Martyrs (2008)

Tuesday, 12 May 2009 00:00

Reviewed by Carol Sullivan

Genre: Horror, Thriller, Crime
ON DVD: April 28, 2009
Rating: Unrated

Director: Pascal Laugier
Starring: Mylène Jampanoï, Morjana Alaoui, Mike Chute
Studio: Wild Bunch

I came across Martyrs while sniffing around Blockbuster yesterday and scooped it up immediately. I now I have to admit that for hours after watching it I, literally, had no words. The film had affected me so much that I needed to walk away and wait a while before trying to write a review for it....

The movie begins as a battered and bloody young girl named Lucie has escaped her captors after years of torture and abuse. Severely traumatized, Lucie is sent to an orphanage, where she tries to adjust. Though she is unable to give the police the information they need to catch the monsters that did this to her, Lucie is still terrified and convinced that someone is after her.

Fifteen years later, and armed with little information, Lucie (Mylene Jampanoi) and her only friend from the orphanage, Anna (Morjana Alaoui) head out on a quest to find the people that had hurt Lucie.

Now, hang on folks, because this is when this film violently grabs you by the throat and does not ever, ever let up.

Lucie bursts into a family home and point-blank shoots the terrified parents and their teenagers with a huge shot-gun. The results are special effects that appeared so real and shocking that my breath caught in my throat.

Covered in blood, Lucie calls Anna on a pay phone and tells her "I found them, I found them and they're dead."

While she waits for Anna to come and help her clean up the blood and bury the bodies, Lucie is attacked by something in the house. Naked and groaning, this monstrous form slashes at Lucie's skin as she races through the blood-soaked house, trying to escape it.

Who or what is this creature? (I won't give that away, folks!)

Has Lucie really gotten her revenge on her torturous abusers, or are there more terrible truths to be learned?

Martyrs is one of those movies that, once you've watched it, you wish you could have five minutes with the writer to find out what on earth makes him tick. The insight that Writer/Director, Pascal Laugier, has into the human condition is amazing as well as unsettling.

I realize that I am making this movie sound terrible, but it is far from it. This French shocker is so well done, it is impossible to look away for a second; though part of you wants to. Martyrs is a fast-paced and brutal thrill-ride that takes horror to a whole new level; as extreme and unrelenting as it is fascinating and visually stunning.

While certainly not recommended for the overly-sensitive viewer, Martyrs is a must-see for the hard-core horror-aficionado. It is an unforgettable movie.

Highly recommended as a rental and/or purchase.

Overall Rating : 4 1/2

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