Jonas Åkerlund-directed "Horsemen" surprised me with intense storytelling. The Swedish helmer known more for his music video contributions than anything else, engages viewers with strong direction. The film brings out one of Dennis Quaid's best performances to date and showcases the oftentimes softly displayed Ziyi Zhang's talents for quickly changing character and succeeding in multiple genres.
Additionally, the moral of the story is a strong one and makes the film easy to reminisce, something few films achieve these days in an arena swamped with big budget blockbusters like "Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen." This costs a mere pinpoint in budget comparison and is far more a showcasing of a buffet of talented performers.
Quaid stars as Aidan Breslin, a recently widowed hard-working detective specializing in forensic odontology (see below for a definition) who's left to father two sons - Alex (Pucci) and Sean (Liam James), oftentimes neglecting them due to both his workload and workaholic manor.
The most brutal case comes in which includes a woman who has been murdered in a flesh hook suspension device among others. Zhang comes in as the adopted eldest daughter of the woman who's not all she seems and Breslin soon realizes that there is more than one killer and the biblical four horsemen of the apocalypse come into play.
Who are all of the horsemen, what part do they each play, who are the victims and what is the final moral of the story?
Film easily keeps you guessing and never loosens its tense grip.
I was additionally impressed by "Thumbsucker" Lou Taylor Pucci's performance. In general, the film includes a strong cast who seem to have given their all in this small indie gem.
DVD Features include:
- Audio commentary by Jonas Åkerlund and director of photography Eric Broms.
- Deleted Scenes. There are 8 in total:
1. "You Don't Know Anything About Kids"
2. Church Visit
3. Mr. Spitz
4. Pestilence
5. "Since We Last Spoke
6. Missing Rig
7. Forensic Odontology
8. Good-Bye
- Also from Lionsgate: Upcoming DVD offerings from the distributor including "My Bloody Valentine 3D," "The Haunting in Connecticut," "Five Fingers," "Saw V" and "The Burrowers." There's also quite a hilarious advert for Break.com and an advert for FEARnet.
As defined by Wikipedia - Forensic odontology or forensic dentistry is the proper handling, examination and evaluation of dental evidence. Read more on the subject here - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Forensic_odontology