The Horseman

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.

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

Unless you're a fan of the whole 'torture porn' genre, you'd be hard-pressed to actually enjoy it.

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.

For a revenge thriller, The Horseman strays dangerously close to "torture porn" territory, but it's so well made that you're almost willing to excuse the gratuitous close-ups.

A rugged, badass tale of revenge.

Unfortunately Kastriossios' direction ultimately buckles under the weight of horror cliché expectation as he ups the action ante to almost hysterical effect. It would have been better if he had held his horses, as it were.

A gritty, uncompromising thriller...

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.