The Horseman (2009)

For what it is, The Horseman is not a bad movie.That being said, I felt like the filmmaker couldn't really make up his mind as to what kind of movie he wanted to make. Horror? Thriller? Action/Revenge? Exploitation? Drama?There's a little bit of everything thrown in here.I think this movie would have been a lot more enjoyable in terms of entertainment value if the director just kept it campy rather than trying to justify the violence with superficial emotional nuances...I don't know, I just felt that for an action film it was kind of pretentious.

This is a spectacular movie, nearly perfect. It tells the tale of a father's revenge in a way that Taken could not have fathomed. It's gritty, it's realistic, it's relatable and most importantly well acted. From Australia, the country of awesome independent films, comes the story of one man's relentless pursuit of the men who murdered his daughter, after drugging her and forcing her into the porn industry. I can't understand why this movie isn't rated higher. It's like "Near Dark" without the Vampires. Then again, I do have a weak spot for violent revenge thrillers, with the typical ass-kicking Jason Statham movies being high on my list of guilty pleasures. So maybe I'm a bit biased. But it's something we can all relate to, except those of us who are psychopaths of course, the tale of a vulnerable, young woman being exploited and killed/kidnapped by evil forces. As conscientious people, we secretly cheer when these people have their fingernails pulled, their pinky fingers chopped off and their testicles shoved down their throat. Who didn't cheer when Liam put a big fat hole in the princes head in taken. No one, that's who. Watch this movie, it's great.

This is a story of one man's revenge against the people he holds responsible for the death of his daughter. It's a grim and grimy revenge tale full of bloody violence. It won't appeal to everyone and my wife ceased watching after 5 minutes but if you like these kinds of movie then you are likely to enjoy this. The acting is pretty good and I thought Peter Marsh did a good job at gaining sympathy as the grief stricken dad doling out his own particular brand of justice. Brad McMurray is also worth a mention as one of the most imposing villains you could wish to see.I wouldn't say this film had many surprises or a particular message but I find watching lowlife scum being deservedly dispatched pretty satisfying in its own right. The Horseman is a fast paced film and doesn't spend much time setting the scene before plunging straight into the action. I enjoyed this film and thought it was a very good example of a quality revenge movie especially bearing in mind it's relatively low budget. Recommended.

Watching this film my mark was a solid 6 it does drag in places but after watching the making of on the DVD extras I gave it another 2. The money spent on this film was practically nothing the crew were students working for free and the director is a young down to earth guy. The actor in the lead role was quality and watching the action back it's on par with anything the South Koreans are turning out. It's a tiny film but it packs a punch I'd say it's very sadistic and brutal but not torture porn as the guy does what any father would do if he has nothing to live for. The sound editing is partly what stopped it being great but watching how it was made I have nothing but respect for the people involved. I urge you to watch it and then the making of and make your own conclusions... 8/10