Comments on: SXSW ’12 Review: Pascal Laugier’s ‘The Tall Man’ An Unfocused & Silly Horror Tale

By: Matt

Matt — Fri, 13 May 2016 12:49:48 +0000

Unfortunately it's true.

I absolutely loved Martyrs. It was actually my favorite out of the french movies you listed, however, he is spot on in this review. Quite frankly, The Tall Man blows.

By: endyre

endyre — Fri, 13 May 2016 12:49:48 +0000

For myself and everyone i've met who's seen 'Martyrs' the overwhelming impression has been the same: the viewer is left feeling like they've been hit in the stomach with a baseball bat for days after seeing the film.
there is no way i would take your review of 'the tall man' at all seriously after reading what you thought about martyrs. in fact im thinking it is probably going to be very good based soley off the strength of that.
perhaps reviewing movies is not something thats an appropriate activity for someone such as yourself.
you can review frozen pizza's and post them to youtube if you like it may be more up your alley.

(one problem i see with 'the tall man' is thats the guy from 'phantasm' but i'll take that as a tribute)
good day to you sir.

By: Greg

Greg — Fri, 13 May 2016 12:49:48 +0000

Well said, Adam.

Even if The Tall Man is as mediocre as Drew says, that can't take away from the brilliance of Martyrs. I know it was a divisive horror film, but Drew's comments do seem like he either watched the wrong movie or didn't pay attention. As far as I'm concerned, I've never been more shook up – it affected me for weeks after my first viewing.

By: Adam Barken

Adam Barken — Fri, 13 May 2016 12:49:48 +0000

MARTYRS SPOILERS CONTAINED IN COMMENT

Drew:

I'm not going to argue with your appraisal of TALL MAN (haven't seen it), or your dislike of MARTYRS. To each their own. But as a critic, you've made some pretty wrong-headed statements about MARTYRS — that's what the other commenters are objecting to, I think.

1) "It was, at its core, a fairly conventional murder mystery/thriller" – for that statement to make any sense whatsoever, we need to hear an example of a movie that it remotely resembled. Presumably you have several, since it's so conventional. What part? The revenge thriller? The family massacre? The religious element? And even more particular, what films put all these elements together in the way MARTYRS did? Because to a fan, it's the melding of all these elements that made it unique. It's like saying THE MATRIX was conventional because it used conventions of anime, martial arts, sci-fi and Cronenbergian reality mindfucking. What other movie mixed those elements? The mixing is the unique part, as it was with MARTYRS. It took elements of the revenge thriller, woman in peril torture, conspiracy, religiosity, political commentary, and Clive Barkerish body horror. What other movie did this?

2) "Martyrs" wasn't in the least bit political … whereas those other movies in the French horror new wave (for lack of a better, or more creative, term) explored queasy socio-political issues like the widening gap between rich and poor ("Them"); women's rights ("Inside"); and sexuality –

SPOILERS: Poor, forgotten girls are kidnapped and tortured by rich people looking for proof of the after-life — a proof that they clearly intend to keep amongst their own rich coterie. Do we really need to explain how political that story is?

Anyways, like I said, not trying to dismiss your own reaction to MARTYRS. But it was in no way conventional, and was profoundly (if subtly/allegorically) political. I would certainly suggest reading Laugier's own explanation of the genesis of the idea for the movie:

http://www.aintitcool.com/node/39602

I think you may find the things you claim are lacking are actually built right into MARTYRS, along with the "icky" stuff.

By: Jay

Jay — Fri, 13 May 2016 12:49:48 +0000

You definitely sound like your confusing Martyrs with Frontieres.

By: Drew

Drew — Fri, 13 May 2016 12:49:48 +0000

You guys love "Martyrs!" Maybe I'll have to go back and re-watch, although after "The Tall Man," well, that's a TALL ORDER (pun!)

By: Oogle monster

Oogle monster — Fri, 13 May 2016 12:49:48 +0000

2 words: Jessica Biel. One word: DOOM.

By: la sanglante

la sanglante — Fri, 13 May 2016 12:49:48 +0000

your assessment of martyrs has me wondering what movie named martyrs you saw.

By: Drew

Drew — Fri, 13 May 2016 12:49:48 +0000

Hello everyone!
Drew here, checking in from beautifully humid South by Southwest (seriously â you should see my hair â talk about a fright!). So here's my problem with "Martyrs" (and it's a problem that carries over into "The Tall Man"): It was, at its core, a fairly conventional murder mystery/thriller but it was gummed up with all of the sticky gore and grime that most associate with 1970s-era horror movies. (I agree that "Frontier(s)" isn't the best either but it's a notch above "Martyrs" for its sheer balls-out-ness.) "The Tall Man" is similarly simplistic but embroidered with all sort of icky, exploitative stuff about child kidnapping, rape, and murder. (Without going into it, it never even follows through on these outrÃ© conceits.) A fellow Playlister who attended the screening leaned over to me at some point and said, "This is like a really long episode of 'Law & Order: SVU,'" and she wasn't wrong: it is long and really boring and doesn't even fully commit to its material. "Martyrs" wasn't in the least bit political and neither is "The Tall Man," whereas those other movies in the French horror new wave (for lack of a better, or more creative, term) explored queasy socio-political issues like the widening gap between rich and poor ("Them"); women's rights ("Inside"); and sexuality ("High Tension," although I would argue that Aja's subsequent films, with the exception of "Mirrors," are even more mainstream but even more politically charged). Even "Frontier(s)," with its excessive violence, could be seen as an exploration and condemnation of the torture practices associated with the Iraq war. At least "Martyrs" had the guidance of the usually reliable Christophe Gans. With "The Tall Man" he's flying solo. And comes up really short.

Let's continue the discussion, though, this is fun!

Frizzily yours,
Drew

By: josh

josh — Fri, 13 May 2016 12:49:48 +0000

I wholeheartedly agree with FERRAGAMONSTER. Martyrs was incomparably higher minded than its filmic contemporaries, and in many ways the most austere stylistically. "Dingy" it was not. If anything, the film might be chided for its clinical sterility, particularly in its second half. And it's decidedly politically minded. Whether or not it succeeds on the ideopolitical terms it sets for itself is one question, but to regard it as merely cookie-cutter, as a failure to "engage with [its] material on a political level"? I frankly cannot understand that criticism. If I didn't know any better, I'd say the reviewer watched Frontiere(s) and thought he was watching Martyrs. (Also, if Laugier, "unlike his contemporaries," failed to engage with his material politically, will someone explain to me the grounds on which Aja, Gens et al. succeeded? Truly, the mind boggles.)

Despite Martyrs' plain imperfections–its ludicrousness, even–the film haunts me in a way High Tension, Inside and the lot never will.

Having said that, I had high hopes for The Tall Man. Quite possibly, it's as poorly executed as this reviewer insists. That absolute misfire that is his assessment of Martyrs, however, gives me pause–and cause for hope.

By: Diver

Diver — Fri, 13 May 2016 12:49:48 +0000

"The result was less a film than a laborious game of spot-the-reference ("Texas Chainsaw Massacre"! "The Hills Have Eyes"!) that had a fair amount of production-designed dinginess but little actual grit."….

You clearly haven't seen Martyrs…. it looks like you're describing "Frontier(s)…
I had the chance to read The tall man script and I thought the last act with kinda smart… I guess I'll wait and see…

By: Ferragamonster

Ferragamonster — Fri, 13 May 2016 12:49:48 +0000

The fact that you say Martyrs was the least impressive of those french horror flicks makes me want to ignore your review. I generally trust your reviews but Martyrs was superior to all of those french movies. Inside is fun but full of plot holes and ridiculousness. High Tension was good up until the ending. Frontier(s) didn't bring anything new to the table and if you want to talk about people copying the Texas Chainsaw Massacre, well that film does it far more than Martyrs. Them was also good and suspenseful but ultimately forgettable. Martyrs was the most original and well-written film of the bunch and to say otherwise is preposterous.

By: longinthedikk

longinthedikk — Fri, 13 May 2016 12:49:48 +0000

holy cow! that ending?!? fuck.