Events over the course of one traumatic night in Paris unfold in reverse-chronological order as the beautiful Alex is brutally raped and beaten by a stranger in the underpass. Her boyfriend and ex-lover take matters into their own hands and subsequently seek revenge upon the assailant. A simultaneously beautiful and terrible examination of the destructive nature of cause and effect, and how time destroys everything.
Fails because of its gratuitous rape and violence and also because of its pretentious and intellectually one-dimensional grounds, which make the violence at the end feel even worse.
– Desson Thomson,
Washington Post,
11 Apr 2003
fresh:
A genuine outlaw work of art.
– Stephen Hunter,
Washington Post,
11 Apr 2003
rotten:
There is nothing moral about Irreversible -- only sneeringly superior and nihilistic, like Johnny Rotten at his most fatuous.
– David Edelstein,
Slate,
22 Apr 2003
fresh:
A fascinating study in excess, a movie that seduces and repulses as it explores the merciless nature of fate.
– Bill Muller,
Arizona Republic,
24 Apr 2003
fresh:
Extremely difficult to endure, and if you choose to endure it, it could leave you feeling angry and upset. Nevertheless, this is serious filmmaking, and Noe is a gifted filmmaker.