Few scenes of violence in a movie have caused as much controversy - and even outrage - as those seen in Irreversible, Gaspar Noe's unraveling of time and fate in reverse chronological order, in which misdirected revenge for a brutal rape forms the opening sequence. They are scenes which even the most unphased viewer struggles to watch without wanting to look away. While the rape scene is the more disturbing, the opening revenge attack which it triggers is arguably the most graphic beatdown in the history of cinema. Taking place in a sordid sadomasochistic club known as The Rectum, it begins with the protagonist Marcus (Vincent Cassel, having his arm snapped, before his friend steps in to his aid with the assistance of a fire extinguisher, which he proceeds to beat down repeatedly on the attacker's head. Noe's camera remains unflinching as each blow smashes his skull and face apart until nothing remains but a bloody mess. Watching this making of clip, in which the effects man explains how the scene was accomplished, does little to strip it of its shock value. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y-PnrL-uw0w Agree or disagree with the choices on this list? Which brutal movie beatdowns do you think we missed out? Why not let us know in the comments below?
