Horsemen (2009) Reviews

• Moody, un-nerving tale collapses in the final sprint to the end

  dbborroughs2009-10-21

  A recently widowed detective is sucked into the investigation of a series of brutal killings tied to the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse. As the investigation progresses events seem to be moving things closer to himself. Graphic murder mystery with a strong supernatural component, is for much of its running time a deeply disturbing film. Its not just that what we witness that is troubling, its that the tone of what we see, the dark pall that hangs over everything is unnerving. Ziyi Zhang's Kristen is an unholy force that will probably bother a good many people. I've seen any number of dark and disturbing films and for a good chunk of this film I was bothered by what I was seeing. Unfortunately there is a point somewhere in the later part of the film when things stop making sense. For whatever reason its as if the filmmakers didn't know where they were going and instead of trying to work out a suitable ending came up with something that was just sort of there. Honestly I got to the end and had to watch it a couple of times to try and make sense of what I was seeing. I don't think it ever made sense and in the end the spell of the first part of the film was lost. Worth seeing for the early disturbing part, just be prepared to be disappointed in the end.

  More

• Strong First Half And Then It Drops

  gavin69422013-03-26

  A recently widowed detective (Dennis Quaid) still grieving over his wife's death discovers a shocking connection between a serial killing spree and the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse. The film starts out strong, with a great atmosphere and some nice gore effects with things like extracted teeth and whatnot. And the film seems to be inspired by "Seven", which is a good thing... and in many ways I feel they captured that film's vibe. But then, they just started copying it outright (the landlord with the "good tenant", "he pays the rent") and the suspension rig custom-made compared to the strap-on dagger... and the religious themes (four here rather than seven). And later on still... it turns into a story about a brother's inability to accept his sibling's homosexuality. Why? That is a completely different movie entirely. I will let viewers fin out on their own what happens in the second half... but be warned that this film has a problem keeping up the intensity, and it is no surprise it went straight to video after major re-shoots and extensive editing.

  More

• Staple horror and thoroughly generic

  Danny_G132009-08-01

  By-the-numbers gore flick isn't especially bad, but sterile acting and disjointed direction hinder it entirely. Dennis Quaid (gloriously miscast) is Aidan Breslin, a detective specialising in some teeth identification discipline. He's called to a case whereby teeth alone have been left, and the more the case heats up, he discovers the Horsemen of the Apocalypse are being emulated and murdering victims in 'homage' to them. The premise is certainly half decent, with a biblical reference always adding spice to horror, such is the visceral underbelly such association can produce. The problem is the production and casting, not to mention plot development. Horsemen suffers a disjointed structure, with extremely poor characterisation and seam-filled editing causing a stop-start judder to permeate throughout. This isn't helped by the fact that every role is miscast, from the 'doing it for the money' Quaid as troubled Breslin, Ziyi Zhang as troubled Kristen, and Lou Taylor Pucci as troubled Alex. Every character appears to have personal demons apart from Stingray and Tuck, who both look like actors in the wrong movie. These foibles aside the horror effects are rather inconsistent - the first body looks plainly like a dummy, and no amount of garish red lighting hides that fact - thereafter they do pick up a bit, but it's a bad start. And the characterisation, as mentioned, is really poor - the viewer isn't moved to care about anyone, and certain character introductions are clunky and badly handled. The feeble and ineffective acting certainly doesn't aid this. In summary if you want horror by the numbers with a hint of whodunnit, there are worse than Horsemen. But there are much much better too.

  More

• You're paying attention, now.

  lastliberal-853-2537082011-11-22

  Tell me that the movie is like Se7en and I am interested. Tell me that Ziyi Zhang (Memoirs of a Geisha, House of Flying Daggers, Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, 2046) is in it, and I am interested. Tell me that Dennis Quaid, the actor starring in one of my favorite films, The Big Easy, is starring this one, and I am definitely interested. A combination like that should mean that I am in for a treat of some kind. Barry Shabaka Henley is always a welcome addition, and he was no disappointment here. However, the rest of the film was a big disappointment. It was devoid of any real emotion, and the struggle with the kids just distracted from the quest for the killers. It never came close to Se7en.

  More

• Doesn't hold a candle to the movies it copied

  MovieMaddis2009-05-13

  The Horsemen touts itself as another serial killer cat and mouse and admirably attempts to mix in several sub-genres including torture, exotic piercing, plot twists, and even a silence of the lambs (more Primal Fear in execution) style prison exchange. What transpires is unfortunately a lot of set pieces that don't add a lot to the whole. Dennis Quaid has always been fun to watch and has had several noteworthy performances (my fav will always be Savior). Here he struggles to play a hardened detective reminiscent of Al Pacino in Insomnia, his lines are forced, he is simply a poor casting choice for this role. He never reaches believability as the detective, and the dramatic subterfuge of a single dad with 2 kids is laid on so thick, he never sloshes out of the muck long enough to fill either role. The plot is OK, fairly standard shake on a playful serial killer vs cop movie, but the dialog is simply horrible. The lines are terribly cliché' and the actors, while capable, are just waiting for there time to speak, never fully absorbed into the movie. This will likely go to video soon where it may attract an easy to please crowd but ultimately does not hold a candle to any of the movies it copied. Maddis

  More