Featured Audience Ratings

• Cynthia S

  
  The first 2/3'rds of this movie was very interesting, different, and unusually intriguing. After that, however, it took a nose dive into "huh?". I wasn't at all getting where they decided to take the story..what happened, why it happened, or what any of it meant.… More
  The first 2/3'rds of this movie was very interesting, different, and unusually intriguing. After that, however, it took a nose dive into "huh?". I wasn't at all getting where they decided to take the story..what happened, why it happened, or what any of it meant. Too bad....

• Bruce B

  
  A British thriller about a young man who has a birthmark across his face and body, everyone stares at him as shun's him no matter what he does or where he goes, father dead passing on the hobby of Photography to him. While out shooting pictures he stumbles across so deamon like… More
  A British thriller about a young man who has a birthmark across his face and body, everyone stares at him as shun's him no matter what he does or where he goes, father dead passing on the hobby of Photography to him. While out shooting pictures he stumbles across so deamon like creachters. We would also do anything to be loved by a beautiful girl. Doing anything means making a pact with the devil, the pact is he must kill someone once a month or face the consequecis. Pretty good thriller, 3 1/2 stars

• Jakey L

  
  Heartless is the B-Movie Arthouse film that takes on a unique interpretation to one's sense of reality with bizarre details both in production design and the protagonist's outlook. This imaginative script has the potential to go more deeply in to it's essence of darker… More
  Heartless is the B-Movie Arthouse film that takes on a unique interpretation to one's sense of reality with bizarre details both in production design and the protagonist's outlook. This imaginative script has the potential to go more deeply in to it's essence of darker urban horror and psychological feats. But nonetheless, it's a good watch of a thriller that nowadays are lacking.

• Greg S

  
  Jamie, a photographer with a disfiguring birthmark sees demons on the streets of London, then is drawn into a Faustian deal with a sinister character known as "Papa B." Ambitious in scope with some effective scenes (especially the scene where Jamie first strikes the Hellish… More
  Jamie, a photographer with a disfiguring birthmark sees demons on the streets of London, then is drawn into a Faustian deal with a sinister character known as "Papa B." Ambitious in scope with some effective scenes (especially the scene where Jamie first strikes the Hellish bargain with Papa B), but the mix of dramatic character study, social commentary, surrealism, and horror movie cliches doesn't always gel.

• Bannan i

  
  Review TBC.

• Conner R

  
  I don't know why I was so excited to see this, but it's really just not good. It has a nice concept, if you can call it that, but the amateurish directing fails to capture the actors good side. It's almost like he purposefully made these people look like they were… More
  I don't know why I was so excited to see this, but it's really just not good. It has a nice concept, if you can call it that, but the amateurish directing fails to capture the actors good side. It's almost like he purposefully made these people look like they were giving bad performances. It's sad when a British Superstar like Jim Sturgess is taken down by a poor execution and skill. This should be something that is essential to a director and cinematographer; performance over a comfortable or easy position. The story itself could have been really good if it was handled better, but the mood was all over the place and it tended to fall on the melodramatic side for no particular reason.

• KJ P

  
  This film made me feel like I had absolutely no heart, riding along with this brutally psychological story of a man who is born with a heart shaped birth mark, separating him from the likes of everyone around him. He has been isolated his entire life, and as he grows older, the only… More
  This film made me feel like I had absolutely no heart, riding along with this brutally psychological story of a man who is born with a heart shaped birth mark, separating him from the likes of everyone around him. He has been isolated his entire life, and as he grows older, the only people he has to turn to are his family members, who are the only ones who understand his condition. As his mom is murdered right in front of his eyes by a group of masked thugs, he takes a ride to the main floor down an elevator, but ends up stopping on a random floor. He is sent a picture message telling him which door to enter in the hallway. As he enters he is given a deal which would in the long run mean that he must write words against God, as graffiti on a wall, once every two months. The upside is that his birth marks will be removed. Word of caution: expect the unexpected. This film is insanely twisted and is definitely not for everyone. I was shaking during my viewing of this film and the impact that such a small film can have is astonishing to me. I was pulled in on what was one of the biggest suspense-filled horror rides I have witnessed in years. I felt every emotion given off by each and every character, and once this film hit the halfway mark, I was in belief that I was no longer watching a film. When a film can do that, you know it is brilliant. Heartless just may be one of the best suspense/horror flicks that I have ever seen!

• Film C

  
  i cant say i actally understoood ths movie, maybe thats because i lost interest about half way in as it is slow paced. Eddie Marsan who actually stole the show as weapons man but only had 5minutes in the entire movie so that was a shame! I may have to give this movie a second chance… More
  i cant say i actally understoood ths movie, maybe thats because i lost interest about half way in as it is slow paced. Eddie Marsan who actually stole the show as weapons man but only had 5minutes in the entire movie so that was a shame! I may have to give this movie a second chance i guess, the storyline was original and an interesting cooncept and i like it when movies are different so maybe worth the watch.

• Daniel M

  
  With the exception of John Landis, Stanley Kubrick and Terrence Malick, there are few directors who can go more than ten years between films and still deliver the magic. But now Philip Ridley can be added to that illustrious list with Heartless, which comes fifteen years after his… More
  With the exception of John Landis, Stanley Kubrick and Terrence Malick, there are few directors who can go more than ten years between films and still deliver the magic. But now Philip Ridley can be added to that illustrious list with Heartless, which comes fifteen years after his mesmerising fairy tale, The Passion of Darkly Noon. It doesn't take long to realise that Heartless is something very special. Its visuals are superb, capturing the East End of London as something both gritty and fantastical - think Michael Powell meets Kidulthood by way of Guillermo Del Toro. The familiar shots of council estates, graffiti and street lamps are married to eerie backstreets, dark alleyways and a blood-red sunrise, as if the natural and the supernatural were intertwined in a dance of death. But it's not just the streets that ripple with the unreal: Papa B's flat in a disused tower block resembles the Pale Man's dining room in Pan's Labyrinth. Heartless is a film in which fantasy and reality violently collide, in which demons and the forces of evil are not just coexisting with real life, but infiltrating and manipulating it. The film owes a great debt to the story of Faustus, with Joseph Mawle's sepulchral Papa B standing in for the Devil and a dead-pan, no-nonsense Eddy Marsden channelling Mephistopheles as Weapons Man. But although it shares the central premise and morals of Faustus - you can do anything you like, but be careful what you wish for - the film departs from the legend in the precise relationship between the Devil and his eventual prey. Jamie, played brilliantly by Jim Sturgess, does not inherit or possess any of the palpable magic that Faustus does when he signs over his soul. In fact, he gets much more of a rum deal, becoming as much a victim as everyone around him. Rather than being able to channel demonic power to live his life the way he wants, his life is at the mercy of chaos, and through his life the Devil's aim of greater horror and panic becomes reality. Heartless is suffused with Ridley's trademark blend of religious allegory and fairy tales, a combination that is every bit as seamless as the visual marriage of magic and grittiness. As a genre piece, the film is an interesting pairing of the streetwise dialogue of Kidulthood (a fair comparison considering the presence of Noel Clarke) with the more poetic sensibilities of Guillermo Del Toro or Clive Barker. It begins unevenly as all these unlikely elements struggle to weave together, but it doesn't take long for the effect to become hypnotic. Because of its links to horror artists and directors, Heartless references a number of individual horror films; Ridley takes the various touches which crop up and re-forges them into something new. The character of She, a heavily tattooed gangster with a claw for one hand, hints back to the killer in Candyman: as in both Clive Barker's story and the film by Bernard Rose, the character is either the physical vessel of some supernatural evil or one of the keys to determine where the characters' sanity lies. There are also strong references to A Nightmare on Elm Street, particularly the Freddie Krueger slashes across AJ's chest and the scenes of Jamie being hurled violently against the ceiling by an unseen evil. But by far the closest companion to Heartless is Ridley's previous film, The Passion of Darkly Noon. Both revolve around central characters with a deeply warped view of the world: Darkly Noon is a young man indoctrinated into a fundamentalist Christian cult, and Jamie is implied to have a history of mental illness. Christian imagery is prominent in both films: Jamie's house is full of icons belonging to his late mother, and in Papa B's flat the lampshades on the walls cast shadows resembling the shape of a cross. Both Heartless and The Passion of Darkly Noon begin on relatively realistic ground and then pull us headlong into a terrifying world which is equal parts fairy tale, horror and fantasy. In the case of Darkly Noon (featuring a career-best performance by Brendan Fraser), what starts off as a story about indoctrination and a blinkered worldview that stunts development turns into a Grimm's fairy tale about sex, witchcraft and a climactic clash of ideals which is worthy of The Wicker Man. We begin believing that one side is deluded, then the other side, until eventually we don't know who to trust and have to just lose ourselves in it. While Heartless never quite reaches the levels of transcendent, euphoric terror which Ridley achieved there, Jamie doesn't exactly make it easy for us. There are any number of terrifying, earth-shattering moments which will make even the seasoned horror fun curl into the foetal position and pray for it to end. The most terrifying of these comes where Jamie has to stab a male prostitute and cut out his heart while he is still alive. Having chosen his victim and brought him back to his flat, Jamie reluctantly wraps him in cling-film in what his victim perceives to be an elaborate homosexual ritual. When Jim Sturgess pulls out the knife and we hear the hooker's muffled screams, we are thrust right into the horror that character is experiencing; we tense up and start to panic, desperate to escape and yet knowing we can't look away. Scenes like this are cleverly counterpointed by imagery which occurs earlier in the film. The precise demands placed upon Jamie regarding the nature of the murder are a symbol of his own status: he must cut out the heart of another, for he no longer has a heart himself. While he is more than capable of physical or erotic love, his desire for friendship and platonic love is ebbing away. The cling-filming is counterpointed by the beautiful moment of Jamie emerging from the cocoon of his own burnt flesh, with his heart-shaped birthmark nowhere to be seen. One of the key images in Heartless is that of fire and immolation. Ridley shoots flame like another character, with its own personality and powers. Just as there is a double meaning to hearts in the film, so fire is the means of both our hero's transformation and destruction. When Papa B hands him the Molotov cocktail and Jamie sets himself alight, the fire is cleansing him of his old self, like a furnace removing impurities from metal. But in the final scene, fire becomes the means to briefly reunite with his dead father - only in destruction does Jamie realise what he truly wanted and whom he truly loved. The one real flaw with Heartless is its big final twist, in which we are shown what was real and what was not. On the one hand, it works brilliantly, with all the different parties corresponding to figures in the real world, and it does deliver a sucker punch as we realise what Jamie has actually done. But there's still something unsatisfying about it in the same way that Shutter Island was unsatisfying. Because of the way the film is played, it has to come down on one side or the other, when as with Scorsese's work the more radical and haunting choice would have been to leave us hanging. Despite this quibble, Heartless is a truly great film and a welcome return to the big screen for Philip Ridley. While it never quite lives up to The Passion of Darkly Noon, it is a really stunning piece of work with haunting visuals and brilliant performances. Jim Sturgess excels in the central role, amply supported by gripping turns from Noel Clarke and Joseph Mawle, whose scene together on the rooftop is really harrowing. One only hopes we don't have to wait another 15 years for Ridley to return to our screens.

• Emil K

  
  Oh boy, this is a total disaster from Philip Ridley, a director who is best remembered of his The Reflecting Skin and The Passion Darkly Noon. Those both films have their followers, and it is possible that Heartless could gain some cult-status too as a film, but in my opinion this is… More
  Oh boy, this is a total disaster from Philip Ridley, a director who is best remembered of his The Reflecting Skin and The Passion Darkly Noon. Those both films have their followers, and it is possible that Heartless could gain some cult-status too as a film, but in my opinion this is just clumsy filmmaking. It is a mess and odd mixture of different styles and ideas. Basically this could have worked, but Ridley loses his touch at the very first minutes into this film and never recovers. End result resembles a cheap horror-film that tries to be something artsy. Avoid this nonsense!

• Dean M

  
  Director Philip Ridley brings us a new style of horror. Mesmerizing and twisted, <i>Heartless</i> tries to appeal to our deepest senses - fear simply being one of them - by means of psychology. The "monster" in this so called horror drama, is not a monster at all… More
  Director Philip Ridley brings us a new style of horror. Mesmerizing and twisted, <i>Heartless</i> tries to appeal to our deepest senses - fear simply being one of them - by means of psychology. The "monster" in this so called horror drama, is not a monster at all but an inner pattern of what makes us humans; of what our feelings may turn us into. The performances were pretty good especially from Joseph Mawle, Eddie Marsan and his charismatic flavour and, of course, Jim Sturgess who proves once again that he is a British star on a dark sky. However I expected somewhat more from Clemence Poesy other than a lovely accent.

• Walter M

  
  In "Heartless," Jamie(Jim Sturgess) has been cursed since birth with a heart-shaped birthmark that scars half his face, dashing his dreams of being with a beautiful woman like Tia(Clemence Poesy). At least, he makes friends easily enough, like with A.J.(Noel Clarke), his… More
  In "Heartless," Jamie(Jim Sturgess) has been cursed since birth with a heart-shaped birthmark that scars half his face, dashing his dreams of being with a beautiful woman like Tia(Clemence Poesy). At least, he makes friends easily enough, like with A.J.(Noel Clarke), his new neighbor. And then there is Jamie's loving mother(Ruth Sheen) who accompanies him to the cemetery on the tenth anniversary of his father's(Timothy Spall) death, just before witnessing her burning to death at the hands of a vicious gang. Like Neil's Gaiman's 'Neverwhere' and Ben Aaronovitch's Peter Grant novels, "Heartless" shows a dark fantasy version of London that exists just below the surface, suggesting the world is really much weirder than we ever suspected. Plus, there is a good cast on hand, including three members of the Mike Leigh Repertory Company; of which Eddie Marsan has a scene stealing turn. But as creepy as the first half is, the movie turns increasingly campy in its second half. Come to think of it, except for thematically, both halves feel like different movies entirely. And it is not until a cop-out of an ending that everything gets linked together, however tenuously.

• Caesar M

  
  To me Jim Strugess is one those actors good unknown actors, and it's unfortunate too as he should really be big star for his performance in Heartless. Jamie Morgan (Jim Strugess), a young man with a large heart-shaped birthmark on his face, discovers that there are demons on… More
  To me Jim Strugess is one those actors good unknown actors, and it's unfortunate too as he should really be big star for his performance in Heartless. Jamie Morgan (Jim Strugess), a young man with a large heart-shaped birthmark on his face, discovers that there are demons on the streets of East London. So the story is unique and I enjoyed it allot. To bad some scenes drag out to long or are just completely unnecessary. The story has a good paced, but it's uneven at points, luckily Jim Struges gives his best performance even when the story is not as great as it could have been. Now the story could have been better, like it could have helped if some of the other important character got more developed and screen time. I wasn't exactly expecting special effect in this movie and the times it does use them are effective. The performance are good, though some actors don't actually give it there all and get into the characters they are playing. Heartless is a good movie with a story that could have been better, but it's flaws are tolerable thanks to Jim Strugess performance. I would recommend this movie, just don't expect to much from the story and it'll be a enjoyable movie.

• Ryan M

  
  7.5/10 Since deal-with-the-devil stories aren't particularly new or exciting (well, not anymore), it's actually quite surprising that "Heartless" turns out to be pretty darn good. It's an absurd film which often times treats itself as a… More
  7.5/10 Since deal-with-the-devil stories aren't particularly new or exciting (well, not anymore), it's actually quite surprising that "Heartless" turns out to be pretty darn good. It's an absurd film which often times treats itself as a comedy (if that's the intent), and at another moment, it's a solid horror film. It's never scary, per se, but it does have a good atmosphere going for it. As a mood piece, I'd say it's pretty great. But of course, there's the story to hold it back; and that's exactly what happens here. So "Heartless" is not without its many flaws, sure. I get that. But it's worth the watch anyways. I'll explain why. The film begins with Jamie (played by Jim Sturgess) walking around his crappy neighborhood, taking photos of just about anything he happens upon. He sees a freaky gang with demonic faces under the hoods. He runs, but crime soon follows. Soon, the gangs kill his mother, a neighborly friend, and many others. Violence is amuck, in this world, and Jamie is just trying to get through each day alive at this point. Did I mention he also bears a birth mark on his face? It renders him troubled and paranoid of his potential "ugliness". He thinks that he will never meet a girl who can love him because of this, which may or may not be true. So he consults a man who claims he can take all this ugliness away. The man asks only for vandalism and violence on command, in exchange for the removal of the birthmark(s). The trouble is that Jamie has recently fallen in love with a woman named Tia (Clemence Poesy), although she may be next on Jamie's master's list of things to execute. The film is nice to its audience. It's not simply a generic tale of redemption, fate, and pacts with the devil/devil-man. It's more than that. This is a superbly made film; flawlessly shot from start to finish, competently acted, and well-directed. As I said, the problems lie within the story; which is sometimes too absurd for its own good. And then there's the ending, which is heartfelt and sort of touching, but also pretentious in its intentions of making us "choose for ourselves" what the REAL ending is. I believe that only great films should be able to do that, and "Heartless" is not a great film, so there's that. However, I did say that I liked the movie, and it's not like I've changed my mind since then. This film is thoroughly entertaining whether it's being funny, attempting to be scary/horrific or not. I could have it either way; "Heartless" the dark comedy or "Heartless" the horror movie. I suppose this film answers this call by saying: why not have both? This is director Philip Ridley's first feature in fifteen years. While the work (and minor anticipation) pays off, this is just barely. There are flaws to this film, many of them crucial scars on the production. But the movie has its redeeming factors, such as its imaginative visuals of body-horror and CG (which isn't particularly awful, mind you), as well as its performances. Sturgess has had his better days, his worse days, and then he's had days like this: where he just can't decide, and has to wear his hood throughout. This film has appeal, if you're someone like me. And if you're not, then I don't know what to say. But "Heartless" is not heartless; it has a heart. It just doesn't beat for everyone.

• Christopher H

  
  Built on a solid base of fairly well-known actors and impressive work from art direction and make-up, Heartless successfully overcomes its low budget, intermittent weak plot, and graphic nature to remit a worthwhile horror film.

• Daniel P

  
  Brilliantly original horror film that grounds the occult in "realism" within a recognisable London. Jim Sturgess as Jamie is simply superb as an individual who has all his life felt that there was something wrong in the world he lives, and Joseph Mawle matches beat for beat… More
  Brilliantly original horror film that grounds the occult in "realism" within a recognisable London. Jim Sturgess as Jamie is simply superb as an individual who has all his life felt that there was something wrong in the world he lives, and Joseph Mawle matches beat for beat as the exceptionally disturbing Papa B. There are some strong scenes but nothing feels gratuitous, and the downbeat tone is pocketed with moments of absurd but truthful humour, the editing and photography is excellent and the original songs and very effective. Packed full of ideas, the only fault is perhaps over-ambition. Proof, if proof were needed, that indie UK cinema can produce some real gems - bags of talent here.

• Daisy M

  
  This movie wasn't what I expected. I am not a horror fan, which was the genre Heartless was labeled, but it turned to be something totally different and it was not bad at all. A poor sad boy Jamie had a disfiguring birth mark across half his face which made him be the victim of… More
  This movie wasn't what I expected. I am not a horror fan, which was the genre Heartless was labeled, but it turned to be something totally different and it was not bad at all. A poor sad boy Jamie had a disfiguring birth mark across half his face which made him be the victim of prejudice by the boys in the neighborhood. The movie brought in several emotions, displaying his desire for beauty and social acceptance and his lust for a better life, without his defect.I know that some viewers might not like the ending because of the twists, but I think that it suits perfectly. Some elements of this movie showed us the horrible demons of our lives, and the plot kept you guessing till the end. It was an original and unusual movie, provoking, with a terrific cast.

• Andrew P

  
  An interesting British film which seems slightly under-rated. Sturgess does a fantastic job as the paranoid teenager, with a story that takes twists and turns, totally worth a watch.

• Chris M

  
  <i>Heartless</i> drifts from horror to fantasy whilst offering genuine scares and edge of your seat tension from the outset.

• Barry L

  
  What an exceptional paranormal London based film. Is he mad, is it the devil? Who knows but the acting and the scenery which I actually reccognise for once was brilliant. Great film with an emotional twist which was nice. Marsan as the weapons guy was brillaint. Mawle as the devil was… More
  What an exceptional paranormal London based film. Is he mad, is it the devil? Who knows but the acting and the scenery which I actually reccognise for once was brilliant. Great film with an emotional twist which was nice. Marsan as the weapons guy was brillaint. Mawle as the devil was also very very good. Very unique story with very subtle effects which you have to look out carefully for.

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