Review of Irreversible (2002) by Renzo V — 22 Mar 2014

"THE RAPE OF A WOMAN BECOMES HER BOYFRIEND'S QUEST FOR REVENGE".

- 'Irréversible' is a French mystery thriller written and directed by Gaspard Noé (Enter the Void). It's a revenge story told backwards (often compared to 'Memento'). The film is very controversial due to the extreme violence, rape and nudity in a city full of prostitution, gay bars, drugs, alcohol and sex. The way 'Irréversible' was filmed reflects the emotions of its characters; at the beginning the camerawork is unsteady and looks really sloppy, but with every scene that follows we get better angles and sometimes the camera doesn't move at all as scenes were filmed in one long take. This movie is raw and shocking; that is what makes it so good and memorable. Starring Vincent Cassel (Le Pacte des Loups, Black Swan), the stunning Monica Bellucci (The Matrix Reloaded, Le Pacte des Loups) and Albert Dupontel (Neuf Mois Ferme) and with the soundtrack provided by Thomas Bangalter from Daft Punk.

Two men are in a room talking about sex, when they hears sirens in the streets outside. Looking through the window, we see how a man, Marcus (Cassel), is carried out gay nightclub 'The Rectum' on a stretcher and another man, Pierre (Dupontel) is handcuffed and taken by the police. A gathered group of people are shouting homophobic insults at them. What happened?

Moments before, a furious Marcus had entered 'The Rectum' is search of a man named 'le Tenia'. His friend Pierre is trying to convince him not to continue and to leave. After looking in all the dark rooms where men are having oral, anal and bondage sex, Marcus gets into a fight with a man he thinks is 'le Tenia'. But Marcus gets his arm broken and is knocked to the floor. As the man he attacked wants to rape him, Pierre grabs a fire extinguisher and bashes in the guy's skull. Why were they looking for 'le Tenia'?

After being questioned by the police, Pierre and Marcus are approached by two street thugs who have found a purse at the scene of the crime. Inside they find a business card with the name Guillermo Nunez. The thugs help the two men to track down Concha, a prostitute who knows Guillermo. When they question her, Marcus loses control and threatens to slash her with a piece of glass. Concha reveals that she is a transgender and that she is Guillermo. She (or he?) also says that the person they need to find is 'le Tenia' and he can be found in 'The Rectum'. What did 'le Tenia' do?

After a discussion with her boyfriend Marcus, sexy Alex (Bellucci) leaves the party they were attending. When walking in a pedestrian underpass, she witnesses how a man is beating up Concha. When the guy notices Alex, Concha makes a run for it, forgetting her purse. Now that his prostitute has fled, the man turns his attention to Alex. He brutally pins her to the floor and anally rapes her. After that he kicks and punches her, and finally slams her face to the concrete floor...