Lionsgate Films has had some hits (“Saw,” “The Hunger Games,” “Twilight”) and some stinkers (virtually everything else). The 2009 Jonas Akerlund and Michael Bay horror film “Horsemen” falls into the latter.
“Horsemen” starts with an interesting premise, borrowing plot themes from the classic ‘90s thriller “Se7ev.” Detective Aidan Breslin (Dennis Quaid) is investigating a series of gruesome murders in which the killer is representing the biblical prophecies of the four horsemen of the apocalypse. The widowed Breslin has recently become distant from his two sons and falling into a pit of despair and emptiness that he seemingly cannot avoid.
While investigating one of the murders, Breslin meets the victims adopted daughter Kristen (Zhang Ziyi) and vows to do his best to solve the crime. As Breslin goes about searching for the killer, he uncovers a deeper rooted mystery than he originally envisioned.
“Horsemen” features brief appearances by some great character actors, including Peter Stormare, Patrick Fugit, and Eric Balfour. Despite this, the primary characters are developed and presented in a typical and predictable way. Quaid’s Breslin is the typical career detective – hardened by his life but resolved to his work, and seemingly the only one in the entire police force that has any common sense whatsoever. And any casual observer can predict the eventual story arc of Kristen from the moment she appears on screen.
Unlike “Se7en,” “Horsemen” takes a somewhat interesting plot concept and turns it into a gruesome stomach turning display of corpses and crime scenes and in effect wrecks whatever intrigue in the story one may have – which is to be expected whenever Michael Bay becomes involved.
You won’t be scared at all, you’ll be bored. 89 minutes into the 90 minute film and you’ll be begging for a real life apocalypse to put you out of your misery.
by – Matt Christopher
