Christian (Peter Marshall) is a grieving father of daughter Jesse who was found dead from an overdose. Soon after, Christian receives a parcel containing a pornographic video featuring his daughter, who seems too drugged up to realise what is happening. A father’s rage soon turns into a path of bloody destruction as Christian seeks answers and vengeance.

During his journey of epic brutality, Christian reluctantly picks up Alice (Caroline Marohasy), a young runaway like his daughter, who is completely unaware of Christian‘s mission. A bond soon develops and it is this as well as the flashbacks of Jesse’s childhood which brings Christian’s softer side to the forefront.

Although The Horseman comes across as a horror film, it is truly a revenge thriller. Compare it to grizzly movies such as Hostel and the Saw franchise, the violence is pretty concealed. Yes, there is a lot of blood and squeamish violence, but not so much that you feel queasy or want to dive under the covers (or is that just me who does that?). Some may feel the violence is a little gratuitous under the circumstances but you still find yourself rooting for Christian, especially towards the end of the film.

Marshall’s performance is full of emotion and certainly packs a punch. This is a father full of rage and determination which sees him push his body to its absolute limits to fulfil his mission. There are no smooth Jet Li moves here. It’s rough, gritty and a lot of the time a bit scrappy. Despite the barrage of violence it never suffocates the story or emotion involved.

Steven Kastrissios’ first bash as a film maker is pretty convincing. There are a few editing issues but this is to be expected from the restricted film budget. Let’s hope there is more to come…