The Horseman Cinema Review

WARNING PLOT SPOILERS

A torture gore-fest as an aggrieved father goes on a retribution quest after the death of his daughter.

You don’t have to be Derren Brown to predict what’s gonna happen after the opening gambit in this particular violent flick. Yep, this unimaginative film runs as just a relenting series of torture scenes. A long time before the end credits roll you are just willing the main character Christian (Peter Marshall) to just get on with it.

In contrast with successful films like Hostel and Saw, others film in the loosely defined torture genre, The Horseman really lacks any shades of suspense or build up to the violence, it’s all too hello are you Mr So-and-So and then it’s a case of here we go again.

OK so there are some interludes of drama in between the weird and wonderful pain inflicting instruments coming out, like Christian’s self harming tendencies and his friendship with teenager Alice (Caroline Marohasy), but these moments feel all too fleeting to add any substantial depth to the proceedings.

Violence in movies has been around for a long time and the finest exponents of their craft have always had the ability to imply a heck of a lot more than was actually been shown trusting in the audiences imagination. Give the poor The Horseman a miss and watch a classic like The Texas Chainsaw Massacre instead.