Review of Irreversible (2002) by Ryan D — 17 Jun 2013

Gaspar Noe's Irreversible is the story about two men, Marcus (Vincent Cassel) and Pierre (Albert Dupontel) who looks all over Paris for the man who brutally raped Marcus' wife and Pierre's former girlfriend, Alex (Monica Bellucci). The special thing about this film is that it doesn't move chronological, but backwards, just like Christopher Nolan's Memento. It's starts with Marcus being carried away in an ambulance after been in a fight with the man who he thought was the rapist in a hardcore gay club. From then on we see all the events leading up to this event, even the rape itself, and Marcus' and Alex' troubled relationship and Pierre's feelings for Alex.

Irreversible is probably a film that one should stay away from if you are one of those who's fragile to violence to begin with, because this film is indeed very violent, with people being beaten to death while people around masturbates, and there's even a ten minute uncut rape scene. Should such violent ever been in this film. My answer is yes, because these are things that really happens, and it's not something you can turn away from.

But when it comes to the movie in general, it is truly a cinematic masterpiece, because of the use of constant shaky cam, to show us the characters' confusion and rage. And the movie also consists of only thirty long takes, and most of them is combined together through swish pans. The words "Time destroys everything" appears both in the beginning and in the end, as a metaphor for the inevitable. We know what's already happened and we are forced to sadly watch the pointless past that has no meaning and no matter what happens, all we see is why it happened, but there's no one to blame but the time itself.

Irreversible is one of those misanthropic films that makes you're faith in humanity even more fragile than it already is. And by showing us the history backwards it only becomes stronger. It literary breaks all the ten commandments. Some might find it unwatchable due to it's violence, but I advise people who can't stand violence to stay away. But if you have the guts to sit through it, you will see that this is a cinematic masterpiece. Thumbs up.