Events over the course of one traumatic night in Paris unfold in reverse-chronological order as the beautiful Alex is brutally raped and beaten by a stranger in an underpass tunnel.Events over the course of one traumatic night in Paris unfold in reverse-chronological order as the beautiful Alex is brutally raped and beaten by a stranger in an underpass tunnel.Events over the course of one traumatic night in Paris unfold in reverse-chronological order as the beautiful Alex is brutally raped and beaten by a stranger in an underpass tunnel.
- Awards
- 3 wins & 13 nominations
Monica Bellucci
- Alex
- (as Bellucci)
Vincent Cassel
- Marcus
- (as Cassel)
Albert Dupontel
- Pierre
- (as Dupontel)
Philippe Nahon
- L'homme
- (as Nahon)
Jo Prestia
- Le Tenia
- (as Prestia)
Stéphane Drouot
- Stéphane
- (as Drouot)
Jean-Louis Costes
- Fistman
- (as Costes)
Mick Gondouin
- Mick
- (as Gondouin)
Mourad Khima
- Mourad
- (as Khima)
Layde Hellal
- Layde
- (as Hellal)
Dominique Nato
- Commissaire
- (as Nato)
Michel Fesche
- Chauffeur Taxi
- (as Fesche)
Victoria Jaramillo
- Concha
- (as Jaramillo)
Jean-Yves Le Quellec
- Inspecteur
- (as Le Quellec)
Isabelle Giami
- Copine d'Alex enceinte
- (as Giami)
Fatima Adoum
- Fatima
- (as Adoum)
Janice Foulaux
- Janice
- (as Foulaux)
Stéphane Derdérian
- Client du Rectum
- (uncredited)
- Director
- Writer
- All cast & crew
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaThe first thirty minutes of the film has a background sound with a low frequency of 27 Hz which is almost infrasonic (this sounds like a rumble/vibration), similar types of noises are at times used by police to stop riots. According to Gaspar himself, this could only be heard in theaters (which usually have huge sound systems/subwoofers) and not from headphones or regular home theaters. In humans, this noise causes nausea, sickness, and vertigo. It was one of the reasons people walked out of screenings during the first part of the film. In fact, it was added by Thomas Bangalter (from the electronic music group Daft Punk) to get this reaction.
- GoofsAt the party Vincent Cassel gives his characters name as "Vincent" instead of "Marcus." He quickly covers his mistake and saves the scene.
- Crazy creditsAs would be expected of a film that runs backwards, the "end credits" appear at the beginning of the film and scroll in reverse. There are no credits or studio logos at the end of the film, only the title card "Le temps détruit tout" ("Time destroys everything").
- Alternate versionsA new version, called "Irréversible - Inversion Intégrale" ("Irréversible - Straight Cut" in English), was screened in 2019 at the 76th annual Venice International Film Festival. It has been recut to put the narration in chronological order.
- ConnectionsFeatured in Zomergasten: Episode #18.6 (2005)
Featured review
A sad, depressing movie.
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.
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.
helpful•20875
- CTzen
- Feb 8, 2004
Details
- Release date
- Country of origin
- Official site
- Languages
- Also known as
- Irréversible
- Filming locations
- Buttes Chaumont, Paris 19, Paris, France(subway station)
- Production companies
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
Box office
- Gross US & Canada
- $803,491
- Opening weekend US & Canada
- $60,086
- Mar 9, 2003
- Gross worldwide
- $6,490,733
- Runtime1 hour 37 minutes
- Color
- Sound mix
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