Long before the hype took hold and fan boy fervor took over, I had wanted to see the little French film that could, Irreversible. Once I heard that Lions Gate had picked up distribution rights in the US I anticipated the flick having a minor run at the local art house theatre in Philly. Well, that time has come as I have just returned from a screening and am now ready and willing to regurgitate my thoughts for you dear reader. It may not be pretty, but that doesn't mean that it's not hella interesting. Irreversible for better or for worse is like no other.

Once again we fall into that dreaded reviewer trap of less is more. If ever there was a flick that demanded an un-briefed viewer, Irreversible would be it. I will do my best to not go into specifics too much and will try to keep my ramblings spoiler free, but be warned, some of my words may give away a bit too much and the screaming visuals of Irreversible warrant those virgin ears and pupils. That's right, this is not a case of giving away important plot devices, nope. The story is a fail safe one that you've seen a hundred times over. It's the execution and bravado visuals that demand the attentive viewer this time around, and I'm sure that's enough info to turn off the most jaded viewer right from the get go...pity.

The story is simple. Three friends go out for a night on the town, including Alex (Monica Bellucci of Brotherhood of the Wolf) her current boyfriend Marcus (Vincent Cassel also of Brotherhood of the Wolf), and her ex-boyfriend Pierre (Albert Dupontel). Alex and Marcus engage in a brief verbal scuffle while at the party, and Alex leaves unattended, much to the chagrin of her ex. In a few brief moments Alex goes through a life altering change, as she is brutally raped and beaten (almost beyond recognition) in a tunnel. Pierre and Marcus then embark on a hot-tempered excursion of revenge when they discover what has happened. Like I said, simple enough, except for one minor detail. The entire story is told in reverse.

It's at this point that I want to set the record straight. I've heard them screaming the comparisons to Memento, a claim that is beyond my comprehension. I could make the same argument, every linear story is the same! Bullshit. Yes, the story unfolds in reverse, but that's where the comparison ends. Memento and Irreversible travel completely different paths and use the device for completely different reasons. 'Nuff said.

The beauty of Irreversible lies within its tight direction and extremely unique execution of the onscreen visuals. To some it may seem sloppy, but let it be known that you do not execute a flick like this by accident. The film opens with dark scenes and erratic camera movement (keep in mind, this is really the end of the film). Although it may be hard to distinguish some of the onscreen action we know exactly what's happening. From the start the whole experience is disorienting and the viewer feels as if he/she has lost control completely. As the film progresses and we get closer to the "start" of the story the execution shifts from erratic and unstable to the complete opposite. calm and clear. Fewer edits and hardly any camera movement at all take hold, things are much calmer now, because the worst has yet to come. From the end to the beginning (or beginning to the end) there is a definite shift in color, editing, and camera movement and most impressive, the films score. We travel from a world of droning low notes to the high-pitched strings of a full orchestra. As the characters worlds open back up, so does ours.

I suppose I couldn't talk about Irreversible without a mention of the controversy. While there are many scenes in the film that are tough to watch, there are two in particular that really have people talking. One involves an extremely brutal beating to the face that is no doubt excessive and about as real as cinema violence gets. The other scene involves the brutal rape and beating of poor Alex, which is guaranteed to be one of the most gut wrenching scenes of cinematic depravity you have ever seen...definitely not easy to watch.

Not only is Irreversible one of the best films I have seen this year, it's one of the most cinematically pleasing films I have seen in the past ten. This is a world in which the villains end up as the good guys and you'll hate yourself for loving them. Highly recommended.

Thumbs up.