Horsemen movie review

The Horsemen is a dark, suspenseful movie about detective Aiden Breslin (Dennis Quaid) who becomes involved in a bizarre serial killer case. Aiden is the typical detective who is so involved with his work that he's lost touch with his two sons, while also grieving over the death of his late wife. As he slowly realizes he needs to put more effort into keeping his family together, he's hit with a case that only forces him deeper into his work.

It seems that a group of people have taken inspiration from the biblical Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, and they are committing thematically appropriate murders. Can the killers be caught before their murderous plans are completed? Who are the four horsemen? If Aiden does what it takes to solve the mystery, will the remaining shreds of his family life crumble in the meantime?
 

Aiden's son Alex, played by Lou Taylor Pucci takes on the role of raising his younger brother Sean (Liam James) in his father's absence. Alex is perhaps affected the most by the loss of their mother due to his witnessing of her death. Alex repeatedly tries to do things with his father to keep the family together, only to be let down every time due to a case.

The performance of Dennis Quaid defines the tone of the proceedings. In Horsemen he brings a weary quality to his role. Here is a man who is tired, broken, hurting, and cynical. Every time he has to choose between his job and his family, the decision is a painful one. Despite this, he makes the exact same decision every single time. There are cases that need to be solved, there are people who are in danger, and somebody has to do something about it. Aiden lights up a cigarette, tosses on his overcoat and shuffles off once more into the cold, murderous world. It's good stuff, and Aiden is thoroughly convincing every step of the way. He carries the film through a handful of rather ludicrous moments, keeping everything very grounded at all times.

I wasn't a big fan of the way the natural muted tones contrasted with the more conventional horror-flick greens and reds, but the image is reasonably clear and crisp. 

There are plenty of elements that I just don't like about this movie. My biggest problem is the "message" of the movie. The mastermind behind the plans is murdering others due to a personal problem that many of us have faced. I agree that it is not an easy thing to deal with. But you know what? If you decide you need to gut ipeople just to express your pain, I have no sympathy for you. Various factors of life may make things more or less difficult, but ultimately each person is responsible for his or her own actions. The film does what it can to jerk tears from the audience during the final moments, but I felt nothing for the guilty party. At the conclusion, the killer gives someone a speech full of guilt-inducing lines like, "If only you had done this, none of this would have happened." I dunno. Maybe if you had been able to keep your murderous impulses in check despite your hurt feelings, none of this would have happened, mate. Idiots!

Finally, I should note that Zhang Ziyi gives a surprisingly terrible performance as one of the four horsemen (since she is captured early in the film and subjected to prison interrogations throughout the proceedings). Really all looks but really no talent.