Heartless

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Heartless

Released Nov 19, 2010

1h 49m

Horror

Drama

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76%

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38 Reviews

47%

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10,000+ Ratings

Jamie Morgan, who was born with a heart-shaped birthmark on his face, discovers demons on the streets of East London.

Critics Consensus

Smart, well-acted, and unsettling, Heartless marks a mostly satisfying return to genre thrills for writer-director Philip Ridley.

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Anna Smith

metro.co.uk

Aside from performances, most of Heartless's faults could be explained away by its storyline but that doesn't make it any more entertaining in the moment. Still, it's an intriguing watch for fans of the genre.

Rated: 3/5

Aug 23, 2018

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Gary Goldstein

Los Angeles Times

A highly imaginative if often darkly disturbing work that even at its most seemingly outlandish remains intriguing and involving.

Rated: 3.5/5

Dec 9, 2010

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Kyle Smith

New York Post

"Heartless" is an uneasy mixture of B-movie shocks, social commentary and sentimentality that shows a potent imagination at work.

Rated: 2.5/4

Nov 19, 2010

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Nikki Baughan

Roll Credits

[W]ith its intelligent, gripping story, brilliant performances and assured direction, it's one of the best British films you'll see this year.

Rated: 5/5

Oct 28, 2019

Full Review

Shelagh Rowan-Legg

That Shelf

Ridley lets the darkness permeate the space and filter into his characters, who are unable to prevent their own hearts from being eaten alive.

May 18, 2018

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John Gholson

Cinematical

While ambitious, 'Heartless' derails in a big way, stacking the deck with weird moments intended to give it some kind of cult status, without considering that films specifically designed to be "cult" are rarely the ones that actually are.

Feb 9, 2012

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Alec B

It has scenes that work really well but it's also unrelentingly corny for a movie with this much violence

Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars

02/28/24

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Audience Member

Didn't like it that much. Plot is bad, but wachable.

Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars

02/11/23

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Audience Member

I'm mostly disappointed that some of the interesting elements of dark fantasy/ morality tale don't get further explored and instead turn into some incel romance that gets tied up too neatly at the end with parts of the story you weren't interested enough to care about. So it winds up feeling "huh?" Also, most of the great character acting talent is very wasted. Visually what they pulled off was impressive, but the poor script and story bog it all down.

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

01/30/23

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farah r

A missed opportunity to create a great fantasy horror. With a fairytale-like concept, Heartless could've been one of a kind in the genre had it been executed properly. instead it's a mess of silly twists and terrible acting.

Rated 1 out of 5 stars

03/30/23

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Audience Member

I loved Reflecting Skin and "in the eyes of Mr. Fury (book) so much and I really waited for this one, but it was disappointting in many ways. It felt like a BBC TV movie, the plot was predictable and the overall feeling was "oh no, Philip Ridley has lost it". Too much is happening all the time and the dialogue includes very embarrassing lines, for example when the main couple is talking about photography. I just buried my face in my hands...

Rated 1.5 out of 5 stars

02/07/23

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Audience Member

Didn't always get what all the symbology meant, but the movie is always engaging, with some great visuals. The Faustian take in it is pretty cool, even if it's a bit illogical.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

02/01/23

Full Review

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Philip Ridley

Director

Jim Sturgess

Jamie Morgan

Noel Clarke

A.J.

Timothy Spall

George Morgan

Clémence Poésy

Tia

Joseph Mawle

Papa B

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Synopsis

Jamie Morgan, who was born with a heart-shaped birthmark on his face, discovers demons on the streets of East London.

Director: Philip Ridley
Producer: Pippa Cross, Richard Raymond
Distributor: IFC Films
Production Co: Isle of Man Film, Matador Pictures
Genre: Horror, Drama
Original Language: British English
Release Date (Theaters): Nov 19, 2010, Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Sep 1, 2016
Box Office (Gross USA): $2.0K
Runtime: 1h 49m
Sound Mix: Dolby Digital