Horsemen
2.5/4
Starring: Dennis Quaid, Ziyi Zhang, Lou Taylor Pucci, Clifton Collins Jr.
Rated R for Grisly and Disturbing Content, Some Sexual Images, and Language
"Horsemen" is a flawed yet intriguing thriller that flew under the radar. The film was plagued by reshoots, which may account for the unevenness of the film's trajectory; sometimes we are ahead of the characters, sometimes they are ahead of us. Unlike many movies that are this troubled, this one is entirely watchable, and contains some genuine suspense and emotional honesty.
Aidan Breslin (Quaid) is a depressed detective who has always been married to the job, especially so after the death of his wife. But a series of startling murders, which are related to the Four Horsemen of the Apocolypse, cause him to rethink his life.
Although this sounds like some sort of weird horror show, it's really a straightforward thriller along the lines of "Seven." Swiss director Jonas Ackerlund, whose previous film, "Spun," holds the Guinness Book record for the most edits in a feature film (5,345 to be exact), tones down the flourishes that accompany most music video directors who graduate into feature filmmaking. Ackerlund has a knack for atmosphere, which helps draw us into the story. It's nowhere near as menacing as the aforementioned "Seven," but it gets the job done.
The cast is effective. Dennis Quaid, a character actor who usually plays sympathetic men, is good as the depressed and hard-bitten detective. He knows he's a bad father and took his family for granted, but solving cases is like an addiction for him; one more and he'll start being a dad. Except that there's always one more. Ziyi Zhang is wonderfully creepy (and bearing a great similarity to Gong Li in "Memoirs of a Geisha," whom she starred with in that movie). She's a little old to be playing the daughter of a suburban couple, but never mind. Lou Taylor Pucci gives another strong performance as Alex, Aidan's son, who is constantly given the short end of the stick. Clifton Collins Jr. is flat as Aidan's partner, Stingray. No one else bears a mention save for Eric Balfour who is embarrassingly bad (fortunately, though, he's not onscreen for very long).
This movie is hard to review. The movie has some serious flaws; the ending leaves a zillion questions unanswered and I guessed some of the twists much earlier than they were revealed. And yet it does a few things right. It contains a few nice performances and is visually interesting without being overbearing. Ultimately I can't recommend it, but I'm curious to see what Ackerlund's career holds for him.
Starring: Dennis Quaid, Ziyi Zhang, Lou Taylor Pucci, Clifton Collins Jr.
Rated R for Grisly and Disturbing Content, Some Sexual Images, and Language
"Horsemen" is a flawed yet intriguing thriller that flew under the radar. The film was plagued by reshoots, which may account for the unevenness of the film's trajectory; sometimes we are ahead of the characters, sometimes they are ahead of us. Unlike many movies that are this troubled, this one is entirely watchable, and contains some genuine suspense and emotional honesty.
Aidan Breslin (Quaid) is a depressed detective who has always been married to the job, especially so after the death of his wife. But a series of startling murders, which are related to the Four Horsemen of the Apocolypse, cause him to rethink his life.
Although this sounds like some sort of weird horror show, it's really a straightforward thriller along the lines of "Seven." Swiss director Jonas Ackerlund, whose previous film, "Spun," holds the Guinness Book record for the most edits in a feature film (5,345 to be exact), tones down the flourishes that accompany most music video directors who graduate into feature filmmaking. Ackerlund has a knack for atmosphere, which helps draw us into the story. It's nowhere near as menacing as the aforementioned "Seven," but it gets the job done.
The cast is effective. Dennis Quaid, a character actor who usually plays sympathetic men, is good as the depressed and hard-bitten detective. He knows he's a bad father and took his family for granted, but solving cases is like an addiction for him; one more and he'll start being a dad. Except that there's always one more. Ziyi Zhang is wonderfully creepy (and bearing a great similarity to Gong Li in "Memoirs of a Geisha," whom she starred with in that movie). She's a little old to be playing the daughter of a suburban couple, but never mind. Lou Taylor Pucci gives another strong performance as Alex, Aidan's son, who is constantly given the short end of the stick. Clifton Collins Jr. is flat as Aidan's partner, Stingray. No one else bears a mention save for Eric Balfour who is embarrassingly bad (fortunately, though, he's not onscreen for very long).
This movie is hard to review. The movie has some serious flaws; the ending leaves a zillion questions unanswered and I guessed some of the twists much earlier than they were revealed. And yet it does a few things right. It contains a few nice performances and is visually interesting without being overbearing. Ultimately I can't recommend it, but I'm curious to see what Ackerlund's career holds for him.
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