ReaderKenka Let's be realistic.

Intcatinfo A Masterpiece!

Jenna Walter The film may be flawed, but its message is not.

Casey Duggan It’s sentimental, ridiculously long and only occasionally funny

DVD_Connoisseur I really wanted to like "Defenceless" but it's a movie that somehow isn't a sum of its parts. While the plot is relatively straightforward, the film's strength should come from its stylistic approach. This is a movie without dialogue - the powerful imagery conveys the tale, accompanied by a largely classical soundtrack.For gorehounds, there is some over-the-top violence. As with Savage's earlier "Marauders", some of this is taboo breaking but thankfully the more controversial deaths are off-screen.The beautiful Susanne Hausschmid is excellent as the lead, "The Woman". Without going into too much detail, this is a character who has to undergo a fair amount of torment, both physical and mental, during the course of the film. Hausschmid conveys what's going on in her mind brilliantly.Yet, despite its strengths, I was left feeling a tad empty after watching "Defenceless". I've not been able to warm to Savage's style.7 out of 10. Missing a certain something but an interesting exercise in cinema.

HumanoidOfFlesh A woman(Susanne Hausschmid)refuses to sell the property at any price to the land developers.Her ex-business partners turn her lifo into pure hell.Her husband is beaten to death,her lesbian lover is raped and murdered,her son is also killed and she herself suffers a brutal rape/murder at the hands of her tormentors,before she is resurrected and exacts her bloody revenge in the tradition of "I Spit on Your Grave"."Defenceless" is a brutal and evil film.There is truly sickening knife rape scene that may certainly upset some unprepared viewers.Also the rapist is castrated and has the genitals stuffed in its mouth in graphic detail.Susanne Hausschmid's performance is stunning and the cinematography by Mark Savage is beautiful.So if you are a fan of transgressive horror you can't miss this brutal assault on the viewer's senses.My highest recommendation.

samoldman This is going to polarize audiences because half the population out there hate nothing more than someone with a personal vision. The other half admire it. Reviews on here are positive so far, but this was slammed by Variety, and i can understand why. It's an unapologetic blend of high art and grotesque exploitation. You can't categorize it. The wife threatened to walk out of the Monday afternoon screening, but didn't make good on her threat. It took me a while to get comfortable with its dialog-free narrative, but I emerged a true admirer. The set-up is quite straightforward, although the complications mount. A woman, played by a beautiful Australian actress named Susanne Hausschmid (who was new to me), is murdered by real estate developers. She then takes revenge on them -- while dead. Yes, dead! Director Mark Savage hasn't made a film that will please all fans of bloody revenge movies because he's working from his own formula, not one thirty years old. The film has a strong French influence (a very Eric Rohmer-like seduction scene) and isn't possible to categorize. Is it horror? Partly. Is it art-house? Partly. For God's sakes, does it really matter? Do we have to know what it is? It's very different. And very explicit at times. Most importantly, it's highly individualistic. That's why it won't be loved by many. Nobody loves an orphan.

Stezza7 There's no real easy way to describe DEFENCELESS. Surely it's one of the most hypnotising, most brutal and savage films to see release in a long time. And that is terrific news. This is the way films of this genre should be made. Somewhere between true high-art and suspense, Savage manages to keep the viewer on the edge of their seats, using some breathtaking imagery and the amazing feat (these days) of no dialogue. Produced and filmed in a country which has no real support or backing for this kind of film, Savage has to be congratulated for such a fine job. Here's hoping he moves from strength to strength, and can bring further fine tales like this to the screen soon.