Heartless (2009) - Movie Review

Heartless is a 2009 Supernatural Thriller from England. The 114 minute film is part supernatural, part psychological and all thriller. The menacing cover art first attracted my attention. I was pleased with the film, which was a fairly solid piece of cinema, but could have been better.

Jamie Morgan (Jim Sturgess) is somewhat of a loner. He lives with his mother (Ruth Sheen) in her flat. His father (Timothy Spall) died before the events we are about to witness. Jamie learned his love for photography from his father. If you change an angle, your whole perception shifts. Sometimes what you see simply needs a different look. This is true for photography as well as important life lessons.

Jamie has a unique perspective. A large, heart-shaped birthmark over his left eye has doomed him to a life of ridicule. He is hyper sensitive to his birthmark. When a series of strange events (people disappearing, bodies dismembered, graffiti, etc) strikes his neighborhood, Jamie's interest is piqued. He ends up striking an eerie deal with the devil. In exchange for losing his birthmark, Jamie will create chaos. But he might have bitten off more than he can chew. While he finally finds love in the form of a delivery girl (Tia, played by Clemence Poesy) it appears life might be finally looking brighter. Then the darkness hits and Jamie must confront his demons.

Heartless is not a feel-good movie. From start to finish it is a very dark film that digs into the recesses of our own forbidden thoughts. The characters are decent, but not particularly complex. The story moves at a sluggish pace at times, but it seems to be a setup. The Director (Philip Ridley) lulls the audience to sleep with the pacing at times, only to shock them back to reality with frightening bursts of action. It creates an awkward tension that actually kept me on edge in spite of the slow stretches. The dialogue was okay, but the believable factor was not there for me. The story is contrived and leaves plenty of gaps unexplained. It is a solid foundation for a film but could use some tweaking.

I was familiar with a few of the actors. Sheen was in a film called Another Year that made this film feel like a whirlwind. The former was horribly slow. While I thought that film was rather average, Sheen's performance was excellent. We don't see much of her in Heartless, but what little we see is superb. Spall was in the Oscar film The King's Speech, but I first remember him from Pierrepoint: The Last Hangman. Spall was brilliant in another very limited role. I first took note of Sturgess in Across the Universe which was a movie based on Beatle's songs. The young actor wasn't the best vocalist but delivered an awesome performance. He was great yet again. He carries this film and gave his character an unsettling quality that created a nice edge. Poesy was okay, but didn't necessarily bowl me over. As a whole, the cast kept the film interesting.

Heartless was not rated by the MPAA. It would certainly earn an R simply for the violence. This film is not only filled with gore, it is done with eerily convincing special effects. There is a scene where a live head is eaten by the devil. It was a weird scene to watch and would most definitely frighten young children. Heck, I was disturbed by it. The film includes murders with extreme violence. Stabbing, shooting and immolation are among the graphic killings depicted. The film also has some sexual themes to include a sex scene. However, I do not recall any nudity. Strong language rounds out the questionable material. The film is intense and might be better kept to at least a teenage audience.

I enjoyed Heartless. It wasn't perfect, but it was tense. I can forgive some of the sluggishness because it helped set up the "boo" scenes that keep you off balance. The acting was strong as was the dialogue. The plot has some holes that were never fully explained. The character development could have been improved as well. The film didn't end positively, which is not necessarily a knock on the approach. But after all of the drama, a happy ending would have been nice. Heartless is a worthwhile thriller that is more shock effect than story at times. Worth catching on a free stream on a rainy day. 6.5/10.