Heartless

Plot

Jamie Morgan, a young man with a large heart-shaped birthmark on his face, discovers that there are demons on the streets of East London.

Release Year: 2009

Rating: 6.1/10 (4,149 voted)

Critic's Score: 58/100

Director:
Philip Ridley

Stars: Jim Sturgess, Clémence Poésy, Noel Clarke

Storyline
Jamie Morgan, a young man with a large heart-shaped birthmark on his face, discovers that there are demons on the streets of East London.

Cast:

Jim Sturgess
–

Jamie Morgan

Clémence Poésy
–

Tia

Noel Clarke
–

A.J.

Luke Treadaway
–

Lee Morgan

Justin Salinger
–

Raymond Morgan

Fraser Ayres
–

Vinnie

Ruth Sheen
–

Marion Morgan

David Florez
–

Local Resident #1

(as Dave Florez)

Nikita Mistry
–

Belle

Timothy Spall
–

George Morgan

Connie Hyde
–

Linda

Nadia Theaker
–

Charlie

David Sibley
–

Sociologist

Imogen Church
–

News Reporter

Joseph Mawle
–

Papa B

Taglines:
The darker it gets the more you see

Details

Official Website:
Official site |

Release Date: 19 November 2010

Filming Locations: East London, London, England, UK

Box Office Details

Budget: $5,000,000

(estimated)

Opening Weekend: $2,033
(USA)
(21 November 2010)
(1 Screen)

Gross: $2,033
(USA)
(21 November 2010)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

114 min

Did You Know?

Trivia:

Philip Ridley's first film in 15 years. Ridley spent the intervening years writing plays and children's books.

Quotes:

[first lines]

Lee Morgan:
Good morning, Uncle Jamie.

Jamie Morgan:
How many times do I got to tell you that when the red light is on, that means I'm developing!

User Review

demons of the mind

Rating:


Ridley's first film in way too many years is a dark urban fairytale
about a young photographer who encounters murderous demons on the
streets of London. Firstly, I have to admit to being a huge fan of
Ridley's work and The Reflecting Skin is in my personal Top 10 movies
of all time, so I have to say I loved this genre-playing horror film.

Heartless is, to my mind, Ridley's most conventional film to date as it
is the first truly genre-based film he has made, but, underneath the
conventions of the horror film we find his usual philosophical musings
on death, beauty, existentialism, good and evil, chaos and the
individual's struggle to make sense of the world.

Heartless is a step towards the mainstream for Ridley and that may well
be its commercial undoing; too "mainstream" genre for the art-house
crowd, too cerebral for the thrill loving multiplex gore-hound.

Ultimately, this is a serious film, a dark and often beautiful film
that haunts the mind after viewing and already demands a second viewing
of me to unravel some of its dark mysteries. Intelligent, moving,
sometimes shocking and occasionally funny this is an engrossing and
enjoyable piece of work that gives food for thought as well as an
entertaining ghost train of a ride. Approach this one with an open mind
and you will be rewarded with a strong contemporary horror film with
some real depth and intelligence.