Horsemen

2009 "Four victims. Four painful secrets."
5.5| 1h30m| R| en| More Info
Released: 06 February 2009 Released
Producted By: Radar Pictures
Country: United States of America
Budget: 0
Revenue: 0
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Synopsis

A recently widowed detective still grieving over his wife's death discovers a shocking connection between himself and the suspects in a serial killing spree linked to the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse.

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David Arnold I first saw this movie not long after it came out in 2008 and having not seen it again since I thought I'd give it another go seeing as I couldn't really remember any of it. Having now watched it again, there's a good reason WHY I hardly remembered it from the first time and why I won't be watching it again.This is a pretty slow going film for the most part which isn't a bad thing if the story keeps your attention and entertains you. Unfortunately, The Horsemen struggles to do either and even though it starts off well enough it doesn't take long to fall away, and any grip it may have had on you from the first 20 minutes or so, just loosens up and lets go. Some of the more "artsy" shots tend to get a bit annoying as well...extreme close-ups of faces, lighting of cigarettes, etc. I know this is supposed to help with mood but it kind of fails in this film.Also, when you finally see who the Four Horsemen are and their motives for doing what they do (although this isn't spelled out for you...you have to piece it together yourself), you feel disappointed because you were hoping that it would be so much more than what it was.Another issue for me was that Ziyi Zhang was completely miscast as Kristin...not because she done a bad job but because she was just the wrong person for this role. Zhang was 29/30 during the making of this film - her character was a minimum of 12 years her youth. I know actors can tend to play younger parts but 12 years younger?! The rest of the cast were decent enough but there weren't really any stand-out performances.After all of that you probably wonder why I never rated it lower than what I did. Well, there were still some decent parts scattered throughout, it was a very dark & moody thriller (which I like), and the twist at the end wasn't too bad (at least on paper anyway as the execution of it wasn't the best).Overall, The Horsemen isn't a horrible film, but there is more things wrong with it than there are right ones.
Gabriel Teixeira A cheap rip-off of 'Se7en', 'Horsemen' (because '4our' would be too obvious) is about a widowed detective (Dennis Quaid) dealing with a serial killing that apparently has to do with the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse.It is all in there. The macabre killings in order to make a point, the religious modus operandi, even the 'society is evil, we live in a world of crap' underlying message, are just some of the 'similarities'. The revelation of the killer is different, true, but it is such an obvious and idiotic plot twist that it would be better just to copy 'Se7en' again. However, unlike its 'source of inspiration', 'Horsemen' is devoid of thrills and boring to no end. Its message is also terrible and poorly thought, like everything in the film. Full of plot holes too: The killings are done through suspension rigs which nobody saw coming and going between the murder scenes? And the 'explanation' the vendor gives for not caring who it was sold to!? How did Quaid not notice the white room for so long? And how the **** can the killer's plot change anything at all!?One scene scene stood out to me. About a medical savant, apparently very intelligent 'but' gay boy killing himself in front of his non-supportive, prejudiced brother (after TORTURING him) to prove some kind of point. That was such an stupid thing, it was maybe the very lowest the movie got.The cast is as terrible as everything else. Dennis Quaid is unbelievable as the grieving detective, and the way he acts (if you call that acting) when with his sons or anyone else is absurd. Ziyi Zhang, a 30 year old who plays an 18 year old girl, is not only unbelievable as a teenage girl (and that was before I found out her real age) but also as a psychopath who tries to come off as a mix between John Doe and Hannibal Lecter; she is laughable. Quaid's son is as bad, and only Clifton Collins Jr. manages to do a decent job but his character is so irrelevant it makes no difference at all.I was not too surprised when I saw Michael Bay's name as a producer. Anything he touches tend turn into crap; he is almost magical in that sense.
lost-in-limbo Written on the front of the DVD cover "From producer Michael Bay", which we know he has his fans and not so, but every once and awhile he does produce something of interest. Recently widowed detective Aiden Breslin finds himself dealing in an investigation of horrific serial killings derived from the Biblical prophecy of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse: War, Famine, Pestilence and Death. "Horseman of the Apocalypse" is a fascinating, if at the same time frustratingly detached experience. So much promise unfolds from this "Seven" crossed "Saw" inspired biblically laced serial killer outing, which certainly unsettles and thrills even through its generic layout but then it really fumbles the concept to loosely throw around plot threads with little conviction and sense to only end on somewhat a cop- out. The ending really does kill it. What starts off tight, only becomes choppy and clumsy with its script that moments feel like it's ripped right out of a "CSI" episode and when things begin to unravel the intrigue slowly evaporates into groaning. Even though the familiarity of our central character's plight (struggling widowed police detective) is weary, it is important to the story's progression, but no doubting quite foreseeable in where it is heading. The twist isn't much of one, it's just making sense of how it all came to be and that's where the cracks appear. The performances are fairly one-note, but tolerable as this can be because of the dark and gloomy nature of the investigation and troubled home life where hurt features prominently. Dennis Quaid sombrely battered turn fits and Ziyi Zhang brings a creepy mask to her part. Those sequences between these two characters are probably the most compelling and effective, mainly because of Zhang. Although you could say they do remind you of Hannibal Lector's exchanges with the authorities. Lou Taylor Pucci is probably the pick of the lot with a creditable performance. Also showing up in support is Paul Dooley, Patrick Fugit, Peter Stormare and Clifton Collins Jr as Quaid's detective partner. Jonas Akerlund's direction is fashionably slick, but the production feels like nothing more than an empty and unfulfilled shell.
TheLittleSongbird I loved the idea of Horsemen of the Apocalypse, and I thought the film looked decent with atmospheric lighting and camera angles. However, despite the great premise Horsemen of the Apocalypse never lives up to it.The acting is unfortunately not very good, Dennis Quaid I do like and I thought he was ideal for the role, but he doesn't have much to work with and sadly with a disconnected performance he lets that fact show. It doesn't help with the characterisation either though, it is woefully underdeveloped quite often.I wish there wasn't more but there is. The story had a great idea no doubt, however it is in structure disjointed and the sluggish pace and derivative direction further hamper it. What really sinks the film down is the script, which is really inane and cliché-ridden to the point it is barely bearable to listen to.All in all, there was a good movie somewhere but this was a perfect example of a film that never lived up to the promise it had. 3/10 Bethany Cox