IRREVERSIBLE (TARTAN UK R0 COLLECTORS EDITION)

It seems to be a rare thing these days for a film to actually live up to its reputation, be that as a powerful, confrontational or “extreme” piece of work, or simply as a well made piece of cinema full stop. I’m personally not into the hyping of films, but in my opinion Gaspar Noé’s Irreversible is one of the standout films of the last 20 years or more.

Seeing the film at my local art house theatre was an experience within itself, watching a shocked procession of art crowd “lovies” steadily leave the cinema as the film progressed (some within the first 10 minutes) was interesting within itself, and pretty much the same reaction I had witnessed upon seeing Noé’s earlier confrontational movie Seul Contre Tous (aka I Stand Alone). But the stunned atmosphere and the leaving in silence of those who stuck out the full ride was a good indication that Noé had really hit the spot this time and created a potential modern classic.

Irreversible is a sequence of events set during the course of one seemingly straightforward day. Alex (the stunning Monica Bellucci), her boyfriend Marcus (Vincent Cassel) are cavorting together like any normal couple, while getting ready to meet their friend Pierre (Albert Dupont) and spend an evening out together at a party. What would be a typical weekend night’s frivolity quickly erupts into extreme violence and a life changing experience. After arguing with a drunken Marcus, Alex leaves the party to make her way home alone, but is attacked and brutally raped in an underpass, leading to Marcus and Pierre to exact out revenge to its ultimate end.

Unfolding in reverse chronological order, the film begins with the two men hunting down the rapist to a local gay club, where upon finding him a fight ensues and the “rapist” is brutally slain, receiving repeated blows to head with a fire extinguisher until his face is left an unrecognisable, bloody pulp. The proceeding half an hour is some of the most taut cinema ever committed to the screen, including Bellucci’s prolonged and intense rape scene which has been the source of much controversy. However, Noé’s depiction of violence and sexual assault truly underline the glamorisation and trivialisation of such subject matter when mishandled by modern Hollywood directors, leaving the viewer asking what is the purpose of such violent material and it’s place within cinema.

It also seems that some viewers misunderstand the ending of the film (which I won’t give away as it will spoil it for those who’ve yet to see the film), possibly thinking that it takes on an upbeat tone. Given what the forthcoming sequence of events lead to, the implications unveiled at the end of the film (beginning of the day) actually drop a further, if somewhat more subtle bombshell upon the viewer, showing that sometimes in life just when everything seems perfect, it’s possible that “time destroys everything.”

As expected the acting is of course top notch, this being one of Vincent Cassel’s best performances since La Haine. Cassel and Bellucci having already worked on several other films together (Brotherhood of the Wolf, Dobermann, L’Appartment, Pleasure [And Its Little Inconveniences], Come mi Vuoi, Compromis and Méditerranées) by this point just work together perfectly. The pair can also been seen in Tartan’s forthcoming release of Satan (aka Sheitan).

It probably goes without saying that Irreversible is not a film for everybody, it is explicit and some may feel it walks a line between Arthouse and Exploitation cinema. I would personally however disagree with this totally, finding that the film by far transcends those elements and can’t be looked at as straightforward “entertainment”. The fact that in the UK, our beloved moral guardians, the BBFC, actually passed the film completely uncut goes some way to acknowledging what an important piece of cinema Irreversible actually is.

For those looking for a straight-up rape / revenge exploitation film akin to Death Wish, I Spit on Your Grave or Ms.45 you’re not really going to find the same type of exploitation movie here, but an overall better made movie well worth seeing. For a mature and intelligent audience looking for a true masterpiece of modern film, Irreversible could be one of the most rewarding pieces of cinema you’ll ever encounter and can’t be recommended highly enough.

Tartan’s new Collectors Edition of Irreversible is quite simply a must have. The disc features a perfect anomorphic widescreen picture and DTS soundtrack, with removable English subtitles. The disc is also region 0, so as long as you have PAL playback the disc can be viewed anywhere.

Special features include:

• Audio Commentaries with Noe, Cassell, and Bellucci

• Intoxication: Short Film by Gaspar Noe

• Le Rectum: Special Effects Featurette

• Stress and Outrage: Noé’s Promos to music by Daft Punk’s Thomas Bangalter

• Original Teaser Trailers

• Original Theatrical Trailer

Globally this is the best English friendly release of Irreversible available for overall quality and extra features. Available to buy here.

8/10

Review by All the Colours of the Dark.