This appears to be one of those, you love it or hate it, films. Little room for those taking the middle path here. On the surface, you could say it is just one more Hollywood revenge movie, and as such, a manipulative piece of work that spends most of its screen time setting up the villain for the pay off at the end. And of course, there is the heavy use of sexually explicit scenes and language which seem to offend many people, even more than the brutality and violence.
On the other hand, the whole thing makes perfect sense as a depiction of the criminal class and of a smart, but lazy young woman who gets caught up in that world, in part because she likes the cheap thrills it offers her.
And then it turns pretty convincingly into a story of brutal domestic violence and how the girl sets out to defend herself, using the tools she has at her disposal, namely her own sexuality.
It is a shocking film, though, not for the faint hearted and I have to admit the big scene of domestic violence was almost too much to take.
------------------- spoiler alert ------------------
Some question the final pay back and why it happened the way it did. Why didn't Kat just have Big Al whacked? The answer for me is that he had to be alive so he could realize she was paying him back. She needed to do it that way to get her self respect back.
Although in places its hard to watch, this is a brilliant movie with very strong performances, but none stronger than Milla Jovovich's. She is simply a remarkable actress willing to take enormous risks. I did not discover her myself until "Ultraviolent" which I loved, in large part due to the absolute conviction she was able to bring to the role of a comic book super hero. She did just as well with her role as a small time, street hustler's girlfriend in .45. See it!
On the other hand, the whole thing makes perfect sense as a depiction of the criminal class and of a smart, but lazy young woman who gets caught up in that world, in part because she likes the cheap thrills it offers her.
And then it turns pretty convincingly into a story of brutal domestic violence and how the girl sets out to defend herself, using the tools she has at her disposal, namely her own sexuality.
It is a shocking film, though, not for the faint hearted and I have to admit the big scene of domestic violence was almost too much to take.
------------------- spoiler alert ------------------
Some question the final pay back and why it happened the way it did. Why didn't Kat just have Big Al whacked? The answer for me is that he had to be alive so he could realize she was paying him back. She needed to do it that way to get her self respect back.
Although in places its hard to watch, this is a brilliant movie with very strong performances, but none stronger than Milla Jovovich's. She is simply a remarkable actress willing to take enormous risks. I did not discover her myself until "Ultraviolent" which I loved, in large part due to the absolute conviction she was able to bring to the role of a comic book super hero. She did just as well with her role as a small time, street hustler's girlfriend in .45. See it!