- dark thriller marathon
What critics said
Critics found the premise intriguing and praised Paul Walker’s performance, but broadly considered the execution episodic and inconsistent.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Ben Garvey receives a lethal injection and then awakens in a new role at a psychiatric hospital, creating the film’s central narrative pivot.
Ben struggles to interpret his return after execution while facing mystical tests, psychiatric confinement, and doubts about his sanity.
Ben must confront his criminal past, faith, guilt, and the consequences of his choices to regain his life and family.
The psychiatric hospital functions as Ben’s mysterious new workplace and the principal site of his tests and disorientation.
Films like The Lazarus Project, and why
The Machinist
supernatural psychological thriller centered on guilt, death, and uncertain reality
Shutter Island
mystery thriller using institutional settings and fractured perceptions to explore moral responsibility
The Jacket
spiritual thriller about a troubled protagonist confronting death, faith, and redemption
The Green Mile
dark supernatural drama involving imprisonment, personal guilt, and possible cosmic judgment
Movie Details
- Director
- John Glenn
- Release Date
- 2008-10-24
- Runtime
- 99 min
- Rating
- 6.0 / 10 (407)
Cast
- Paul Walker
- Piper Perabo
- Lambert Wilson
- Linda Cardellini
- Shawn Hatosy
- Bob Gunton
- Malcolm Goodwin
- Brooklynn Proulx
- Tony Curran
- Ross McMillan
Where to watch in United States
- Streaming
- Netflix, Netflix Standard with Ads
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is The Lazarus Project about?
- After a condemned criminal survives lethal injection, a mysterious second life at a psychiatric hospital forces him to confront guilt, faith, and the possibility of redemption.
- What is The Lazarus Project like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of The Lazarus Project as measured, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as layered.
- Is The Lazarus Project violent?
- Only mildly. Ember rates the violence in The Lazarus Project as mild.
- What did critics think of The Lazarus Project?
- Critics found the premise intriguing and praised Paul Walker’s performance, but broadly considered the execution episodic and inconsistent.
- Which films are like The Lazarus Project?
- Films with a similar feel include The Machinist, Shutter Island, The Jacket, and The Green Mile.
- How long is The Lazarus Project?
- The Lazarus Project runs 99 minutes.
- Where can I watch The Lazarus Project?
- In United States, The Lazarus Project streams on Netflix, Netflix Standard with Ads.
