Product Description

When Alex is brutally raped, her friend and her friend's husband take revenge.
Genre: Foreign Film - Other
Rating: UN
Release Date: 5-AUG-2003
Media Type: DVD

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #1898 in DVD
• Brand: BELLUCCI,MONICA
• Released on: 2003-08-05
• Rating: Unrated
• Aspect ratio: 2.35:1
• Formats: Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, DVD-Video, Subtitled, Widescreen, NTSC
• Original language: English, French, Italian, Spanish
• Subtitled in: English, Spanish
• Number of discs: 1
• Dimensions: .15 pounds
• Running time: 97 minutes

Amazon.com
Irreversible begins with the closing credits running backwards before the film begins (or ends) with Marcus (Vincent Cassell) and Pierre (Albert Dupontel) being escorted out of a gay S&M club by the cops, Marcus with his arm broken and Pierre in handcuffs. The "story" proceeds to unwind in a series of single-take scenes that unfold Memento-style, with each scene giving more context to what we have seen previously. Each scenario depicts actions, dialogue, incident, behavior, and circumstances that the lead characters might have wished didn't happen, ranging from extreme violence through awkward social situations to mild embarrassment. The central character (and possible dreamer of this whole what-if story) emerges as Alex (Monica Bellucci), who suffers the worst in a very hard-to-watch rape sequence in an underpass. Semi-improvised, the scenes all have attack and power as themes, with later/earlier conversational sequences that suggest life isn't all sexual assaults in the dark, showing equal cinematic imagination with the horrors. Arguably, this is not a film most would subject themselves to twice, but it is something that stays in the mind for days after viewing, sparking far more ideas and emotions than most wallow-in-nastiness pictures. --Kim Newman

From The New Yorker
A thoroughly nasty piece of work, though not an empty or a foolish one: the director, Gaspar Noé, gives every sign of careful cleverness. His film tells of a young couple (Monica Bellucci and Vincent Cassel) who make love, go to a Paris party, and leave separately. She is raped and beaten; he pursues the assailant and takes what he believes to be revenge. The whole story runs backward, beginning with death and violation and rewinding to a nice afternoon, a bright white screen, and the joyful strains of Beethoven. The irony is pure acid: any pleasure that we meet later in the film is spoiled and scarred by the events of the first half, which are not so much irreversible as unwatchable. The trouble is that the picture has fallen victim to its own reputation; from here on, despite the seriousness of Noé's intentions, he will be known as the Man Who Showed Too Much. In French. -Anthony Lane
Copyright © 2006 The New Yorker

Customer Reviews

One Seemingly Innocent Wrong Move And It All Spirals Out Of Control !
"Irreversible" is a perfect exercise in dangerously original filmmaking.
The film is a thriller like no other and is disturbingly hard to watch, both physically and mentally. The camera is constantly twisting, turning and jumping as to compliment/run parallel with the emotional and truly disturbing content in the film. Evryone involved did a great job, you couldn't ask for a better preformance by the actors. Monica Bellucci is an amazing actress, it also does not hurt that she happends to be one of the most beautiful creatures on the planet. Vincent Cassel is simply one of the most underrated actors in showbiz. "Irreversible" is yet another french masterpiece that belongs in every Horror/thriller fans collection.

Oppressive and disturbing
This film reminded me of Man Bites Dog, another film that made me feel sick. But this is possibly worse than MBD. Irreversible is gimmicky pretentious camera work and oppressive soundtrack which makes you want to throw up, and an unnecessarily long rape scene which is only one of the scenes of sordid and sickening violence. There is something peculiarly poignant about how it ends, but it is not enough to redeem the film. Monica Belluci is amazing, especially in the play of emotions over her pregnancy test. But again, not enough to redeem a film that is essentially designed to shock and disturb. Life can be pretty grim as it is without even grimmer fiction thrown in for good measure. It may be worth seeing this once for academic interest, but only just. If you want to be kind to yourself, don't (it is not going to enrich your life).

Horrific and Shocking
I'm not sure that this movie qualifies as a "good" movie. It's so gruesome that watching it will probably make you physically ill. Even by today's standards this is probably the most disturbing movie ever made. For those that can sit through it, it is a good exploration of what chance plays in our life and the horrible inhumanity man is capable of.