Perhaps more than any other horror film, Martyrs demonstrates the range of the genre's capabilities to find ways to excite, provoke, and disturb us.
Martyrs (2008)
Tomatometer
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Reviews Counted:24
Fresh:13
Rotten:11
Average Rating:6.1/10
Consensus: A real polarising movie, this Gallic torture-porn is graphic, brutal, nasty and gruesome and not to everyone’s taste.
Runtime: 1 hr 37 mins
Genre: Foreign Films
Synopsis: French cinema continues its reign as the brutal roi of international horror with this startling import. MARTYRS begins in the 1970s, with a young kidnapping victim named Lucie running through the... French cinema continues its reign as the brutal roi of international horror with this startling import. MARTYRS begins in the 1970s, with a young kidnapping victim named Lucie running through the streets, barely clothed and covered in cuts. At the hospital, she bonds with fellow patient--and abuse victim--Anna, and they forge a bond that lasts for years. More than a decade later, the violence in their lives continues, but this time they may not be the victims. [More]
Starring: Mylène Jampanoï, Morjane Alaoui
Starring: Mylène Jampanoï, Morjane Alaoui
Director: Pascal Laugier
Director: Pascal Laugier
Screenwriter: Pascal Laugier
Producer: Richard Grandpierre
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Reviews for Martyrs
The film's sense of philosophy is what elevates Martyrs from the "torture porn" ghetto and places it alongside more intellectually unsettling films by men like Michael Haneke, Pier Pasolini, and Gaspar Noe.
Martyrs is an absolute recommend, but only to those who are willing to accept the film on its own uncompromising terms. All others are advised to stay well clear away.
Martyrs marks new ground in the horror genre - just don't take that as a sign it's worth your time.
The air of pretentiousness and the whiff of lesbian chic suggest that the bunch of nihilists who produced this garbage will claim something for it. All it really demonstrates is that there is something seriously rotten in the state of France.
'Martyrs' is initially shocking and strong, but eventually falls apart once we are informed about what the hell is going on.
Intense, disorienting, unsettling, upsetting, polarising - Martyrs is all these things but it is also intelligent, moving and strangely uplifting. If you want to be put through the wringer by a film, make it this one.
Martyrs is a five star example of what modern horror can do, or a one star mugging of all that is decent. Forgive us if we go with the former.
It will most definitely divide audiences, having already done so all over the world. But Laugier has contributed a brave, brutal and original horror film for all to witness.
Arthouse? Grindhouse? The Passion Of Joan Of Arc: Unrated Edition? Defying all boundaries, Martyrs relentlessly dishes the visceral pain and emerges as a work of not just ceaseless terror but also gravity and beauty.
The stylishly mounted first half zips along at a rate of knots while the gruesome make-up work will keep your gag reflex in violent spasm.
Martyrs is an unforgettable (not necessarily a good thing) endurance test of a movie that provides a quasi-philosophical spin on the torture porn genre.
You may well feel in need of a shower after sitting through Martyrs, a slick essay in Gallic torture porn.
Young women are brutalised to a place beyond pain, as part of an eschatological experiment. You really don’t need to see this.
Despite fancy writing, it's just another gore porn flick, out to shock for the hell of it and designed for loners who attend film festivals.
O inquieto roteiro, que parece mudar sua trama de direção a cada 20 minutos, acaba fornecendo uma justificativa narrativa intrigante para toda a pavorosa violência que testemunhamos, embasando seu lado gore em uma temática metafísica surpreendente.
You don't have to be Catholic to shudder at Pascal Laugier's bitterly apocalyptic Martyrs, but it helps.
Martyrs se veut un film vicieux qui ose énormément. Parfois même trop, d'ailleurs.
Latest News for Martyrs
October 29, 2008:
Pascal Laugier Circles Hellraiser Redo ![]()
Dimension's "re-imagining" of "Hellraiser" appears to be back on track, with "Martyrs" helmer Pascal Laugier in final negotiations to write and direct. More...
July 01, 2008:
Martyrs (2008): Restricted trailer ![]()
More...
| Tomatometer Percentage | Movie |
|---|---|
| 77% 77% | The Hangover |
| 88% 88% | Inglourious Basterds |
| 66% 66% | Public Enemies |
| 24% 24% | G-Force |
| 44% 44% | Night at the Museum: B… |
| Tomatometer Percentage | Movie |
|---|---|
| 82% 82% | Paranormal Activity |
| 58% 58% | 9 |
| 44% 44% | Jennifer's Body |
| 58% 58% | A Perfect Getaway |
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