Distributor : Accent Films (Australia)Author: John Mathews Irreversible is probably one of the most powerful and disturbing films of the 2000's, upon its release critics were divided, you either loved it for its art or hated it for its graphic violence. The who concept of the film is that it goes backwards, literally the film starts with the credits. It succeeds so well in doing this, as the film makes more sense as it progresses, drawing you in. The film opens with a character from the directors last film, I stand alone. He sits on a bed in a room telling a man he slept with his daughter. Noe's camera work is so intense at the start, some viewers may not be able to bear it. It is constantly swerving around the room, to the point where we feel as if we are flying and we are the fly on the wall witnessing these situations. It takes us to a gay club where two men are being taken out of it and arrested, the film then takes us back to showing the two men yelling in the club. They are after a man, one of them out of control; we the viewers question why he is so angry. One of the men find who they are after and there is a graphic death scene with a fire hydrant. The film very smoothly goes backwards, most times through the use of shots. We then discover these two men are Marcus and Pierre, and they literally hijack a taxi to find this gay bar. As it continues back we discover these two men are out for revenge for the rape of their girlfriend. That is essentially the plot in a nutshell but it feels far more complex. There is a tender relationship that is told between Muscus and Alex, the film gets more lighter toned as it goes back. I guess suggesting that something in time cannot be kept perfect. As it progresses Noe's camera work get less intense to the point where it becomes a standard film. The rape scene is 10 minutes long and is something shocking but essential to understanding Murcus actions. It takes place in a hall with the raper explaining his actions to her, and the camera never looks away. The dialogue in the film is fluent, with conversation going on (much like the rape scene) in long takes; one of the more impressive scenes was when the three protagonists are getting on a train to a party, with the camera on them throughout the entire trip. Overall irreversible is a very challenging film, I personally perceived it as a great film, while others may not; purely due to the violence, which is disappointing as it should be seen as a whole. Video: 3.5/5 This is the first time this film has been brought to us on Blu-Ray, Accent brings it to us in 1080p in its original aspect ratio of 2:35.1. The film was shot on 16mm and there is far more detail than the DVD. It has a natural amount of grain over the image, the trailing issues from past DVD's have been fixed. The black levels are rich and there is a great deal of contrast. There is digital noise in certain scenes, but that was the directors intention. Colours are rich, with yellows and reds stronger than before. Overall a great upgrade, it's as good as 16mm is going to look. Audio: 4/5 In Dolby 5.1 it sounds fantastic, dialogue comes clear. The intense soundtrack really does blast when turned all the way up. Sound effects also come over very clearly, through the surround mix. Extras: 3.5/5 We get an array extras to accommodate: SFX Featurette, (goes into the CGI used in the films production) deleted scene, original French theatrical trailer, teasers, stress and outrage. ( an interesting look at the controversy behind the film) These extras are very informative in behinds the scenes, the reception it received and also the amount of trailers on the market for it. A interesting selection for fans wanting to know much more.
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