Heartless

A really great twisted Horror Thriller. Not completely as original as the filmmakers want you to believe (watch last years "The Disappeared" for a similar film/movie experience, also made/from the UK), but a really great movie. Jim Sturges, who really has played quite a few roles and seems to be a rising new star on the British horizon, carries this movie with his lead performance.

He and some of his co-stars where at the Fright Fest screening, where Jim performed a song from the soundtrack of the movie. A soundtrack that has been written just for the movie and is integrated very well into it. Very subtle layered and greatly acted, this might need a second viewing, to get most of the story!

Faust pact, demons, Devil, Jim Sturgess, warm Timothy Spall. an old story, crumbs of romanticism, good intentions. and presence of Indian child as flame, protector, daughter, help. result - not impressive movie. but touching. not very profound. but sensitive. a story about price of desire, love and happiness. about structure of abdication. in front - the heart. like birthmark on face. as first murder to pay a fake gift. to begin a fight. against yourself. it is shadow of delicate beauty. map of contemporary world. explication. for violence, hate, fear, temptations. and testimony about profound liaisons. a good work. an old story.and, maybe, occasion to meditate about small things - heart of existence.

After hearing from the Director , Philip Ridley , about this movie on radio five i decided to to give it a go and i'm really pleased i did. You cant really put this film just into the Horror genre because it is much more than that. The movie looks stunning and the acting is of the highest quality (although i would have liked to have seen more of Eddie Marsen). To say it is thought provoking is an understatement and a great deal of praise should go to the Director for taking on such a heavy subject. My only criticism is i felt it began to lose it's way a little bit about 90 minutes in , but thankfully it's conclusion pulled it around wrapped up things very nicely.

Recommended.

Ridley's first film in way too many years is a dark urban fairytale about a young photographer who encounters murderous demons on the streets of London. Firstly, I have to admit to being a huge fan of Ridley's work and The Reflecting Skin is in my personal Top 10 movies of all time, so I have to say I loved this genre-playing horror film.

Heartless is, to my mind, Ridley's most conventional film to date as it is the first truly genre-based film he has made, but, underneath the conventions of the horror film we find his usual philosophical musings on death, beauty, existentialism, good and evil, chaos and the individual's struggle to make sense of the world.

Heartless is a step towards the mainstream for Ridley and that may well be its commercial undoing; too "mainstream" genre for the art-house crowd, too cerebral for the thrill loving multiplex gore-hound.

Ultimately, this is a serious film, a dark and often beautiful film that haunts the mind after viewing and already demands a second viewing of me to unravel some of its dark mysteries. Intelligent, moving, sometimes shocking and occasionally funny this is an engrossing and enjoyable piece of work that gives food for thought as well as an entertaining ghost train of a ride. Approach this one with an open mind and you will be rewarded with a strong contemporary horror film with some real depth and intelligence.

Philip Ridley brings us a new style of horror. Mesmerizing and twisted, Heartless tries to appeal to our deepest senses - fear simply being one of them - by means of psychology. The "monster" in this so called horror drama, is not a monster at all but an inner pattern of what makes us humans; of what our feelings may turn us into.

Perhaps the movie is slightly underrated because the point of view that should have been used to look at this movie was not from the outside of the box but from the inside.

The performances were pretty good especially from Joseph Mawle(Papa B) whom i have only seen in Merlin, Eddie Marsan("Sherlock Holmes") and his charismatic flavor and of course Jim Sturgess who proves once again that he is a British star on a dark sky. However i expected somewhat more from Clemence Poesy("War and Peace", "In Bruges) other than a lovely accent.

Overall, i give "Heartless" an 8/10 for the feelings they tried to bring up but failed in a small measure. I do believe that concentrating even more on the feelings and less on the horror part would've brought this movie a greater rating. Nonetheless, it is worth two hours of your spare time.