The Horseman is set in Australia where a man named Christian (Peter Marshall) has recently lost his daughter Jesse (Hannah Levien), she was found dead having choked on her own vomit. The police inform Christian that Jesse had large amounts of heroin & sperm in her body, shortly after her death a videotape arrives in the post for Christian which show's Jesse taking part in a porn film where several men have sex with her. Senseing a connection Christian sets out to discover the truth & punish the men responsible for drugging his daughter & then raping her for a porn film, from the editor to the cameraman to the producer to the actor's Christian does whatever it takes to find out who they are & track them down to take his brutal & violent revenge. Along the way he picks up a young girl named Alice (Caroline Marohasy) who reminds him of Jesse...
This Australian production was edited, written, produced & directed by Steven Kastrissios this brutal thriller is a story of revenge & grief that tries to be shocking & bleak & to be fair is somewhat successful. The script has been cut right down to the bone with little in the way of exposition as the story moves along from one brutal set-piece to another. There's still time for a bit of humanity with various flashback as Christian remember the good times between himself & his daughter, the character of Alice also brings a little human emotion to the story. However the area where The Horseman shines is in it's gritty depiction of brutal violence as Christian takes his revenge on those who he believes were responsible for his daughter's death while making a porn film. Often quite shocking & sometimes disturbing this is not for the squeamish or faint of heart, although not that graphic the violence hits homes as Christian uses the contents of his tool box to devastating effect. While the violence is usually brief & brutal there is one moment at the end where Christian has to unlock his handcuffs with a key on the floor before he is killed which tries to stretch the suspense & tension & threat out a little bit like a more standard film might have but that's the only occasion where the violence isn't short, to the point & brutal with no long speeches or pauses. At just over an hour & a half The Horseman moves along at a decent pace although it's intentions are straight forward & it doesn't really deviate from it's main story of revenge although you could say it's a little shallow & one dimensional. The character's vary, Christian is quite well fleshed out as the grieving father but the men who made the porn film are all stereotyped as evil, women hating murderers & scumbags which the film tends to level at anyone involved in the pron industry which is clearly untrue.
While the violence is brutal & hits home there's not that much actual gore, sure there's some blood splatter & a bit where someone's nipple is pulled off with pliers but the majority of the nasty torture is implied with quick cuts, sound effects & a shaking camera rather than graphic gore effects. The fights are are of the back street brawl variety as men head-butt, punch, kick & beat each other up with whatever they can grab. There's no extravagant martial arts or overblown fight scenes here & that in itself adds a certain gritty realism. Together with the brutal minimalist violence the twitchy camera evokes a documentary like feel along with the muted colour scheme.
Filmed in Brisbane in Queensland in Australia the film has decent production values although it still has a somewhat low budget look. The acting is very good, Peter Marshall puts in a fine performance as a grieving father out for revenge.
The Horseman is a brutal tale of revenge from Australia that I can't say I loved but at the same time can't say I hated, it does what it sets out to do effectively enough but I doubt I would want to see it again anytime soon. Worth watching for sure but not worth going out of your way to watch.
This Australian production was edited, written, produced & directed by Steven Kastrissios this brutal thriller is a story of revenge & grief that tries to be shocking & bleak & to be fair is somewhat successful. The script has been cut right down to the bone with little in the way of exposition as the story moves along from one brutal set-piece to another. There's still time for a bit of humanity with various flashback as Christian remember the good times between himself & his daughter, the character of Alice also brings a little human emotion to the story. However the area where The Horseman shines is in it's gritty depiction of brutal violence as Christian takes his revenge on those who he believes were responsible for his daughter's death while making a porn film. Often quite shocking & sometimes disturbing this is not for the squeamish or faint of heart, although not that graphic the violence hits homes as Christian uses the contents of his tool box to devastating effect. While the violence is usually brief & brutal there is one moment at the end where Christian has to unlock his handcuffs with a key on the floor before he is killed which tries to stretch the suspense & tension & threat out a little bit like a more standard film might have but that's the only occasion where the violence isn't short, to the point & brutal with no long speeches or pauses. At just over an hour & a half The Horseman moves along at a decent pace although it's intentions are straight forward & it doesn't really deviate from it's main story of revenge although you could say it's a little shallow & one dimensional. The character's vary, Christian is quite well fleshed out as the grieving father but the men who made the porn film are all stereotyped as evil, women hating murderers & scumbags which the film tends to level at anyone involved in the pron industry which is clearly untrue.
While the violence is brutal & hits home there's not that much actual gore, sure there's some blood splatter & a bit where someone's nipple is pulled off with pliers but the majority of the nasty torture is implied with quick cuts, sound effects & a shaking camera rather than graphic gore effects. The fights are are of the back street brawl variety as men head-butt, punch, kick & beat each other up with whatever they can grab. There's no extravagant martial arts or overblown fight scenes here & that in itself adds a certain gritty realism. Together with the brutal minimalist violence the twitchy camera evokes a documentary like feel along with the muted colour scheme.
Filmed in Brisbane in Queensland in Australia the film has decent production values although it still has a somewhat low budget look. The acting is very good, Peter Marshall puts in a fine performance as a grieving father out for revenge.
The Horseman is a brutal tale of revenge from Australia that I can't say I loved but at the same time can't say I hated, it does what it sets out to do effectively enough but I doubt I would want to see it again anytime soon. Worth watching for sure but not worth going out of your way to watch.