Irreversible
|
List Price: Our Price: $6.90 You Save: $8.08 (54%) Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days Category: DVD See more DVD releases |
|---|
Canada
Movie Reviews of Irreversible
Movie Review: A New French Classic.
Summary: 5 Stars
If you ever wanted to watch a man's face get smashed in, in the mostrealistically possible way possible in a film?
Now here's your chance?
"Irreversible" directed Gaspar Noe. (French)
I would place Irreversible on the same level as "Funny Games" and
"Confessions of a Serial Killer".
Irreversible is a seriously [messed] up film, but does not exploit the
violence.
Without fail, you must watch this film, (by yourself, not with one of your
fiancées, girlfriends, mothers, dates or grandmas!!!!!!)
Read my review below: (after you have watched it!)
First of all I want to thank my friend Tom, for recommending Gaspar Noe's
Irreversible. This was truly a stunning film in all aspects from the story,
to the visuals and much credit goes to actors for their incredible work. All
credit goes to Noe for his inventive and innovative vision. Some might
complain that the story structure is similar to Momento because of it's
reverse stoy line but to compare Irreversible to Momento would an insult.
Momento was clever where as Noe's film was dare I say, is on a genius level.
This is a director who understands film and has rewritten film to his own
language. The whole dizzying, spinning camera work through out the film was
his language to create even more tension and anxiety rather than just to
show off visually.
Momento is soda pop!
Irreversible is art.
The violence and the rape scene looked all too real, and that was the point,
not too pretty eh folks?
Probably the most tense beginning I have ever seen in a film and what a
soundtrack, that thumping beat went in sync with my erratic heartbeat!
(I loved the extras, the music extras on the dvd, "Outrage" is my
favourite.)
A dangerous film because we could identify with the main character's sense
of rage and wanting to act on revenge, but also a moral film because there
are choices in the way we act and the consequences of it. I saw the ending
(beginning) as how life could be and should be.....such as enjoying peace at
a nearby park or reading a damn good book as an alternative to violence in
life.
Heavy with the "tunnel" symbolism, perhaps representing, life, the mind and
the human anatomy?
Well, all I can say was "WOW!"
I look forward to Noe's future cinematic visions
Movie Review: Irreversible picks up where American Film Makers Fail
Summary: 5 Stars
I heard about this movie from a friend and I am a huge fan of foreign films. What is so fascinating about foreign films is that they have so much more freedom to work with, Hence leading me to this beautiful film "Irreversible". Now Gasper Noe is a brilliant director, the way Irreversible is shot comes into play with the movie. In the opening scene, the camera work will make you feel dizzy, its similiar to merry go around and a roller coaster, so i didn't like that part not too mention i hate theme parks. Anyway Gasper Noe filmed the movie like this for a reason, just from the opening scene you feel very uncomfortable. Gasper Noe is successsful in maintaining this uncomfortable atompshere throughout the entire movie. Without giving too much away, the movie focuses on revenge and how it starts. As for the graphic scenes, hence, the brutal murder scene and rape scene are also shot very well. The murder is very graphic, does not compare to any American Film. It looks realistic. The infamous rape scene is also very graphic. I have seen many rape scenes in plenty of movies, such as Strawdogs, Showgirls, Leaving las vegas, last house on the left, you name it. What makes this rape scene important is the message it delivers and let me tell you Gasper Noe gets his point across. Since the movie is shot backwards, you kind of seeing it comming and know its gonna be bad. The real important message that Gasper Noe was trying to deliver is how time destroys us. One second you can be having the greatest time of your life and in another second you can be raped, humiliated and left for dead. The irony in this rape scene is that Alex played by Monic Bellucci was walking homr from a party when she was told by a prostitute to take the underground tunnel, Why?? "Because it safer". As a film critic like myself, this movie really shows how much American Film makers are limited. We tend to adjust to the overly sensitive. Unfortunately American Film Makers will never have this type of freedom, but we can rely on Gasper Noe to deliver beautiful films like these. Now heres my reccomendation, if you want to see a true-master piece, that is not going to hold back and really deliver what the director intended to deliver then by all means rent this, but if you have a weak stomach and enjoy hollywoodized movies that apply to the overly sensitive then stay away from this one.Movie Review: Whirlwind of action that shocked my senses. Great film!
Summary: 5 Stars
When the opening credits came on the screen for this wildly violent 2002 thriller, I though there was something wrong with the disk because some of the letters were backwards. The film is in French and it wasn't until the film actually started and the captions were clear and easy to read that I realized that these reversed letters were just a foreshadowing of what to expect in the film. It was going to start at the end and wind up at the beginning. The writer/director, Gaspar Noe, made his creative choices wisely. The twelve scenes unfold to the viewer with a concept in mind. We first see an exceptionally brutal scene in which two men, Vincent Casel and Albert Dupontel, force their way into a gay sex club in search of one particular man. They are furious and looking for revenge. The camera slides along the darkened walls capturing the steamy atmosphere of casual intimate encounters until the two angry men finally think they've found the person called "La Tenia". What follows is a cruel and bloody bashing in of the victim's skull that is so graphic that it was difficult to watch.
As the film continues we learn that La Tenia is the rapist of a woman they both loved. And still later we see the violent assault upon her. Monica Belluci is cast as the woman and she certainly is beautiful. The attack is an awful scene to watch and goes on for a full ten minutes. It was horrible and sadistic and the most violent scene I have ever seen.
And then we see the trio in happier times, enjoying themselves at a party. As each scene develops we learn more and more about them as human beings. This is difficult to watch because we all know the aftermath. We also know that there is no going back to happier times. The deeds have been done and there is no way to stop them. It's quite an unsettling feeling, especially in the final frame when there is love and joy and so much hope for the future.
This is not a film for everyone. There's incredible cruelty and ugliness. And there are scenes that will make you want to turn your head away. This feeling never lets up. All my senses were shocked in this whirlwind of action. I was horrified and upset and very moved. And I couldn't stop watching. The film is a small work of art and I highly recommend it. However, it is only for the very courageous few. All others stay away.
Movie Review: Disturbing, yet I can't forget it.
Summary: 5 Stars
Irreversible was disturbing, unquestionably. It was probably one of the most disturbing movies I've ever seen. Two of the more notable scenes had me wanting to look away, something that the the common day torture porn movies can't seem to manage (though I stay away from them as a rule). Everything in these reviews are right in that regard -- it's not for those with soft stomachs. However, it's also a powerful film that will stick with you for several days after viewing if you can absorb it all.
Some of the reviews call it exploitive and some call it a revenge film... I'd say it's absolutely neither. It doesn't use the violence/rape as a tool for satisfaction and it doesn't use it as an excuse for later actions. In a typical revenge film the initial incident (in this case the rape of Alex) is merely the starting point for the revenge character (in this case Marcus) to go on a wild spree righting the wrongs (the fire extinguisher scene). However, because we are initially shocked and horrified by the murder with the fire extinguisher, we gain no satisfaction from it, so it's hardly called revenge (knowing it's the wrong man doesn't help either). When we see the rape scene we know there is no satisfaction in the "revenge", so it's merely disturbing and doesn't serve as an excuse for Marcus' actions. It proceeds to a small fight at a party which ends in Alex leaving - gut wrenching, if you didn't have your eyes closed for what the character had to go through 10 minutes earlier. Then, end with Marcus and Alex happily together in bed pissing away time as two people very comfortable with each other might do. Ultimately the fact that it ends with calm and caring scenes is all the more depressing... You know their future, while they sit there idly blissful.
This film would have been grossly different had it been in chronological order. It could easily be called an exploitive revenge flick with extreme violence and odd structure (an unsatisfying ending and with disproportionately happy beginning) - I'd bet chronologically it'd be an NC-17. While, fundamentally, the order as it stands makes this a film against rape and murder - certainly there was no satisfaction taken from either of them and the direction demanded that the impact be fully felt.
Movie Review: simple, courageous genius
Summary: 5 Stars
I never thought I would be giving 5 stars to a film so sickening that I never want to see it again, but here it is. How can I NOT give the highest rating to a film so emotionally vile, that it made me physically kind of nauseaus to watch it, and yet I could not tear my eyes off this film? I can't think of any other movie that's ever had such a striking effect on me. And on others, obviously.
A lot of people call this movie perverted, gratuitous, pretentious. Well, here is what I want to ask - what is truly sicker, depicted violence that hooks 13-year-old kids, that makes moviegoers whoop with glee, and makes them want to see more of it? OR, violence that is depicted so faithful to reality, that it makes people physically ill, that makes people denounce it, and never want to see it again? What do you think those two scenarios represent? The first, in my eyes, is standard Hollywood violence, whereas the second scenario is Irreversible. And how would REAL violence make most normal people feel? Would a healthy, normal person enjoy watching a real beating, or a real rape? Or would he/she be disgusted and disturbed?
Well, the reason I believe Irreversible is a very brave film and quite genius, is because it courageously depicts violence as it really is and makes the viewer feel a TRUE reaction... That first 30 minutes is very difficult to watch, and the use of motion-sickness-inducing camera angles, along with very disturbing audio, all cleverly combine to induce that feeling of unease and nausea in the viewer that makes the experience REALISTIC. I've never seen anything like it before. Objectively, cheap horror movies depict worse violence than in this movie, but never do people react in such a visceral way. With good reason.
And, that visceral emotional reaction that this film induces, is why it really is a valuable work of art, and NOT merely some cheesy crap made for shock value. Those who think otherwise either don't understand the point of the film (I am disturbed, if they didn't have such a reaction to this film!), or perhaps they were so disturbed by their own reaction that they wallow in denial of their emotions by denying the artistry of this film.