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Irreversible

Original title: Irréversible
  • 2002
  • Not Rated
  • 1h 37m
IMDb RATING
7.3/10
156K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
40
340
Irreversible (2002)
Trailer
Play trailer1:33
4 Videos
99+ Photos
Psychological DramaPsychological ThrillerTragedyCrimeDramaMysteryThriller

Events over the course of one traumatic night in Paris unfold in reverse-chronological order.Events over the course of one traumatic night in Paris unfold in reverse-chronological order.Events over the course of one traumatic night in Paris unfold in reverse-chronological order.

  • Director
    • Gaspar Noé
  • Writer
    • Gaspar Noé
  • Stars
    • Monica Bellucci
    • Vincent Cassel
    • Albert Dupontel
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • IMDb RATING
    7.3/10
    156K
    YOUR RATING
    POPULARITY
    40
    340
    • Director
      • Gaspar Noé
    • Writer
      • Gaspar Noé
    • Stars
      • Monica Bellucci
      • Vincent Cassel
      • Albert Dupontel
    • 829User reviews
    • 179Critic reviews
    • 51Metascore
  • See production info at IMDbPro
    • Awards
      • 3 wins & 13 nominations total

    Videos4

    Bande-annonce [OV]
    Trailer 1:29
    Bande-annonce [OV]
    Trailer [OV]
    Trailer 1:50
    Trailer [OV]
    Trailer [OV]
    Trailer 1:50
    Trailer [OV]
    Irreversible
    Trailer 1:50
    Irreversible
    Irreversible
    Trailer 1:33
    Irreversible

    Photos116

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    + 111
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    Top cast23

    Edit
    Monica Bellucci
    Monica Bellucci
    • Alex
    • (as Bellucci)
    Vincent Cassel
    Vincent Cassel
    • Marcus
    • (as Cassel)
    Albert Dupontel
    Albert Dupontel
    • Pierre
    • (as Dupontel)
    Philippe Nahon
    Philippe Nahon
    • L'homme
    • (as Nahon)
    Jo Prestia
    Jo Prestia
    • Le Tenia
    • (as Prestia)
    Stéphane Drouot
    • Stéphane
    • (as Drouot)
    Jean-Louis Costes
    • Fistman
    • (as Costes)
    Mick Gondouin
    Mick Gondouin
    • Mick
    • (as Gondouin)
    Mourad Khima
    • Mourad
    • (as Khima)
    Layde Hellal
    • Layde
    • (as Hellal)
    Dominique Nato
    • Commissaire
    • (as Nato)
    Michel Fesche
    • Chauffeur Taxi
    • (as Fesche)
    Victoria Jaramillo
    • Concha
    • (as Jaramillo)
    Jean-Yves Le Quellec
    • Inspecteur
    • (as Le Quellec)
    Isabelle Giami
    • Copine d'Alex enceinte
    • (as Giami)
    Fatima Adoum
    Fatima Adoum
    • Fatima
    • (as Adoum)
    Janice Foulaux
    • Janice
    • (as Foulaux)
    Stéphane Derdérian
    Stéphane Derdérian
    • Client du Rectum
    • (uncredited)
    • Director
      • Gaspar Noé
    • Writer
      • Gaspar Noé
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

    User reviews829

    7.3155.5K
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    Featured reviews

    8Xstal

    Brutal...

    There aren't many films that make you feel uncomfortable, ill at ease and as uneasy as this one does, and there aren't many film directors who can achieve that result. Gaspar Noé however, has made a career out of presenting the reality we don't want to see, and with Irreversible he leaves you under no illusion of the torment, torture, distress and agony that can be inflicted on one person by another, with the resulting effects creating monsters out of otherwise rational and reasonable individuals. The acting and performances are outstanding, the editing and cinematography as disorientating as the events of the night dictate, and are sublime. The lines we walk between contentment and chaos exposed with shock and awe, leaves you thinking about your own existence and what might be around the next corner, with little or nothing you can do to prevent it.
    8Coventry

    Hits you in the face like a ten ton hammer!

    Holy Macaroni! Believe the hype, folks...this really IS one of the most shocking, confronting and raw movies ever made! It actually is one of those rare purchases that makes you wonder what the role of cinema is in modern society. Irréversible certainly can't be classified as 'entertainment', that's for sure. It merely looks like a brutal eye-opener, highly unpleasant to watch at times and it sometimes makes you even feel ashamed to be human! Some of the stuff here goes beyond your most feared nightmares and could easily provoke depression, anti-social behavior and anxiety among influential viewers. It's real-life drama and that makes it so powerful and shocking. Irréversible is told backwards, 'Memento'-style if you wish...only it's a lot more effective here as it was in Memento, which actually was a pretty boring and extremely overrated movie. This very simple backwards-structure aspect gives Irréversible the opportunity to implement a couple of unique and rarely seen style elements. The first half hour (which actually is the end of the story) smacks you in the face right away sets the tone for a non-stop, raw experience. Also, you don't really get to know the characters until the last chapter (which is actually the beginning of the film) The characters are a riddle to you constantly and you can't symphatise with any of them, since you just know too little. Through wild camera movements and simplistic techno-music, a claustrophobic and horrifying atmosphere gets created and the violence is really hard to digest. The infamous scene in which Monica Belluci brutally gets raped is one of the most perverted things I've ever seen. It seems to go on forever and you can really visiualise the painful hell the poor girl is going through. I'd call Irréversible a successful combination of ancient, rough exploitation and modern art-house film-making. The brutality portrayed here is typical for the euro-shock cinema but the stylish shooting lifts it up to Cannes Festival material. Cult as pure as it comes!
    7Lois_lane18

    Unforgiving Cinema

    Gaspar Noé's Irreversible doesn't seek comfort or catharsis. It disorients, suffocates, and refuses to let up. The relentless rotating shots were meant to trap the viewer in chaos, but for me, they were more exhausting than immersive. Instead of pulling me deeper, they pushed me away, making the experience feel more frustrating than absorbing. It was overwhelming in a way that felt more like a test of patience than a narrative choice.

    Nothing is softened or made palatable. Some scenes are so deeply disturbing they feel impossible to endure, but that is the intent. Noé refuses to let the worst of humanity be ignored, dragging reality into the light where it cannot be brushed aside. The reverse chronology settled in naturally after a while. If anything, it made the tragedy hit harder. Watching time strip away the horror, revealing warmth and love underneath, carried a quiet cruelty. Within a single day, life offers both its most beautiful and most devastating moments, and there is no way to change the order in which they arrive.
    8CTzen

    A sad, depressing movie.

    A lot has been said about this movie. Yes, there are a couple of brutal and violent scenes. It's even hard to watch at times, but Irreversible is much more than that.

    I personally think that the acting is great. There's a natural chemistry between the 3 main characters. Monica Bellucci does a wonderful job as Alex. I give her a lot credit for being involved in such difficult role.

    I really like the way the story was told. Some people say that it's a rip off of Memento, and that it doesn't work well in this movie, but I have to disagree. The movie "starts" in a dark way, with a lot of graphic images and violence. But at the end there's this kind of peace, a little dose of happiness..."the calm before the storm". It works really well, and that's what make this a really sad story.

    I really recommend this film. But like I said before, it can be hard to watch. Just watch it with an open mind and give it a try.
    8terrazygotes-30881

    Brutal Realism

    For me, the importance of this film, is that it shows the sickening reality of violence. So many movies, especially American ones, have people being killed left and right, but the violence is very unrealistic, with little consequence to the characters. The violence here is gritty, brutal and sickening just like my experience of real, close-up and personal violence. There is no concern for the feelings or well-being of others just a savage, out of control bloodlust and desire for destruction. The seedy sexual situations, make the brutality all the more repulsive.

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    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      After the film's premiere in Cannes, the audience sat in almost complete silence until the next movie was scheduled to start.
    • Goofs
      When Alex is in the bed with her boyfriend and they get up to dance, the whole film crew is mirrored on the glass of the window.
    • Quotes

      Philippe: Time destroys everything.

    • Crazy credits
      As would be expected of a film that runs backwards, the "end credits" appear at the beginning of the film and scroll in reverse. There are no credits or studio logos at the end of the film, only the title card "Le temps détruit tout" ("Time destroys everything").
    • Alternate versions
      A new version, called "Irréversible - Inversion Intégrale" ("Irréversible - Straight Cut" in English), was screened in 2019 at the 76th annual Venice International Film Festival. It has been recut to put the narration in chronological order.
    • Connections
      Featured in Zomergasten: Episode #18.6 (2005)
    • Soundtracks
      Symphony No. 7 in A Major op. 92
      Written by Ludwig van Beethoven (as Beethoven)

      Koka Media

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    FAQ20

    • How long is Irreversible?Powered by Alexa
    • What is the meaning of the sequence of flashing lights at the end?

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • May 22, 2002 (France)
    • Country of origin
      • France
    • Languages
      • French
      • Spanish
      • Italian
      • English
    • Also known as
      • Irréversible
    • Filming locations
      • Buttes Chaumont, Paris 19, Paris, France(subway station)
    • Production companies
      • 120 Films
      • Canal+
      • Eskwad
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    • Gross US & Canada
      • $803,491
    • Opening weekend US & Canada
      • $60,086
      • Mar 9, 2003
    • Gross worldwide
      • $6,490,733
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Tech specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      1 hour 37 minutes
    • Color
      • Color
    • Sound mix
      • DTS
      • Dolby Digital

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