Opening 27 Aug 2009
Directed by:
Jonas Åkerlund
Writing credits:
Dave Callaham
Principal actors:
Dennis Quaid, Ziyi Zhang, Lou Taylor Pucci, Clifton Collins Jr., Patrick Fugit
Aidan Breslin (Dennis Quaid) is a police detective whose job is so time-consuming that he has little time for his teenaged son Alex (Lou Taylor Pucci) since his wife died. Alex tries to be both father and mother to his small brother Sean. Breslin is faced with three independent murders in which each corpse is found hanging from a wooden framework from hooks embedded in the dead skin. In every case the murderer has written on the walls “Come and See,” a quote from the Bible, Chapter 6 of Revelation. It refers to the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse: pestilence, famine, war, and death. The investigation reveals that four frames were made in a tattoo parlor. Therefore, Detective Breslin believes that a fourth murder is planned. A confession by young Kristen (Ziyi Zhang), an adopted Asian girl, whose mother was one of the victims, sheds some light on the case. Still he seeks a common thread in order to anticipate the next crime and put a stop to it all. To his great horror he realizes that his professional and private lives are intertwined and his own family is in danger.
This horror/thriller by Jonas Åkerlund is good for its genre, but still it’s a horror movie with self-amputation of a human heart, an unborn fetus in a plastic bag, bloody teeth, slow suffocation and heart-rending suffering. If you are a softie where torture is concerned, perhaps you had better check out the DVD and fast forward the gory parts. It’s worth the effort to experience good acting, especially young Pucci and Zhang who have bright futures in films. I’m surprised that Horsemen has not yet appeared in recent fantasy film festivals because it certainly would be a good contribution. (Becky Tan)
