Genres

Visitors Review

Michael O'Keefe 2013-05-20 03:54:46

"Come and see." Slow thriller.

Jonas Akerlun directs a quality actor, Dennis Quaid, in this tersecrime drama. Quaid plays Aidan Breslin, a widowed detective trying toraise two sons, but his job seems to interrupt any personal time. Thetroubled cop still grieving over his wife's untimely death ends upinvestigating a series of murders that seems to be based on chapter 6of Revelations in The New Testament; that prophecy concerns the FourHorsemen of the Apocalypse. There is strong hints there is a connectionbetween Breslin and the suspects; but the case gets real personalbefore getting solved.Strong sexual content and language; and some perverse images andsituations. Rounding out the cast: Lou Taylor Pucci, Clifton CollinsJr., Zhang Ziyi and Patrick Fugit.

JoeB131 2013-05-19 21:52:54

Unbelievable Thriller

This film was an insult to the intelligence of the viewers.The plot is that this police department has an investigator who is anexpert of Teeth. So he's called out on a case where a bunch of teethare left on a silver platter. Soon we are enmeshed in a movie where abunch of creepy kids are involved in a plot to bring about the"Apocolypse" by mangling the scripture.Okay, here's the plot twist. Ziyi Zhang (who is a 30 year old playing ateen...) gives herself up in the murder of her adoptive mother. Now,oddly, this police department apparently has a dental expert, butdoesn't have the computer experts or psychological experts to pick thisgirl's life apart, figure out who her associates are, including the sonof the lead detective.Now, I'm sorry, if you are a detective, you have to be pretty poor atyour job to not realize that your kid is seriously messed up. Yet hehasn't been in the kid's room in three years? Come on. No cop in theworld is that dense... You just don't understand police mentality.Policemen tend to be overly suspicious of everyone they encounter.That's the point.

2013-05-10 09:29:01

Dan Brown, watch out!

This movie has absolutely nothing to do with Brown. It is not even in the same genre as Brown's trash, but it is in the same category of garbage. It is in the run for worst film of the decade.The best that can be said about it is: there are some nice shots of winter landscapes. And a nice dog, very early.After Tom Hanks, now Dennis Quaid demonstrates how awfully he can act if he wants to.He is a forensic odontologist (did I get that right?), and this fact is almost entirely irrelevant for the story. He is an incredibly bad single father to his two sons, and it is very hard to believe that a father wouldn't have tried just a litte bit harder.Zhang Ziyi plays a child monster, and that is unfair on her, she has a hard enough time at home with all the envy that all other young Chinese women pour over her.The horsemen? Forget it. They are nothing. 'We are nothing' is their website. But beware of them! They got their inspiration less from Revelation than from A Man Called Horse, the film with Richard Harris. This hint just to show what kind of sadists might get a kick out of the blood and gore.(Now I have said so much about this nothingness that I wonder if it doesn't deserve 2 stars?)

2013-05-10 00:12:09

An insult to viewers' intelligence

The premise of the movie was intriguing, which is why I rented it in the first place. The idea of the four horsemen of the Apocalypse being brought back to "life" by some sadistic killers, held some appeal as I wanted to see how this premise was going to play out. The result was utterly disappointing, and what really annoyed me was the last 10-15 minutes of the movie which just seemed altogether preachy and predictable.The movie centers around a police detective who is also a specialist, a forensic odontologist [did i get that right?], Aidan Breslin, played by Dennis Quaid. He is a widower who is so overcome by grief over the loss of his wife, that he neglects his two sons, the older one Alex played by Lou Taylor Pucci. He gets embroiled in a series of murder investigations, accompanied by his partner Stingray [Clifton Collins Jr, in a totally insignificant role] which has the victims strung up in suspension devices [their limbs supported or rather suspended from said device with large fish hooks], and with the cryptic words "Come and See" written on the walls, on the trees etc. One such case, where a suburban mother is killed, has Breslin coming into contact with the victim's adopted Asian daughter, Kristen [Chinese import Zhang Ziyi of "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon"] who smiles in a sinister fashion at the initially clueless Breslin.As time goes by, Breslin figures out that the phrase "Come and See" is in the Book of Revelation, and references the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, i.e. Conquest, War, Famine, and Death. Intriguing premise right? Unfortunately, this interesting plot premise never gets fully explained. The plot takes strange twists and turns, sinking viewers into a quicksand of incoherency and abominable acting - especially by Zhang Ziyi, who never convinces for one moment that she is actually capable of the things she claims to have done, in fact her acting is atrocious, not only because of her poor command of the English language and the resulting inappropriate enunciations and facial expressions, but also her whole demeanor is just plain annoying. Dennis Quaid's performance is average, and I couldn't help but wonder why he took this role. The supporting cast is also quite ho-hum, and there was not one single stand out performance to salvage this mess of a movie. I'd rather watch reruns of the series "Milennium". A rental at best, or better yet, check it out of the library.

ChristopherJenzen 2013-05-01 09:59:41

Bad Parents Make For A Bad World....

Swedish director Jonas Åkerlund debuted some three-four years ago withthe movie Spun.It had a great cast(Mickey Rourke,John Leguizamo,PeterStormare,Brittany Murphy and more),good energy and editing,but it wasjust posturing.It was completely hollow and lacked any form of realhuman emotions. The second time around,Åkerlund seems to understandthat less is more and with the help of only one big star,the absence offlashy cinematography and a script that might be a bit predictable,butin the end is very unsettling and disturbing,he has created a horrorthriller that(though in the serial killer genre its pretty impossibleto avoid All cliché's.)chocks,chills and very much stands on its owntwo feet.The Horsemen is no masterpiece,though.Its just 90 minutesintense,brutal and honest entertaining.The story evolves around detective Aidan Breslin(For once Dennis Quaidis not on auto-pilot and delivers a solid performance.He also looks 12years younger than in Vantage Point.Can someone say PlasticSurgery...?),who ever since his wife's death has been consumed by hisjob and doesn't spend much quality time with his two sons,Alex andSean.(ALL mentioned happens in the first 25 minutes,really not spoilingso much.)One day he gets called to a crime scene where he sees thewords "Come And See" written in white paint on four trees and in themiddle there's a plate with human teeth.Teeth thats been pulled outwhile the victim was still alive and conscious.Soon enough,Breslin and his partner Stingray(Clifton Collins Jr. fromTraffic looking bored out of his mind.And what's with that seventiesporn mustache on his lip?You kidding me?)arrive to the scene of whatseems to been an unusual sadistic and organized ritual murder.Thevictim was a mother of two biological children and one adopted daughternamed Kristen(cute 30-year old Ziyi Zhang from "Crouching tiger..."wholooks 18 tops.And it's disturbing that a girl adopted by Americanparents talks like Kim Jong-Il from Team America.Herro,ArecBardwin...).During a walk with Breslin,Kristen reveals a horriblesecret that is presented in such a way,that it really gets the heartspumping,both the audiences and Breslins.Soon,by cheer coincidence,hefinds out that the brutal murder just was the first of many.Theunidentified suspects have studied the Bible a little too hard and seethemselves as The Four Horsemen Of The Apocalypse;War,Pestilence,Faminand Death.So it looks like it's one down and three to go.But whom?Andfrom the viewers point of view more intriguing;Why....? When we learnthat Kristens father(Peter Stormare,he's unfortunately just in twoscenes)have molested her for years,things get really interesting....In many ways The Horsemen is a standard(Bloodier,better and with adarker tone,yes,but still kinda)serial killer thriller.And please...don't ask yourself how a guy can put meat hooks in his arms and backand string himself up 20 feet high in the air...I don't know man,it's amovie! But its when the movie is over and you take a breather and youthink about what you just saw....That's when you realize this filmwasn't so much about the physical torment and pain we humans cause eachother(in this movie it's a lot!),as much as it tells us what can happenwhen we get mentally damaged.When we get abandoned.When we getmanipulated,get misunderstood,get lost.And no one cares or takes timeto see the desperate and obvious cry for help and attention.That's howi interpreted it,I could be wrong(that's a joke,I'm never wrong).In The end,The Horsemen isn't that complicated.It makes it's point veryclear and very effective,much thanks to Åkerlunds uncomplicated andunsettling storytelling.Collins Jr.'s acting however,for some reasonbrings The Bold And The Beautiful to mind.but the rest of the cast doesa really good job(Young"thumb-sucker"Lou Taylor Pucci is goingplaces...)so you almost(only almost)forget his dead,soulless eyes andblank expression. So yeah,I recommend this one strongly.That is if youlike...no, I'm not gonna compare it to 7even or anything.Like i said,itstands on it's own two feet just fine. I give it 7.7/10

ma-cortes 2013-04-30 15:20:45

Dark intrigue plenty of religious elements and grisly killings

This frightening and suspenseful thriller concerns about an unsettlingand bitter cop emotionally affected for the death of his devoted wifeby cancer , being trapped into a dark and tenebrous environment . It'sa stirring and moving story full of twists and turns ; however beingpretty claustrophobic . This exciting picture contains thrills, chills,plot twists, action-filled and lots of gore and guts . The moviecenters on a Detective named Aidan Breslin (Dennis Quaid) , an experton forensic Odontology , as his chief (Chelcie Ross) assigns him toinvestigate a weird chain of murders that bear a rare marks on treesand surrounding. The ominous killings have a rare phrases as ¨ We arenothing ¨ from Exodus 1,5 and ¨Come and see¨ , as he finds out itproceeds from Book of Revelation of the apostle Saint Joan . Meanwhile, Aidan holds a problematic relationship to his oldest son named Alex (Lou Taylor Pucci) . Investigating a series of murders of strangeviolence, he discovers a horrifying link between himself , his darksecrets and the suspects that seem to be based on the Biblicalprophecies dealing with the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse: War,Famine, Pestilence, and Death ; resulting to be the leader a horsemanriding a white horse. Breslin is helped by a tough inspector ( HenryCollins Jr) and a forensic expert ( Barry Shabaka).In the picture there are psychological issues , plot twists, emotion,mystery , spooky sets and a little bit of gore. The movie turns out tobe a crossover between the religious intrigue from ¨Crimson rivers :Angel of Apocalypse ¨ , the suspension tortures from ¨The cell¨,investigations means of ¨CSI¨, and ¨Seven¨ thriller. From the beginningof the film until the end the suspense and intrigue is unstopped . Thecreepy images of wide range from the genuinely eerie to the bizarrealong with scary and amazing frames . It's predictable but also itspredictability is redeemed for some extraordinary surprises and in partby the charismatic acting from the main protagonists . Acceptableperformance by Dennis Quaid as unlucky Inspector who distances from histwo sons and good support cast formed by Ziyi Zhang, Patrick Fugit ,Peter Stormare , Eric Balfour and Paul Dooley , among others .Thrilling musical score fitting to action and tension by Jan Kaczmarekwho formerly won an Academy Award for ¨Finding Neverland ¨. The flickis middlingly directed by Jonas Akerlund , a Videoclip-maker in hisfirst and only picture. The movie obtained a bit of success but failedat the box office. Rating : 5,5 . The motion picture will appeal toreligious thriller buffs and dark atmosphere enthusiasts.

2013-04-21 13:32:01

Too Twisted

This movie has two things going for it, in my opinion. First, it has Dennis Quaid. Who can help liking him? Second, it is only 90 minutes long, thankfully. More than likely you will be glad you didn't spend two hours or more on this disappointing movie. The premise of the movie, i.e. the four horsemen of the apocalypse being used as a motivation for murder, was intriguing, but ultimately it was frustrating and disappointing because the storyline was too incoherent. There was just too much of this movie that didn't make sense, and you're kind of left scratching your head. I agree with other reviewers about the graphic violence, too... it was very, very disturbing, with many scenes involving bodies suspended by large rigs using fish hooks. So this movie is not for the squeamish and certainly should not be seen by young children. Perhaps many or most modern viewers have become accustomed to seeing such graphic bloody images and it doesn't faze them. But if so, is that a good thing? It's very sad in my opinion. The best part of the movie was the storyline involving Dennis Quaid as the emotionally distant father and the way he and his kids deal with the loss of their wife/mother. But that part of the story was not explored enough, in my opinion. I recommend you pass on this movie.

cool_bryan 2013-04-21 05:37:10

Not as bad as people say it is

Before I wrote this review, i was looking briefly at what other peoplehad to say about this movie. A lot of people said it was just bad allaround, with horrible writing and such. Well, i disagree. I thought themovie was very well acted, and Dennis Quaid really carried the torch asthe main guy. Aidan(Quaid) is a private investigator assigned to a casein which it involves the four horsemen of the apocalypse, With adifferent person representing each horseman, each victim that is foundis tortured in a different way, usually by suspension. A thing that idid have against Horsemen was that it was just a little too tastelesson the gratuity. Did we really have to see a baby that was cut out of apregnant mother? It was very hard to watch, but watchable when thestory was so unpredictable and the acting so believable. No, this moviewas not scary, but it was well written and had me guessing the wholetime. Just make sure you haven't eaten much before you watch this.

thesar-2 2013-04-19 16:52:35

Come and See..uh, make that, Leave and Forget

Well, I don't want to give any real spoilers (heck, it practicallyspoils itself) but 'Horsemen' sadly is an unfinished movie, like anexciting auto chase in the middle of a film and without warning thegood guy swerves off an unseen cliff and the film's over.Speaking of spoilers, all the way through this, about four scenesbefore something happens, I kept thinking, "Oh, he's this" or "He'lldiscover this" or "The killer is…" Despite the fact I thought the moviewas well shot, the locales made the most of the depressing city itportrays and Quaid did an above-average job, as he almost always does,the movie was very flat, (again) predictable and too clichéd.We have a recently single parent who's putting his job (lawenforcement) in front of his two boys. We have a detective that visitsan "oh, I'm smarter than you" criminal in jail for clues to his case.We have torture porn. All of these are very familiar stomping grounds.Unfortunately, when it's revealed (well fully, all the clues are spewedfrom minute one) why the bad things are happening, it's so off-centerand contradictory (There are no four horsemen! There's thousands! Andwhen the four horsemen come…what?)I think there was a great movie here, if they had finished it. Perhapsanother 2-3 rewrites and it would have been more eerie. Basically themovie's about a detective bent on finding a killer or killers inso-called random murders, with clues left behind, before the nextperson dies! I can barely write that without laughing. Go watch (orre-watch) 'Seven.'Side note: I'm surprised I didn't get the phrase "Come and See" beforeQuaid's character did; I've heard it before listening to one of myfavorite songs more than a dozen times: Johnny Cash's 'The Man ComesAround.' I first heard that song during the opening credits of the muchbetter movie: 'Dawn of the Dead' (remake.) Yes, I know the originalreference, but I haven't read that verse as many times as I had heardthe song.

2013-04-18 20:57:22

hmmm...You'd better skip this one...

...unless you're really bored. I found the movie to be very clichéd, predictable (I knew who the killer was a good half hour before it was revealed in the film) and not all that interesting. Some may find it interesting so I won't reveal any details...but...there are much better films out there. Minor spoiler *******Sometimes someone knows when someone in a film is going to take more than a minor role merely by the fact that you have seen that actor in many other or some very prominent roles before and that is the case is with Ziyi Zhang's character. Although Ziyi Zhang is a fine actress, her role may have been better played by someone else (maybe) in part because even though her character was adopted at the age of eight she still has a heavy accent but more than that I guess the role she could have played (or should I say the script could have been much better)****There are other reasons I could mention for why you may want to skip this film but they have all been mentioned by other reviewers. Caveat emptor

FlashCallahan 2013-04-06 23:16:30

Come and See........

Aidan Breslin is a bitter detective emotionally distanced from his twoyoung sons following the untimely death of his devoted wife. While investigating a series of murders of rare violence, he discoversa terrifying link between himself and the suspects in a chain ofmurders that seem to be based on the Biblical prophecies concerning theFour Horsemen of the Apocalypse: War, Famine, Pestilence, and Death....Michael Bays first production of a film that isn't a remake isn't theworst film out there, but it's trying way too hard to be like 'Se7en'and ends up more like 'The Glimmer Man' and is less enjoyable thaneither one of them.Quaid as ever is okay, but looks like he is constipated throughout thefilm, and has to go through the old cliché of not being able to doanything with his kids because his phone keeps going off.It's quite unsettling in places, but twenty minutes into the film, youcan tell who the killer is, thus destroying any suspense the film couldhave had.It's nice to look at in places, even though they have obviously croppedthe top of the frame in several scenes due to boom mike visibility.Quaid makes the film watchable, but it's forgettable stuff.

fede_ng 2013-04-06 12:32:40

Great movie!! The makers cared about it... It even has a theme!!

This movie was great. The plot is interesting and original, and it hasa message. But most importantly, everything has a purpose. The mood isright. There is gore, but just enough to convey the perversion of thekiller. The dialogs are not brilliant, neither the detectives, but thatmakes everything seem more realistic. In addition, the photography isreally good; there are a few very good, artsy shots. I feel all thecriticism this movie received actually was for not being an exact copyof some other film. If you want senseless gore, go see Saw XIX. If youwant a serial killer story, wait for the next episode of CriminalMinds. But if you’d like to see an engaging, well made film, Horsemenis more than fine.

2013-03-29 23:27:51

Zi, Quaid and the Swedes

I mildly watchable, mildly grotesque whodunnit so full of clichés that vital twists are predictable. I watched it intently, however, for 3 reasons: Zhang Ziyi (in an English language role), Dennis Quaid and the visuals by two Swedes, Jonas Åkerlund (director) and Eric Broms (DP). If it weren't for them, this film would have gotten 2 stars from me. Dennis has gotten beefier and more eccentric -- and also more effortlessly magnetic. He was in every scene as the relentless detective with family issues -- and, as an actor, he never flagged. So it was quite an accomplishment for Zhang Ziyi, in a much smaller role, to share a few scenes with him and still be memorable. The rewriting to accommodate her casting was sloppy (primarily, she's too old for the role as written). But that was the fault of the writers. She did wonders with what was given her. And she's sexier in this role than in any other role I've seen her in -- and she spends most of her time heavily covered up. Ultimately, a disappointing story -- but much of the journey kept promising something better. And, unlike most Hollywood films today, this was a visually pleasing movie (except for the gore, that is).

2013-03-29 21:02:31

Most of the one stars probably never saw the film

This review is from: Horsemen (DVD) Some people simply love to pile on and add negative reviews, when in many cases they have not even seen the film. The film is a three or three and half star movie, but I'm giving it a five, to help off-set the single stars from those who never watched the film.

PrairieCal 2013-03-25 19:56:48

Why do they make crap like this?

Why do they make crap like this? And why do credible actors like DennisQuaid lower themselves to appear in such garbage? Someone needs toinform the cocaine befuddled writers in Hollywood that grizzly,disgusting blood and gore do not make suspense. The only suspensefulthing about this movie was wondering how much longer it could go on,how much more hideous torture we would be subjected to, and when thetotally predictable ending would finally arrive. Suspense movies thesedays seem to get progressively worse. This film had no one to identifywith and no one to care about. My first reaction was to shut it offhalf way through. I wish I had.

2013-03-25 13:04:07

Not good, incomplete

Detective Breslin (Quaid) is after someone who is killing people andhanging them on a contraption with hooks boring into the skin. Ouch!Double Ouch! Ouch! Ouch! Ouch!I like horses. I thought this was going to be a horse movie. Fooledagain. No, it has to do with murders and Bible prophecy. OK, but DennisQuaid is in it so it can't be too bad. Fooled again.There is a mixture of Quaid's character Detective Breslin agonizingover not being there for his two boys after his wife's death and thebizarre murders cropping up all over the place. The mixture needed morestirring. The murders are gory, bloody, perverse and it's hard to watchthe crime scenes where the victims are hung up on some contraption withhooks boring into the skin. Makes your skin crawl when you see it. But,they do a very good job of showing this. Are they to be congratulatedfor this? I think not. I like Dennis Quaid. I thought this was going to be a good Dennis Quaidmovie. Fooled again. Something went very wrong. The story for the mostpart. The clues are loosely presented to represent The Four Horsemen ofthe Apocalypse and what will happen to mankind when the veil is lifted.Give me a break. The ending is not surprising because the people in charge forgot tointroduce other characters who may be the suspects so thatleaves………….well, I'll let you figure it out. You won't like it. Youwon't believe it. You will want your money back. Also the ending isincomplete as one cannot put oneself onto a contraption with hooks inthe skin. So who put this person on the contraption? The killer oraccomplice wasn't caught.I like horses. Next time I see a movie title with "horse" somewhere inthe title, I will read the box to make sure I will be watching horsesand will try not to be fooled again. Violence: Yes. Sex: No. Nudity: No. Language: Yes, some, not much

2013-03-25 03:41:32

The potential is there, but ultimately it's mediocre.

The premise of this movie is intriguing, a string of serial murders carried out by 4 enigmatic people leaving a trail that indicates they are the Horsemen referred to in the book of Revelations. The cast is fairly strong and acting is well done. I went into the film expecting a poorly shot low budget affair with a hack-job story and found a film that could have been very good if it hadn't gotten in its own way.The issues occur in the story. A few times during the film it feels like things are missing. Like vital plot points were left out. However, the nail in the film's coffin is its predictability. Key antagonists are seen a mile away. Clues in the dialogue that allude to the persons of interest would be picked up by even the most amateur of film viewer. Ultimately, a film that could have been a 4 or 5 star affair is lost on less than clever "plot twists" and gaps in the narrative.This is not a bad movie by any means. This is a solid 3 star film. Worth watching once, but not necessarily a must see.

dimitrisalomao 2013-03-24 17:33:45

Awful.

Although the movie starts well, its plot twists and awful acting makethis movie bad, painfully bad.In it's first scenes I thought the movie was promising, and it kept megoing for like 20 minutes, without complaining, but when the plotbegins to twist, I began to think that it was not worth watching, andthen that it's one of the worst movies of the year. But When Ziyi Zhangstarted playing villain, the last drop of hope felt, Zhang'sperformance is probably the worst performance i've ever seeing, herefforts to sound sexy are in vain, no movie lover will find one of theworst performances ever, sexy. Quaid never impressed me so much, andthis one is not an exception, he commits an unacceptable mistake ofacting, he doesn't seem real sometimes, the least I want from an actoris for his performance to sound and look real.Like I said, the beginning was promising, but the plot twists are sounbelievable and dumb, that when the final twist came, I could notbelieve that I wasted two hours of my life watching the worst serialkiller movie I had ever seeing, when I could be watching "The SilenceOf The Lambs" again.Verdict: This is not the movie that's worth watching because it's toobad, it hurts and insult your intelligence, and by don't watching it,you will save yourself for having Zhang's performance in your mind.

2013-03-19 16:34:49

It was okay,but...

the surprise ending turned on something that didn't make sense, because of the younger of the detective's sons. I won't say what it was, but made the ending not very believable. Also not believable was Zhang Ziyi's role. But it was a pretty good acting job by Dennis Quaid, and altogether not that bad, just could have been a lot better.I should add, there is one moment that is absolutely chilling and had me on the edge of my seat, and that doesn't happen too often. This might work better if called a horror flick instead of a cop movie, which was I think what the cover copy said. Different expectations. As a horror film, it's not bad.

tenorsax-3 2013-03-19 07:45:45

A couple of bricks short of a load

I'm glad I didn't pay theater prices to see this flick. It has aninteresting premise, a moderate amount of shock and blood, but fails towrap up with a really good explanation of what/who/why was themotivation behind the killings. As a police detective, Quaid comes offstrong and believable, but his role as a father is confusing, seeminglyopting to drop twenty dollar bills on the counter in place ofadequately caring for two children. The loss of a wife was notoverplayed, but lacked enough details to understand his remorse for herloss. I was also confused by non-identifiable skylines and the presenceof the Canadian flag, and wasn't sure where this detective was reallyemployed. Oh, well, they all can't be winners. Better luck next time,Dennis.