1001 Club - Irreversible (1998)

#1050. Irreversible (2002)

Why It's In The Book: "Gaspar Noé pushes the cinematic envelope with Irréversible, his universal tale of the highest and lowest forms of humanity. marshalling the most sophisticated cinematic and narrative techniques to tell a simple story of pervrse intensity and violence, Noé... creates a film which has been hailed as a masterpiece and reviled as the lowest form of cinematic garbage.
Told in reverse chronological order...the film's remarkable sophistication was lost on many who refused to see past the squalor, violence, and degradation presented. For Noé, though, this was much to the point. He went out of his way to present these painful acts as disturbingly as possible...
Centering on a justifiably infamous single take...the film became a cause celebre with critics and audiences worldwide. Many felt that enjoying or even appreciating Noé's achievement was tantamount to endorsing such brutality, while others see Irréversible as the finest movie of 2002. Obviously not for the faint of heart, the film is a shocker and clearly the work of a visionary cinematic master. Whether what he presents is to one's liking, his achievement and commitment to his ideas and ideals are unmistakable." -1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die

Member Ratings

Adolytsi - 9/10
"This is a film designed in every conceivable way to disorient you, to make you feel uncomfortable, and it couldn’t have succeeded any better."
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Michaël Parent - 9/10
"It looks so true that at some point, we believe it is happening in front of our eyes."
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Movie Guy Steve - 8/10
"Is it torture porn? Does it exist simply for the sake of existing, to give the audience a perverted thrill ride,  the sort of shock to the cortex of a snuff film without it being real? I’m not so sure. From what I gather,  that’s the whole point of the torture porn genre, and there seems to be something more here than just  sadistic voyeurism."
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Nicolas Krizan - 8/10
"harsh love poem of misguided masculinity"
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Squish - 8/10
"The story, I warn you, has burned itself in my mind to such a degree that I will never recommend this to anyone mildly sensitive."
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Jay Cluitt - 7/10
"Whether this would still be as effective on a second viewing remains to be seen, because to be honest it’s not a film I particularly want to endure again."
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Overall Rating: 8.2/10