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.

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.

I have been watching movies for decades, and as far as I remember, only three movies have disturbed me. The first one was `Soldier Blue', when I was a teenager, explicitly showing the massacre of the American Indians. Later, in 1982, `Sophie's Choice', when a mother has to decide which son shall remain alive. `Irreversible', which I saw yesterday, was the third one. The storyline is very simple: In Paris, a young couple goes to a party with a friend by subway. They discuss, and the woman decides to return back home alone. She is violently raped in an underground passage. Her husband and her friend decide to make justice by themselves. What makes the difference in this polemic movie? First of all, like in `Memento', the story is presented backwards, in a reverse chronology, from the credits to the beginning. Although not being original, unfolded this way, the story shocks much more. Then, the cruelty of at least two very explicit scenes (the rape of Alexandra and the aggression and crime of Pierre in the gay night-club) are amazingly well choreographed and real. The beginning of the film, with the camera spinning randomly, and a weird soundtrack, makes the viewer sick and so disoriented and disturbed as Marcus, the character of Vincent Cassel. Therefore, technically this film is outstanding. The performance of the cast and the direction, photography and soundtrack are stunning. Living in Rio de Janeiro, a violent city, the story is very real and scary, and that is why it shakes up more than a horror movie. We never believe that this situation may happen to ourselves or to our friends, but the daily newspaper shows many similar examples. The idea of the irreversibility of time and its destruction, the same way of the lives of the characters in this movie, is fantastic. Certainly a very sensitive person will be sick and will not like this movie. The box of the DVD should advise that this story is recommended to a specific audience. My vote is eight.

Title (Brazil): `Irreversível' (`Irreversible')