The Horseman

First off, this film isn't going to appeal to everyone. It features graphic violence (most of it unseen) and a quite mundane plot that plods along. However, if you are a fan of old 70's and 80's exploitation films then you are in for a real treat. The story follows a man, who has been sent a video of his recently deceased daughter in a porn film. She's smacked off her t*ts and obviously isn't a willing participant. He takes it upon himself to track down all copies of said film, and anyone involved in it's making...And destroy them! This is gritty stuff. With little to no soundtrack, there is almost a documentary feel to it. It really makes you ask the question: What would you do? Although the plot isn't at all similar, it has the same kind of realism to films like the underrated 70's classic 'death weekend' and 'The Last House on the Left'. There is real drama here and characters that you truly root for. I hope this little gem doesn't slip under the radar because there are a lot of film fans (myself included) that have been waiting for this type of film to come along since the early 80's!

This Australian crime thriller is a revenge movie, a rather crude and agonizing one to watch, in my opinion. Unlike other revenge movies, after getting half of his hit list done, the protagonist kinda lost to the bad guys. And then it was his turn to get mauled. I don't know about you, but in revenge movies, the table isn't supposed to turn like that. That's the agonizing part I'm talking about. And that's what makes me take one point from my initial rating. The brutality I can take, the cruel tortures, even the blood lust. But the loss? That's hard to watch. And a satisfying ending in revenge movies to me means that the protagonist gets to torture the final boss to death. So that means this one doesn't have a satisfying ending. Cause he wasn't in no shape to get any satisfaction, it was just a quick death. I wasn't satisfied with the ending. Not at all. Unlike "I Spit On Your Grave", which still the number one revenge movies of all time. At least for me, it is.

Imagine a stylish, modern, ultra-dark and gritty re-run of the Liam Neeson actioner TAKEN, made on a tiny budget in Australia, and you'll be close to THE HORSEMAN, a film that takes visceral action to new levels of extremism. In a nutshell, the film's about revenge: a grieving father discovers that his daughter appeared in a porn film shortly before her death and goes to track down the men who coerced her into it. He wants nothing more than to beat their brains in with a crowbar, and that's exactly what he does.

So far, so par for the course when it comes to exploitation. Where THE HORSEMAN wins plaudits is in its intensity: there are a series of brutal action sequences as pulse-pounding as those in the Bourne films and the script never lets up when it comes to anger, sadism and vengeance. The performances elicited from an unknown cast are very down to earth and realistic, particularly Peter Marshall's depiction of a grieving father seeking revenge.

The violence is extreme and also realistic, often gratuitous. I feel the film oversteps the boundaries of taste at the climatic torture sequence, which delves into sexual violence unexpectedly and left me feeling sickened; it's clear that HOSTEL was an inspiration for this sequence and I can't help but feel that the film would have done better without it. Still, aside from this misstep, THE HORSEMAN hearkens back to the gritty downbeat revenge films of the 1970s, where lack of budget and scope was never a problem for a filmmaker with a dark story to tell.

Peter Marshall plays a pest control technician and revenge driven father who tortures and kills men who are responsible for the death of his daughter.The girl died just after shooting a threesome in an underground gonzo porn film."The Horseman" by Steve Kasrtissios is one hell of a brutal revenge thriller.The scenes of violence are extremely harsh and unflinching.The film is loaded with nasty fights and sadistic torture.The people are beaten with crowbar,claw hammer,sledgehammer,throats are slashed,genitals mutilated and nipples severed.The finale is incredibly violent.The central performance by Peter Marshall is exceptional.His wounded character oozes grief and retribution.9 crowbars out of 10.

A different kind of Road Trip that is. And don't confuse the movie with "Horsemen", which has Dennis Quaid starring in it. This little, dirty and pretty gruesome movie is a completely different affair. It's from down under (Australia) and is ... well down and dirty! The cinematography is raw, the acting is raw, pretty much everything is raw in this movie.

Not for the faint-hearted or anything for people who want to see something glossy. Everyone else, will see a pretty grim thriller, that might not have any (big) twists or surprises for you, but is still more than decent! I liked it and so did many at the Fright Fest in London.