The Horseman (V)
| release date | June 15 2010 |
| studio | Screen Media Ventures |
| director | Steven Kastrissios |
| writer | Steven Kastrissios |
| starring | Peter Marshall, Caroline Marohasy, Brad McMurray, Jack Henry, Evert McQueen, Christopher Sommers |
| rating | R |
| tagline | He has some questions. |
| site | thehorsemanfilm.com |
| trailer 1 | Trailer #1 |
3 Comments
The Horseman absolutely blew me away I’m ordering it as I write this.
I caught it on Fios On Demand.
After his daughter ends up dead The girl in questions father finds out she was involved in a porno shoot where she was drugged and abused on set. What ensues next is one of the best revenge films I have ever seen.
It is shot somewhat out of sequence,basically after he”Peter Marshall” gives a ride to a stranded girl near the same age as his deceased daughter ,she asks if he has any children.This takes him back to the beginning in a flashback and from there it goes from flashback to real time.
It is brutal,bloody with teeth grinding ,edge of your seat suspense and action.
I don’t see it as a horror movie but a riveting bloody thriller.
It starts off full speed ahead and never lets up.There was not one moment that I wasn’t glued to the TV.Peter Marshall is incredibly believable ,powerful and brilliant as Christian the vengeful father on a mission.Since the death of his daughter he is reduced to a cutter,with the camera getting shots of him cutting on his arm and hands frequently which makes any pain he may receive along the way not as effective to him as it would someone that does not inflict intentional pain on themselves.
I say buy it,you will definitely want to watch it more than once ,as well as have it in your collection. The last 20 minutes were some of the most tense moments I have ever seen on film.There’s some Irony in the ending that is quite genius and effective
On the outside, Steven Kastrissios’sdebut film The Horseman,is a decently well made film with action, suspense, and some good performances. But I connected with this Australian thriller on a whole different level. Forget the blood, forget the fights, and forget the action. This is a gritty, realistic work of art because of two things: Peter Marshall’s down right astounding performance, and the storyline. Despite some flaws such as a bit of unecessary violence, I really connected with this film. It keeps the realism at maximum and the viewers on the edge of their seats with each brutal punch to the face. It is a captivating film that I commend director Steven Kastrissios for putting together.
Score: 9.5
Better than most revenge thrillers… Well, with the exception of the really great revenge thrillers (ie: Vengeance Trilogy, Kill Bill, etc.)
Nothing too over the top. Nothing too heavy handed. No big point to be made. Just a bad ass father getting vengeance on some punks who had a hand in his daughter’s death.
Reminded me of a less heavy handed and smug Law Abiding Citizen…
Also, this features some of the most excrutiating penis torture in recent memory… it’s all off screen, so it’s not like Hostel II graphic, but it’s still pretty damn intense.
The Horseman was a well done revenge thriller with a great lead actor, some really brutal violence, a little unnecessary violence but All in All, The Horseman works well as a revenge film and for a first time director, he did a great job.
Gritty, understated and violent are probably the best ways to describe “The Horseman”. While yes the budget does create some of the grittiness that the film benefits from, but this is a good thing. A thing that I wish Hollywood would see, because it is in the understated backdrops that fill this little film that we see life being truly exposed. A raw edge of reality if you would, the scenes are filled with no startling imagery or beautiful landscapes; it is as it should be.
The violence has an unrefined quality to it, which makes it seem all that much more disheartening when it comes to fruition, because it reaches into the deepest recesses of ones mind and pulls forth what any normal human being would surely use to exact a revenge of this magnitude, which is a nice change from other films where it is quite obviously a bunch of writer’s sitting around in a room thinking up weird ways to do things.
Now for the film being understated, I think this part is solely due to the editor on this one, the film resonates passion project through out, thus why there is a high-end quality to something that is rather low-end in production budget terms, but with passion projects directors usually film a five hour movie that tends to drag on a little too much (Che anyone), so with some choice cuts this film was stitched back together without any damage done to the initial film, thus allowing a brooding look at one’s revenge without overexposing the viewer to it.
The acting of the two main leads was quite good, however the same cannot be said of the supporting cast which more than anything drop the film down a few pegs, but again what can one expect from something that was created out of almost nothing.
The only real downside to the film is the story itself, while as a whole the story does succeed. The only issue is in a couple of the plot points, as well as the actual set-up of the revenge spree. How it all comes to be seems more like a deus ex machina instead of an organic growth that all stories truly need.
In the end the film ultimately falls into an allegory about the frailty of revenge, but for this film it works. I say roughly sixty percent of the people will enjoy this film so long as they are not anticipating any of the traditional horror essence we have all come to love.
I personally enjoyed The Horseman and would recommend it to others.
So from my opinion I would give the film four skulls, from an unbiased standpoint I believe it deserves four skulls.
I would feel guilty not giving this 5/5.. Probably lose a skull with a second viewing.. but this movie came off as realistic as possible.. none of that hollywood crap.. very brutal.. good story.. ridiculous ending.. if your into revenge films make sure you see this.. it ranks towards the top!
AMAZING MOVIE… one of the best revenge flicks EVER MADE. And the best of 2010 for indie films thus far. Acting is top knotch, every kill makes you feel like crap. I must of said oh SHIT like 4 times. Starts with a bang and ends with a whallop.
Rent it, you’ll not be disapointed.
This movie is amazing! I had so many distractions going on around me as I watched this on my computer with headphones but at times I felt so connected to this movie I was cringing and saying “Oh fuck!” out loud like I was all alone! Wow, I haven’t seen a movie that made me cry, made me gasp, made me close my eyes to the brutal violence, and made me feel a sickly sweet sense of satisfaction at the end. What a debut film! Amazing acting, a rough gritty, so real feeling that I walked around in a bit of a daze after it ended. This is by far one of the best revenge movies ever and I LOVE revenge movies!! Again I say wow, great film!
This is not a horror film at all. Its bloody, its bold and fairly brilliant for a first time filmmaker… Its in the vein of 8mm only better and indie.
Worth a watch but its not going to change your life. Watch it knowing the film cost less than 500,000.00 to make. And pay attention to the editing, acting… its actually better than alot of way bigger budget’s expect to see alot of films from this director as Hollywood immediately hired him…. Thats just good business.
I’m sorry, cuz I missed something. This film is good, but not the greatest thing since sliced bread as most people are saying. Don’t get me wrong, it’s worth the watch, but it’s in no way a classic. I especially had a hard time believing the way in which he got out of some of his predicaments. The final scenes were especially hard for me to swallow. You have 4 hard core bad asses and yet he manages to defeat everyone of them? They’re screaming, banging, and making enough damn noise to wake the dead, and yet they only show up one by one? I’m sorry, this is a solid movie, with some decent gore – though a lot of it is so off screen that it didn’t make much of an impact on me – but after reading so many of the reviews, I felt a little let down.
This is an entertaining movie. It’s not necessarily bloody or disgusting though.
It’s an above average action/revenge flick. Don’t believe any of the awards/hype on the dvd case. It’s all bullshit.
Worth a see.
Ill keep it short u gotta get this fckn movie u will love it
Oh my God! this movie was great beyond initial belief. The horror and brutal murder scenes are artfully hidden to leave gore to the imagination. The malice of one side of a man is counterset by the martyrdom of the otherside. A man left to the world alone, and fucking wreaks havoc across australia. Brilliant! Buy it immediately or you will regret mising this great film that is sure to put australia back onto the horror movie scene.
Great movie. Lots of fun entertaining scenes.
Surprisingly good… 7.5/10
i really really liked this movie!! its not a horror movie, but it has the “it” factor that makes it worth seeing. the lead character is a normal type guy who gets fucking pissed off and actually goes and does something about it. who has ever felt that way? me too. its pretty realistic as far as the idea’s, the early fight scenes, and what causes all of the problems to begin with, but towards the end of the movie i don’t think that anybody could take the kinds of beatings he goes through and still be alive. and to all of you fuckers out there that have taken advantage, you’ll all get yours in the end. who wouldn’t want to hurt the men that destroyed a part of you, that you will never have again?
Good revenge flick, but not as good as another idie extreme anger movie called Dead Man’s Shoes. Don’t get me wrong–The Horseman is an intense and violent ride, but the gut wrenching feeling of retribution is just stronger in Dead Man’s. The same feeling of revenge in Christian’s torturings and beatings of assailants in The Horseman is violent and cool, but the total buy-in is a bit more detached because of the cloudiness surrounding his daughter’s death and the uncertainties of who/why he is going after people. Also, felt the mood swing a bit too much with the addition of a certain female loner midway through the story, but the intense ending made up for most of that. The Horseman and Dead Man’s Shoes would make for a cool back-to-back revengefest double feature.
Badass revenge flick! Aussies dont pull any punches and thats the way it should be
Horseman is an intense, uncompromising revenge thriller..worth checking out for fans of the sub-genre.
This has to be one of the best new films in the revenge sub-genre that I’ve seen. The directing, editing, and cinematography give this film the atmosphere it needs. Peter Marshall definitely shines in this film with a bold presence that rivals Charles Bronson. Upon finishing this film ask your self “How far would I go?”
awesome revenge flick, well made!