Product Details

• Actors: Catherine Begin, Robert Toupin, Morjana Alaoui, Mylene Jampanoi
• Directors: Pascal Laugier
• Format: Color, Dubbed, NTSC, Subtitled, Widescreen
• Language: French
• Subtitles: English, Spanish
• Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)
  
• Number of discs: 1
• Rated: Unrated
• Studio: The Weinstein Company
• DVD Release Date: April 28, 2009
• Run Time: 100 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (134 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B001MEJY8W
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #4,228 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)
  • #29 in Movies & TV > DVD > Foreign Films
  • #83 in Movies & TV > DVD > Horror
• For more information about "Martyrs" visit the Internet Movie Database (IMDb)

Editorial Reviews

Studio: Genius Products Inc Release Date: 04/28/2009

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

122 of 139 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Into The Heart Of Darkness, March 23, 2009

By 

PDC "PoeBoy" (USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Martyrs (DVD)

I freely admit I had dangerously high expectations going into this film, having read SO many positive reviews (and some rabidly negative ones as well -- as this is one of those love-it-or-loathe-it experiences), but I'm happy to say that, for me, 'Martyrs' lived up to every bit of the hype, and then some.

The problem is that, for most people, they are simply NOT going to be anticipating what this film actually IS, as opposed to what they've been led to BELIEVE it is. Namely, though it contains many ASPECTS typical of the genre, 'Martyrs' is NOT really a "horror film" in the usual sense.

Don't get me wrong, though -- the film certainly IS horrifying at times, on a number of different levels. And it has a kind of nightmare poetry which continues to haunt me.

'Martyrs' also manages to convey an overwhelming sense of cumulative dread and a hellishly pervasive sense of cold, heartless, systematically calculating evil. But it actually has a lot more in common with Gaspar Noe's uncompromising 'Irreversible' and the dark lyricism of Franju's 'Eyes Without A Face' than it does with films like 'Saw' or 'Hostel'.

For, while it does have some extremely disturbing violence and gore, it's somewhat less extreme in that respect than either 'High Tension' or 'Inside' -- two other notable examples of the new wave of French horror cinema.

But 'Martyrs' affected me far more than any of the above-named films (excepting 'Irreversible' and 'Eyes...' ), because of the IDEAS being dealt with and because of Pascal Laugier's remarkably artful handling of his material, aided tremendously by the harrowing, raw-nerved excellence of the acting, as well as the superb cinematography, editing, music, and make-up effects.

Indeed, 'Martyrs' is an "art film" in many ways. In fact, at a couple points it actually elicited tears from me -- not my typical response to most horror films -- as well as a few genuinely appalled exclamations of "Oh my God... Oh my God...", such was the level of my empathy and identification with the main characters and their ordeal.

In fact, it was this aspect of the film which enabled me to get past what would otherwise have been a big stumbling block for me, in terms of conventional movie logic -- i.e. the critical caveat of illogical behavior on the part of the characters when faced with a dangerous or potentially dangerous situation and NOT getting the hell OUT of there! In fact, at a very key point in the narrative, not only do the two main characters refuse to extricate themselves from a very risky and potentially dangerous locale, they positively LINGER there for what seems like DAYS!

Now, normally this would have had me crazy and screaming in frustration at the seeming stupidity or obtuseness of the characters. But, miraculously, in the case of 'Martyrs' I hardly even registered any of this because of the particular relationship dynamic of Lucie and Anna and their unique personal/psychological histories. In other words, given the very particular qualities of these two women, a specific case could be made for what would otherwise have seemed infuriatingly inappropriate behavior.

I find it both apt and reassuring that Laugier has referred to his film as the "anti-'Funny Games'", referencing Michael Haneke's deeply unpleasant, repellently grueling exercise in audience participation/endurance. For while 'Funny Games' was also not a horror film in the exploitative/commercial sense, neither did it have, for me, the inherent spiritual aspects or, dare I say, compassion, which make me willing to return to 'Martyrs', whereas I never feel myself eager to play more 'Funny Games'.

But, more than anything, 'Martyrs' lingers in my mind as a deeply sad, disturbing, and ultimately moving meditation on the theme of pain and transcendence. And though I can see many viewers recoiling from the experience, disgusted by its brutal savagery and depressed and offended by its seeming nihilism (with the emphasis on "seeming"), I find that the film's intriguing ambiguities and moral questions make for a rich cinematic tapestry, reflective of both heaven and hell. And yet, paradoxically, it is perhaps the film's unnerving ability to convey a world of bottomless evil and merciless cruelty that kept me from giving 'Martyrs' a full five stars. Almost as though a part of me would feel guilty in doing this -- as if that would be akin to giving my implicit endorsement or tacit approval of the film's pitch-black heart of darkness.

Perhaps, Mr. Laugier, you did your job a bit TOO well!

Be that as it may, clearly this film has a lot more on its mind than simply grossing out or traumatizing its audiences, though it certainly managed that, as well, during some of its controversial festival screenings. Yet I would still hesitate to recommend it to most people I know. 'Martyrs' is, decidedly and emphatically, NOT a film for everyone.

But, for those looking to be challenged as well as shaken -- for those willing to be taken to deeply uncomfortable places and shown terrible things in new and unexpected ways -- for those yearning to FEEL a visceral response again after years of mindless, numbing "movie-violence"... For all these people 'Martyrs' will be a welcome, if not necessarily pleasant experience, leaving them with something to actually THINK about once the end credits have rolled.


A very sad postscript to a very sad film:

Benoit Lestang, a close friend of the director, and the man who contributed the film's jaw-droppingly powerful special make-up effects, committed suicide shortly after the film's completion. He did get to see the film prior to his death and apparently was proud of his work and moved to tears by the film. As to the specific reasons for his tragic decision, little has been spoken or written about that. And, given the film's specific subject matter, one could all too easily be drawn into the temptation of making inappropriate connections and drawing conclusions, which I shall assiduously avoid.

Laugier himself has been very candid about his own personal feelings, both in regard to the emotional devastation of losing his friend, as well as the fact that the creative genesis of 'Martyrs' sprang from a long period of Laugier's own depression. And he has indicated that, in some ways, the film was perhaps his response to that depression -- partially expiating it through channeling his own darkness and pain into that of the film's theme and characters.

Suffice it to say, 'Martyrs' will provide a lasting and worthy final monument to Mr. Lestang's extraordinary gifts as a supremely talented artist and craftsman. And it is precisely that artistry, in conjunction with that of Laugier and the rest of his remarkable team, that resulted in startling images of strange and terrible beauty. Images which, like the film itself, continue to linger in the mind long after the final curtain.

Peace be with you, Benoit.

19 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Be Forewarned, June 18, 2010

By 

Michael P. Grefski "cirithun1" (Scranton, PA USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Martyrs (DVD)

I've seen some of the most extreme horror films in existence. It really takes a lot for me to wince, and possibly even skip a scene entirely if it looks like something very graphic is going to happen. But I winced and cringed etc. over almost the entire running time of this film, so relentless is it's brutality. The movie is like a hour and half long roller coaster ride through hell.

This is not to say that it's a bad film, because technically speaking it's superior from just about every angle. And while it is sometimes is the violence that startled me, it was more about the relentless tension and fear the film builds so well. It simply never lets up. The first half of the film sets the stage for a completely surprising plot twist that gudes the story to film's ultra-disturbing second half and ultimate conclusion.

Let me be clear: if people being endlessly cut, stabbed, bloody and maniacal isn't your thing, steer clear. If women being beaten and tortured isn't your thing, steer WAY clear. I gave it a three star review because of the quality of the product, but seriously, this is one the roughest, hardest to endure movies I've ever seen. And I've seen Cannibal Holocaust twice.

13 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I feel like I've been hit over the head with a hammer, July 9, 2011

By 

M. William (Brooklyn, NY United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Martyrs (DVD)

Wow. No, I mean WOW.

First things first: this is positively THE most graphic, disturbing movie I've ever seen in my life. The way I felt after seeing this film was the way you'd feel after waking up from a particularly vivid nightmare. It felt like, "Whoa, did I just see that?" The monster in this film is not some deformed creature in the basement, or a supernatural hellish thing coming out after dark, or even a prowling psychopath with a taste for human flesh. The monster is very human, and very normal, and it's in a place you're least likely to find, and its motives are nothing like what you thought.

Some people compare this to Hostel. Let me tell you... Hostel doesn't hold a candle to this. Hostel is boring, trashy torture porn. This is a masterpiece that looks deep into the human psyche, and reveals a picture that's both horrifying and intriguing. The first part is a bit predictable, but the second part... Boy oh boy. You think you know where it's going, and then it hits you over the head, makes you wish for a different turn of events, makes you want to look away over and over again, and yet you can't...

This is a masterpiece. A gruesome and mind-bending experience, to be sure, but an unforgettable one. Watch it. If you dare.