Reviewed by Steven Kiernan
Stars Peter Marshall, Caroline Marohasy, Brad McMurray, Jack Henry, Evert McQueen,
Christopher Sommers, Bryan Probets, Steve Tandy, Hannah Levien | Written by Steven Kastrissios
UK certification 18 | UK RRP £15.99 | DVD Region 2 | Runtime 92 minutes | Directed by Steven Kastrissios
Has there ever been a better time for violent films? Horror franchises like Saw and Hostel opened the floodgates for depravity and gore. But it’s rare for today’s silver screen torture-topia to offer up anything of critical value. While the Hollywood horror machine pulls in big box-office takings with endlessly creative ways to kill pretty young things, contemporary sadism in cinema rarely has much to offer the discerning filmgoer.
Which is a shame. Violence in films can be fantastic. Cinema allows us to have all our aggression and repressed violence meted out by a celluloid proxy. So for a first-time independent film-maker to produce the best action-thriller-horror genre flick in recent memory is not just astounding – it’s very welcome. Here we have a throwback to old-school revenge thrillers, from the same cinematic school of hard knocks that gave the world Mad Max, Chopper and Romper Stomper.
Christian (Marshall) is a blue-collar bloke from Queensland, Australia, who finds out his daughter has been the victim of an overdose, found dead in an alley. Shortly after, an anonymous parcel arrives in the mail, containing a sex tape that features his freshly deceased little girl, obviously so drugged that what has been packaged up as porn might equally be rape. Crowbar and toolkit in hand, Christian sets out on a crusade of vengeance to find out how his daughter died. Along the way, he picks up teenage hitchhiker Alice, an innocent bystander inexorably pulled into Christian’s quest.
The Horseman revels in violence. But the film’s masterstroke is that this unrelenting brutality rarely seems gratuitous. It’s unfair to pair The Horseman up with modern commercial splatter films – it is just as much a hard-hitting indie festival outing with emotional depth. But don’t be fooled into thinking this lessens the blow. It’s as unsettling as any Saw-style romp, and much more gripping. You’ll be so close to the edge of your seat, the only thing to keep you sitting down will be your fingers, dug knuckle-deep into the armrest. The Horseman is a real peeking-through-your-fingers experience – in particular, one scene featuring an interrogation/urethra examination with a bike-pump will have every male in the audience involuntarily putting his hands in a protective shield over his lap.
Marshall’s emotion-packed performance is a tour de brute force; it’s impossible to tear your eyes off him. This is no invulnerable Van Damme killing machine – this is a greying, middle-aged father overwhelmed by grief and pushing his body to the edge as his mind teeters over it. Each clash is an effort, each fight scene a rough and tumble scrabbling mess where household items – a plant pot, a hosepipe, a claw hammer – becomes a lethal weapon.
According to Kastrissios, “I’ve never had a decent budget to play with, so when the opportunity of The Horseman came about… I knew how to put all the money on screen.” Juggling the roles of director, producer, editor and colourist probably helped this multitalented wunderkind keep the costs down, but in fact, The Horseman’s rough production values are spot on. The raw cinematography serves the taut and sinewy plot. It’s a definite must-see for action fans, as long as you’re not squeamish. Four stars, yes, but I’ve already advised my girlfriend not to watch it.
EXTRAS Just the trailer