The Horseman is a great revenge thriller with the courage not only to raise moral questions about what its protagonist is doing, but also to show violence in all its ugliness. It features an excellent performance by Peter Marshall, and some genuinely creative torture methods.
Marshall's character has just lost his daughter to a drug overdose. From an anonymously mailed DVD, he learns she was involved in a porno shoot just before she died. This revelation sends him on a brutal rampage directed at everyone who participated in the shoot.
What sets this film apart from most other films in this genre is its moral ambiguity. The filmmakers do not shy away from the bloody results of the protagonist's violence, and as several characters note, it is made clear that the daughter voluntarily participated in the shoot. Marshall's performance reinforces this aspect of the film, as even he comes to have doubts about what he's doing.
The film does slip somewhat in its final third, as the filmmakers resort to a typical action ending, with a final confrontation with the most evil pornographer of all. However, this does not detract from the overall quality of the film.
Marshall's character has just lost his daughter to a drug overdose. From an anonymously mailed DVD, he learns she was involved in a porno shoot just before she died. This revelation sends him on a brutal rampage directed at everyone who participated in the shoot.
What sets this film apart from most other films in this genre is its moral ambiguity. The filmmakers do not shy away from the bloody results of the protagonist's violence, and as several characters note, it is made clear that the daughter voluntarily participated in the shoot. Marshall's performance reinforces this aspect of the film, as even he comes to have doubts about what he's doing.
The film does slip somewhat in its final third, as the filmmakers resort to a typical action ending, with a final confrontation with the most evil pornographer of all. However, this does not detract from the overall quality of the film.