I Stand Alone
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Movie Reviews of I Stand Alone
Movie Review: Masterpiece of Tension and Insanity
Summary: 5 Stars
Take a journey into the mind of madness with The Butcher, the protagonist in Gaspar Noe's intense crime drama "I Stand Alone" aka "Seul contre tous". This is the story of an unnamed butcher who has just been released from jail for a crime committed in the prequel to "I Stand Alone", Gaspar Noe's short film "Carne". The Butcher is out of jail and full of contempt for society and his flaky mistress played by Frankye Pain. Disappointment and discontent leads The Butcher further and further into sorrow and sociopathic tendencies. This controversial film pushes boundaries and includes graphic sex and violence, so be warned. But, if you are like me, this will be one of the most intense movie experiences you will ever have.
Gaspar Noe's ability to grab hold of his audience and force them to confront their personal demons is astonishing. Noe does this in "Irreversible" and again with this great film. "I Stand Alone" is one of those rare movies that drags on through narration yet completely pulls you into the character and doesn't let go. I literally felt as if I was the Butcher, having the narcissistic thoughts, doing those unspeakable things. I could relate to him yet was completely disgusted at the same time. What does that say about me? I don't know. Maybe it means I'm human or maybe it means I'm desensitized. Either way, the feelings the cinematography produced were very real and very intense. Noe is known for his unique filming style. He pushes the envelope and punishes his audience (in a good way). This film is no exception.
***SPOILERS BELOW***
The production in this movie was outstanding. The loud "boom and zoom" scattered throughout really pulls the tension strings of the viewer. Noe included a loud "boom" in the soundtrack then zoomed the camera into the Butcher. Each time that happened I thought something crazy is coming. Yet, that wasn't always the case. It kept me on the edge of my seat that's for sure.
I did think that the "WARNING: YOU HAVE 30 SECONDS TO LEAVE THE SCREENING OF THIS FILM" was a little pretentious; however, it was a good trick by the director. Without that warning the following scenes may not have been as intense. When the warning popped up my heart started racing and essentially made my psyche match that of the Butcher thus making me feel as if I was committing the violent act and falling into insanity. It was a powerful gimmick that truly worked to bring the audience's emotions up to the level of the Butcher.
***END SPOILERS***
"I Stand Alone" is not for everyone. It is a journey into madness that is so realistic and gripping that you forget you are watching a fiction movie. Noe is a master of showing the struggle everyone has with the dark side of our psyche and the thoughts we randomly have but refuse to acknowledge. His films encourage us to confront that side and asks us to make a choice. One which we would normally not have in our daily lives. I think it helps us grow and in the end, somehow makes us more sane.
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Movie Review: SEUL CONTRE TOUS aka ALONE AGAINST ALL.
Summary: 5 Stars
the DVD is indeed very poor, no trailers, no short films from the director are available. on the other hand, the transfer is exellent!... "SEUL CONTRE TOUS",(i stand alone) was directed by GASPAR NOÉ... the story takes place in france in 1980. it is the story of a jobless butcher struggling to survive in the bowels of his nation. the butcher (played by french actor philippe nahon) only wants one thing:"to escape the dark tunnel of his existence". unfortunatly for him; his life is gonna hit the bottom,plagued by misfortune,betrayal,sadness..etc.. 70% of the film takes place inside his mind,the voice over is sometimes even more frightening than anything else. needless to say,do not watch this movie if you have suicide tendencies. the cinematography is really exellent.(the film was shot with a super 16mm anamorphic camera), the acting is impressive, it sometimes feels as if you're watching a documentary. the film contains pornography,disturbing violence... the ending is also extreme.., I wont spoil the rest, but "I STAND ALONE" is a must!...a masterpiece. ps:the short film entitled:"CARNE" (also directed by gaspar in 1991) is the first part of "i stand alone" it is 45mins long and is equally good!.."carne also marked gaspar noe's debut in the cinema industry. -philippe nahon can also be seen in "le pacte des loups" aka BROTHERHOOD OF THE WOLVES..."la haine" aka THE HATE...and "les rivieres pourpres" aka THE CRIMSON RIVERS.memorable lines from the butcher: -"your mother. you love her as long as she gives you milk. & your father when he lends you money. but when her breats are all dried up. or when your father's pockets are empty. the best thing to do is lock them up. and let them die before they cost you too much. that's how it goes. the law of life.children pretend to be nice only when there's an inheritance."...
Movie Review: Are you talking to me ?
Summary: 5 Stars
I have to give this movie a 5 star rating. It's one of the most disgusting, twisted, putrid i have ever seen. It definitely makes the viewer uncomfortable and un-easy while anticipating what this unstable, time bomb butcher is gonna go off on since that little devil on his shoulder keeps him on the negative path of everything and anything he can think of.
Goes from place to place dealing with whatever situation he is in at that moment and his mind is constantly spinning and dropping a few screws here and a couple of nuts and bolts over there because of all the hatred and envy and every other negative emotion that exists in him and all the negatively bad advice he keeps giving to himself.
Disturbing --- Violent --- Plain 'ol scary this guy is
I would hate to come face to face with this man. I don't even want to be in the same hemisfere he's in.
Major downer.
Buuuuuuut...that's what the movie is supposed to do. And it does.
Kind of like Falling Down meets Taxi Driver but on an extremely distubing level. Douglas & Deniro are sane wussies next to this fruit cake.
Shocking --- Depressing --- Sick
You know, this guy is so rediculously negative i burst out laughing a few times from his idiotic way of thinkig. I loved this terrible movie for bringing out all these emotions and feelings which proves it to be a powerful movie. I compare it to the rollercoster riders that rate the ride on how fast it made them puke; on the first time around - EXELENT 10/10, second time around - GOOD 8/10, third time around - POOR 5/10, fourth time around - Pathetic 1/10, Don't puke at all - YOU CALL THIS A ROLLERCOASTER!
If you are depressed or suffer from depression and you wanna add on to that, this is the movie for you.
Two thumbs up for Gaspar Noe.
Thank you for reading.
Movie Review: Bleak, Nihilistic Cinema
Summary: 5 Stars
Not since Martin Scorsese's Taxi Driver have I seen a film that explores the furious rage of an alienated man on the verge of insanity so well. The only difference is that the subject matter of I Stand Alone makes Taxi Driver look like an after school special. I Stand Alone is one of the most taboo breaking films I have ever seen. And even though it may not be as taboo breaking as films like Salo: The 120 Days of Sodom, I Stand Alone is not exactly the kind of movie you want to show your entire family.
I Stand Alone follows the story of a misanthropist simply known as the butcher. I won't divulge into the back story of this charming fellow too much, but he is quite possibly one of the most bitter and utterly malicious characters I have ever seen in a film. If you thought that Travis Bickle was a disturbed individual, then you should see this guy. Basically, throughout the film he goes around ranting and raving about how much he hates everyone and everything. He denounces morality and sees it as nothing more than a restraint upon the poor. He fantasizes over and over again about murdering people he meets along the way to his own self-destruction. The butcher is a man with nothing left to lose. He is an ugly, primitive representation of what humanity really is -- man is nothing but an animal that struggles for its own survival in an otherwise indifferent universe. In the end, the butcher is a man without a god and a man who has been abandoned by his own society.
I Stand Alone is a slab of human misery caught on film. If that is not your kind of thing, then I suggest you steer clear. This film does not have an ending where the main character, despite his complete and utter hatred for humanity, redeems himself.
I Stand Alone is nothing but a spiral downwards.
Movie Review: Go Inside the Mind of an Ordinary Man Driven Nearly Mad by Circumstances and See what He Thinks
Summary: 5 Stars
I Stand Alone
Gaspar Noe's SEUL CONTRE TOUT is a cinematic masterwork. Though this film is clearly not for the faint-hearted, it offers those willing to go where it takes them into a stark, ultra-violent, ultra-real world where truth is painful, but is a kind of truth that perhaps we need to hear and see. With exceptional mastery, Noe's style of film-making literally explodes in each frame of I STAND ALONE. The 16 mm, anamorphic vision is punctuated by gunshot sounds and quick, hard jumps into close-up shots. Violence, it seems, underlies each scene, but it is repressed. This leads us to feel tension of an unparalleled kind, and we wonder when this violence might explode. The film is 85 minutes of character study of one man, the Butcher, whose unedited, uncensored thoughts are put forth without pomp or circumstance. The Butcher's thoughts are the entire crux of the film and are exposed in long internal monologues. The thoughts we are allowed to "overhear" are disturbing, no doubt, but some, though not all, of these thoughts are similar to those we might have actually had at one time or another. This is troubling because no one wants to admit that they have these kinds of ideas. What is even more troubling is that we find ourselves compelled to see where all these repressed thoughts of loathing and hate lead to. We know it will be harsh, but we want to see it just the same. If you're looking for easy answers and simple truths sugarcoated for your pleasure, this is not a film for you. If, however, you're looking to see an original film that thrusts itself deep into your psyche and asks you hard questions without giving you the answers, you need to see this.