Review of Martyrs (2008) by Aidan H — 26 Aug 2010

Although Martyrs is definitely a game of two halves, director Laugier, however, got them arse-about-tit. To make a torture movie truly gripping, it's advisable to put the revenge part at the end so we can cheer on the victim as she/he dishes out the just desserts.

Here, the copious blood-letting comes soon after the credits while the second half, which should have been gripping, instead turns into a laborious and repetitive cycle of abuse that neither titillates, angers or informs.

Like other films that have tried to blend horror in an arthouse cinema stylee, it fails at both and offers little more than yet another weary excursion into Hostel territory. It has its moments but most of them come too soon and are over too quickly to make one sit through the glum remainder with any relish.

Stars for the opening sequences and some realistic gore/make-up FX.