The Horseman

It's mean and upsetting, but though the cruelty may undermine the message of vengeance breeding vengeance, it's never presented as slickly enjoyable or a facile solution.

A gritty, uncompromising thriller...

a hard-hitting, sympathy-confounding thriller that painfully interrogates our own muddled feelings about the sex industry, retribution, and the limits of love, fatherly or otherwise - with an electrifying performance from Marshall.

It offers better performances than you usually find in a bloodthirsty flick such as this, and heralds the debut of an exciting new filmmaker. The Horseman is for those who like their revenge films unburdened by emotional complexity.

For all the rough edges, and perhaps because of them, The Horseman is compelling voyeurism, and the two leads are near on perfect.

Marshall's performance, as the desperate, driven father, is striking; it gives the film an emotional centre without ever diminishing the horror of his character's actions.

Certainly The Horseman is a calling card for Kastrissios' skills as a filmmaker; one just hopes he doesn't make The Horseman 2.

Steve Kastrissios announces himself as one to watch with this very good thriller, which is smart, relentless and makes the most of it's limitations.

The Horseman is utterly repulsive and beautiful at the same time, shot skillfully with varying degrees of shutter-speed adding to the hazy depth of Christian's mental fracture.

A riveting revenge thriller, this debut by Steven Kastrissios seems certain to set him on a career path similar to one started by Greg McLean after his debut, Wolf Creek, as a calling card to attract international attention

The Horseman is a gripping revenge film with an incredible kinetic energy.

For such a film, The Horseman is too short of flair - there's not enough of it to distract us from the nastiness.