if this came out in like 2006 it would’ve been quite the banger. a pretty archetypal piece of extreme cinema that borrows from american style torture porn that came 10 years before its time. an undeniably fun romp of senseless violence that tries to maintain pretty worthless philosophical undertones, but never gets genuinely annoying in doing so like Martyrs does. 

3 stars because it’s really nothing new. especially for 2014.

i think every horror filmmaker needs to study Salo or the 120 Days of Sodom like their lives depend on it. audiences would be hopeless if someone could learn from Pasolini’s style and make it their own unique brand of contemporary horror

if this came out in like 2006 it would’ve been quite the banger. a pretty archetypal piece of extreme cinema that borrows from american style torture porn that came 10 years before its time. an undeniably fun romp of senseless violence that tries to maintain pretty worthless philosophical undertones, but never gets genuinely annoying in doing so like Martyrs does. 

3 stars because it’s really nothing new. especially for 2014.

i think every horror filmmaker needs to study Salo or the 120 Days of Sodom like their lives depend on it. audiences would be hopeless if someone could learn from Pasolini’s style and make it their own unique brand of contemporary horror

2 men connected through violence. Nomura is a well off Japanese business man who kidnaps, tortures and kills woman, filming the act and uploading the footage on-line. Bayu is an Indonesian journalist who films his vigilante murder spree and uploads for Nomura to see. And so begins a game of cat and mouse with the two killers, inextricably destined to collide.

The film has a long runtime of 2hrs 17mins so you will be in for a long ride. We are instantly introduced to Nomura's dark passions straight away and you better have a strong stomache. We are shown the good side of Bayu, whom has a wife and daughter, before the carnage with which he feels forced to commit.

The character arcs are fairly slowly paced for the majority of the film and this is intentionally done to create a build up of tension. Slowly the film delves into the background of Nomura and to the life that led him to become what he is.

Kazuki Kitamura is fabulous and plays his character with a chilling calm composure and you feel that he could easily be someone you would meet in every day life. Oka Antara puts in a good performance as the average man slowly being consumed by his rage.

The make up department and the visual effects team have done an incredible job. The slow pace of the film got to me at times and I think it could easily lose the 17 mins to reduce it to a 2hr runtime. Nomura's backstory is forgotten and it leaves a few unanswered questions.

A spanner is thrown into the works with about 20 minutes to go but the finale we have been waiting for never really emerges and it sort of fizzles and ends.

I had hoped for something spectacular given its premise and my love for Eastern cinema.

2 men connected through violence. Nomura is a well off Japanese business man who kidnaps, tortures and kills woman, filming the act and uploading the footage on-line. Bayu is an Indonesian journalist who films his vigilante murder spree and uploads for Nomura to see. And so begins a game of cat and mouse with the two killers, inextricably destined to collide.

The film has a long runtime of 2hrs 17mins so you will be in for a long ride. We are instantly introduced to Nomura's dark passions straight away and you better have a strong stomache. We are shown the good side of Bayu, whom has a wife and daughter, before the carnage with which he feels forced to commit.

The character arcs are fairly slowly paced for the majority of the film and this is intentionally done to create a build up of tension. Slowly the film delves into the background of Nomura and to the life that led him to become what he is.

Kazuki Kitamura is fabulous and plays his character with a chilling calm composure and you feel that he could easily be someone you would meet in every day life. Oka Antara puts in a good performance as the average man slowly being consumed by his rage.

The make up department and the visual effects team have done an incredible job. The slow pace of the film got to me at times and I think it could easily lose the 17 mins to reduce it to a 2hr runtime. Nomura's backstory is forgotten and it leaves a few unanswered questions.

A spanner is thrown into the works with about 20 minutes to go but the finale we have been waiting for never really emerges and it sort of fizzles and ends.

I had hoped for something spectacular given its premise and my love for Eastern cinema.

This was honestly such a cool film to watch, purely because of the Japanese-Indonesian clash. Great plot, can definitely be rewatched every few years!

This was honestly such a cool film to watch, purely because of the Japanese-Indonesian clash. Great plot, can definitely be rewatched every few years!