dante_leebo

The film was introduced by the film's writer director Pascal Laugier at this year's Frightfest in London. The organiser's referred to the film as "The film they most wanted" of the 28 shown at the festival. It was easy to see why. Of all the films I saw at this year's Frightfest, Martyrs was not my favourite but without a doubt it is the one that plays on my mind the most. The film has been compared to both Hostel and Hellraiser but I think it has a lot more substance than both of those films. The central performances are top notch and Jessie Pham as the young Lucie is very convincing, completely holding your attention. So why only 7 out of 10? As well made as this film is, the subject matter is just so utterly disturbing I wanted this film to end a long time before it actually did. It is not a film that is to be enjoyed. It is not the escapism that you may be looking for. The first Act is a revenge story on a family who may or may not have been responsible for the kidnapping and torture of a young girl 15 years previously. It is the second Act though that is the more disturbing. The viewer wants it to end almost as much as the girl captured wants her ordeal to end. This is a must-see movie but certainly one that is going to divide audiences right down the middle.

I was fortunate enough to attend the screening at FACT Cinema in Liverpool with Tarantino himself in attendance. I had already seen the 'Grindhouse' double bill a few weeks ago and whilst I enjoyed it, the stand alone version with the extended cut is far superior. Tracie Thoms as Kim was a standout (reminding me of comedienne Wanda Sykes with her delivery of Tarantino's script) but stunt woman Zoe Bell also deserves a nod for a role in which she performed all of her own stunts with no special effects. Kurt Russell, who is always worth a watch, as Stuntman Mike gives his best performance in 20 years. Whilst not quite up there with Reservoir Dogs and Pulp Fiction, as ever this Tarantino film deserves a watch, with the script peppered with highly quotable dialogue.