MARTYRS

First things first: there are no plot spoilers below. Well, not beyond the film's first fifteen minutes ...

As I write (early May 2009), the year so far has seen three horror films generate more fan buzz above all others: Swedish arthouse vampire flick LET THE RIGHT ONE IN, Sam Raimi's DRAG ME TO HELL - touted as a return to the director's stylistic excesses of his EVIL DEAD films, and MARTYRS.

LET THE RIGHT ONE IN was an enormously enjoyable if somewhat slow and understated slice of visual beauty, offering heart-wrenching lead performances to successfully outweigh it's trite storyline. I've yet to see DRAG ME TO HELL, but I'm looking forward to it.

And MARTYRS?

MARTYRS is a French film, shot on a modest budget on Super-16mm in Canada. It's the second full-length directorial effort from Pascal Laugier. His first feature film was 2004's SAINT ANGE (a.k.a. HOUSE OF VOICES), a lacklustre haunted house tale that was most notable for a cast that included Catherine MacColl and Virginie Ledoyen.

On the strength of SAINT ANGE, I confess that I wasn't expecting great things from MARTYRS. Not initially. But then the hype began. Initially a few early film festival reports, the odd Internet rumour here and there. Then there was a lengthy article in Fangoria magazine, followed more recently by sterling reviews in UK publications such as Total Film and Sight & Sound. Even Mark Kermode got in on the act, dedicating an online blog to a salivating appraisal of the film that concluded it was ultimately about the "nothingness of everything". Suddenly, MARTYRS was the film I needed to see above all others.

But while the critics have wet themselves over MARTYRS, the general horror fraternity have had a more mixed response. Opinions range from it being pretentious and dull, to it being declared as the best French horror of the decade. Considering what that puts it up against (INSIDE, THEM, IRREVERSIBLE, SWITHBLADE ROMANCE, THEY CAME BACK - the list goes on), this is mighty praise indeed.

Whether the reviews are good or bad though, one thing both critics and punters alike seem to have conformed to is not giving the storyline away.

With this in mind, the following synopsis relates to the first part of the film only. Whether the film is a modern classic or not, it remains true that it's best approached knowing as little about it as possible.

The film begins in the early 1970s, with young Lucie (Jessie Pham) running half-clothed and screaming along a French street in broad daylight. Beneath the opening titles, old home movie-style footage shows how Lucie was rescued from a life of child abuse and raised in a care home, where the tiny Anna (Erika Scott) befriended her.

A male narrator informs the screen that Lucie's case was a particularly unpleasant one, despite there being no signs of sexual abuse at the abandoned location of her torture.

It seems that throughout the years Lucie was lifted out of an extended period of post-traumatic stress by Anna. So much so, that the authorities use the footage of this years-spanning friendship in an attempt to coax the identity of Lucie's abuser from Anna. But if Lucie has confided in Anna, Anna is keeping it to herself.

Fast-forward to fifteen years later, and an attractive family sit in their posh home bickering in light hearted manner over their breakfast. The fun is curbed when the doorbell rings. The father answers, to find adult Lucie (Mylene Jampanoi) facing him, shotgun in her hands. She has finally tracked her abusers down, and wants revenge.

Ever the obliging friend, grown-up Anna (Morjana Alaoui) is waiting at the other end of a public telephone line, ready when required to help clear up the bloody aftermath.

It may sound like I've outlined the entire film there, but in actual fact this accounts for the first fifteen minutes. From then onwards Laugier throws a succession of increasingly wild curveballs in the audience's direction, effectively disabling anyone who thought they knew where the film was headed.

This is a masterstroke in a sense, and undoubtedly it's these leftfield tactics that have impressed a lot of journalists. Unfortunately the downside of these careering plot twists is that the film ends up feeling like an anthology. In effect, there are three separate films rolled into one here, and as with all anthologies there's a weak link. In the case of MARTYRS, it comes midway through.

The first fifty minutes are undeniably strong, and you get the sense you really are witnessing the unfurling of something great. But the film veers off into a mid-section of repetitive and ultimately boring violence before slightly redeeming itself by revealing a point to the mayhem in the final twenty minutes.

The opening salvo in the family's home is great stuff: kinetic, hand-held camerawork and a barrage of scream-accompanied gore complement Sebastien Prangere's intense editing to provoke a sense of delirium in the viewer. It's true horror, the likes of which we don't get to see done well often these days.

Themes of guilt and regret run parallel with the more obvious motivation of revenge up to this point, and it makes for terrifically compelling stuff.

But then events take a surreal, almost sci-fi turn and the pace drops dramatically so Laugier can wallow in the aforementioned nullifying mid-section. It's certainly violent stuff, but there's nothing here that is likely to disturb or offend to a disagreeable extent (even the BBFC agree, hence the no-quibbles 18 certificate rating).

Set design is thrilling, and nods to the likes of Fulci and Argento are definitely appreciated along the way (Argento gets a dedication in the closing credits, as does SUBCONSCIOUS CRUELTY director Karim Hussain). The lack of humour throughout the film is commendable too - if anything, Laugier must be congratulated for his lack of compromise: he's fashioned a horror film for adults, no question about it.

But the pace is sadly lacking in the second half, and too much is asked of the audience in buying the whole reason for the violence that's shovelled down our throats for the film's first seventy minutes. After viewing the film twice I still can't decide whether the big reveal is at fault here (whether Laugier's concept is too silly to carry the emotional weight thrown at us beforehand), or whether it's his clumsy script that's guilty of presenting a decent notion in a near-laughable manner. Either way, the punchline of the final third of the film feels like a so-so short film that's been tagged on and has little to add to the preceding hour.

It's difficult to discuss why the end of the film is so dissatisfying without giving away plot points, but there is a delicious irony in the final moments that should've given MARTYRS a brilliant, unforgettable finale. Unfortunately, Laugier drops the ball. Changing the dynamics of the violence from emotive (an abused child lashes back) to cerebral (the final forty minutes) is a gamble too - it's bound to be divisive: some will hail it as genius, others will wane.

While I'm talking about the things I'm unable to discuss (!), I will also mention that the entire film is riddled with plot holes. This isn't a major grumble, I suppose, as most horror films ask for ludicrous suspensions of disbelief. But, even so, there are moments in this film where you are likely to find yourself thinking "hang on a mo, how come ...?", or "how on Earth were they able to get away with doing that ...?". I apologise for the vagueness, but all will become clear if and when you seen the film.

Still, on the plus side, MARTYRS is original, very violent (in terms of continual violence it's hard to beat - even though there are plenty of gorier films around), and is never easy to predict. And I can see where Kermode was coming from, regarding it's message. Although I think Henry Rollins put it more succinctly in his song "Low Self Opinion": "All you ever have is yourself and your mind".

Performances are superb, as are the FX (which are thankfully largely of the prosthetics and fake blood variety). Ultimately, I do recommend the film.

The film looks good in it's anamorphic 1.85:1 transfer. Shot on Super-16mm, there is a natural layer of grain evident throughout. But beneath that, images are sharp and tones are accurate. Colours are restrained as Laugier intended, and the presentation does a fine job of keeping the distinctive look of his film intact.

French audio is available in 2.0 and 5.1 mixes. Both are good, but the latter does a particularly satisfying job of bringing across the wonderful sound design. Optional English subtitles are well-written and easy to read.

A striking animated main menu boasts a fair mixture of eye-grabbing film clips accompanied by sombre acoustic guitar plucking, and leads us into a static scene-selection menu offering 8 chapters.

Extras on the disc begin with the superb Making Of documentary "Organic Chronicles", which is presented in anamorphic 1.78:1. This runs for an amazing 85 minutes and is shown in French 2.0 with burned-in English subtitles. Offering a wealth of on-set footage, behind-the-scenes snippets and much chatter with the confident Laugier, this is an amazing insight into the film's entire production - from the initial concept imagining to it's eventual Internet marketing campaign, and everything in-between. Remote access is provided via 10 chapters.

Next up is a decent 19-minute interview with Laugier, courtesy of filmsactu.com. This shot-on-video effort is presented in anamorphic 1.78:1 with French 2.0 audio and forced English subtitles. It covers a lot of the ground already divulged in the feature-length documentary, but Laugier remains curiously watchable.

Finally, there's a very good interview with Benoit Lestang (the film's Make-Up Effects Supervisor). This is an excellent 14-minute account of a different aspect of the film. Lestang comes across as an affable, erudite and talented bloke - his earlier work included SATAN, BABY BLOOD and THE CITY OF LOST CHILDREN. Sadly, he took his own life on July 27th 2008. The interview is dedicated to him. It's also taken from filmsactu.com, and boasts the same audio/video specifications as above.

Clearly, all three of the excellent bonus features are riddled with spoilers. So, beware!

The disc is defaulted to open with trailers for fellow Gallic shockers FRONTIER(S) and SWITCHBLADE ROMANCE, along with the home-grown EDEN LAKE. All three are presented in anamorphic 2.35:1.

MARTYRS is a remarkable achievement in terms of technical bravura. Following on the heels of SAINT ANGE, it's a very pleasant surprise. It's also an interesting paradox in so much as that while I agree it's best viewed knowing as little about it as possible, it actually improves upon second viewing. But that still doesn't shake the fact that it feels like two, maybe three, short films patched together. This is ultimately to it's detriment.

The best French horror film of the decade? Personally, I'd say no - IRREVERSIBLE still holds that honour for me. And soon, Gaspar Noe will be back with ENTER THE VOID to hopefully show them all how it's done. But in the meantime, this is pretty involving fare that - for it's first two-thirds, at least - provides an enjoyably grim and stimulating evening's viewing.

The disc's an exceptionally strong one too.

Also available on Blu-ray.

Review by Stuart Willis