Horsemen (2009) - Film Review
Dennis Quaid Cannot Save this Anti-Climatic Religious Thriller
Truly, Hell must have come upon Earth if feeble, over-emotional teens can represent War, Pestilence, Death and Conquest (sometimes interpreted as the Antichrist or Christ himself). Such is the premise behind the Lionsgate film, Horsemen. The film is written by David Callaham (Doom), directed by Jonas Akerlund (Spun), and co-produced by he whose touch ruins everything, Michael Bay (Pearl Harbor, Friday the 13th, Transformers).
The Players
Horsemen stars Dennis Quaid (Innerspace, Vantage Point, G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra), an underrated actor in a performance not to be overrated. Quaid plays Detective Aidan Breslin, a withdrawn detective with a strong work ethic that causes family strife. The role is not a far cry off from his performance in Switchback (Paramount 1997), excepting that in the latter, both Quaid's acting and the movie itself are superior.
The cast is filled out by recognizable faces. Ziyi Zhang (Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, Hero, Memoirs of a Geisha) stars as the adopted daughter of the serial killers' first victim. She puts in a chilling performance, which is border-line over-the-top but adds to the movie. Her accent makes her difficult to understand at times. Peter Stormare (Fargo, The Big Lebowski, Constantine) plays her adoptive father, a minor role.
As Quaid's partner in stopping crime, Clifton Collins, Jr. (Dead Presidents, Tigerland, Crank: High Voltage) works well enough as Detective Stingray. Lou Taylor Pucci (Fast Food Nation, Southland Tales, The Informers) gives a solid performance as Detective Breslin's introverted son Alex.
The Plot
Detective Aidan Breslin is a widower who has grown emotionally detached from the world and his two children, Sean and Alex. Having some unexplained background as a forensics-dental specialist, Breslin is called in to investigate when a serving platter filled with teeth is found on a frozen lake.
A homicide victim is then found strung up by large fish hooks and stabbed through the lung. Examining the evidence, Breslin determines that four killers are involved. Eventually, he looks up the phrase, "Come and See," which is written at this and later crime scenes. It is from a passage of the Bible that describes the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse. Each killer assumes the role of one of the Horsemen.
One by one, the Horsemen are revealed. The story builds toward the disclosure of the final killer, the leader of the group.
The Review
Horsemen adds nothing new to the serial killer genre. Although its religious theme has some appeal, the killers themselves fail to exemplify this theme. Their motive is weak and is closer to revenge than religion, despite Akerlund and Callaham's intent.
The plot is formulaic and predictable. Breslin's police work uncovers little, keeping the film even-paced and without thrill or suspense. For the most part, the killers reveal themselves at seemingly random moments, providing for a cheap and short-lived shock with disclosure of the first killer only (the shock comes in how the killer is revealed, not in who the killer is). What aims to be a climatic twist is almost immediately foreseeable. Thus, the film has no build and no climax.
Overall, Horsemen is watchable but not recommended.
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