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The Violent Heart

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1:34

The Violent Heart

Released Feb 19, 2021

1h 47m

Mystery & Thriller

Drama

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

53%

Tomatometer

17 Reviews

79%

Popcornmeter

Fewer than 50 Ratings

Fifteen years after the murder of his older sister, 24-year-old Daniel (2020 Emmy nominee Jovan Adepo) finds himself falling for Cassie (Grace Van Patten), an outgoing high school senior, in this Romeo & Juliet-style thriller set in the American heartland.

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Richard Roeper

Chicago Sun-Times

...our emotional investment in these often thinly drawn characters has plummeted like GameStop stock.

Rated: 2/4

Feb 20, 2021

Full Review

Matt Zoller Seitz

RogerEbert.com

The problem with The Violent Heart isn't that it goes too far, it's that it doesn't go far enough.

Rated: 2/4

Feb 19, 2021

Full Review

Noel Murray

Los Angeles Times

Like the two lovers at its center, his film is never given the chance to become what it's striving to be.

Feb 19, 2021

Full Review

Thom Ernst

Original Cin

There are some great performances here by Lukas Haas, Mary J. Blige, Jovan Adepo and Grace Van Patten, but the strength of their efforts is helpless against a script that plods towards its preposterous conclusion.

Rated: C-plus

Apr 15, 2021

Full Review

Richard Crouse

Richard Crouse

In the end The Violent Heart succumbs to melodrama, but before the climax sucks the life out of the story, it is an interesting look at legacy and how the weight of the past can slowly crush a person's spirit.

Rated: 3/5

Apr 15, 2021

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Steven Prokopy

Third Coast Review

The Violent Heart comes so close to being substantial and great that it's almost worse when it makes a hard left into its revelations...

Rated: 2.5/4

Mar 4, 2021

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Cam

No one else thought that a 24 year old dating a high school senior was weird??? Cassie was very annoying and cringy the entire movie. Not sure why no one did a dna test on the brother either? Dumb ending.

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

11/15/23

Full Review

Qaela dvonee B

The foreshadowing throughout this movie was very allusive. The ending does a decent job at tying almost everything together. However the ending did leave us with a few questions. There were some unresolved issues that would have made the story more clear. Nonetheless we appreciate that the twist wasn't predictable and it left us wondering throughout watching what the issue could be. They seemed to paint the main character like an angry black man but didn't actually show him in that light. In fact it was quite the opposite it was a young man trying to manage his emotions and get back on track. Overall, this movie did keep us on our toes and we would recommend it to watch.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

09/18/23

Full Review

Mr. Awesome M

This was an awesome little film that totally took me by surprise. Solid story, great actors, great reveal which sealed the climax. Mary J. shined in her role. Just felt genuine. Family secrets can be devastating. While Jahi Di'allo Winston is a phoenomanl young actor I question casting him in the role of Aaron. Then again, using him did help keep the mystery,..... mysterous.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

05/24/23

Full Review

Audience Member

I really enjoyed the movie. It was a surprise that it was so good. The twists and unexpected turns really got me.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

02/05/23

Full Review

Audience Member

Wow I really liked this movie and I wasn’t expecting that reveal towards the end, it was shocking.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

05/14/21

Full Review

Audience Member

Superb. This film continued to surprise and defy expectation at every turn. You do not realize what type of film you're watching until the final act, at which point the pieces fall satisfyingly into place. Characters are real, full of nuance, flaws and humanity. Incredible filmmaking and performances -- this film stays with you.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

02/15/23

Full Review

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Kirun Sanga

Director

Jovan Adepo

Daniel

Grace Van Patten

Cassie

Lukas Haas

Joseph

Mary J. Blige

Nina

Kimberly Williams-Paisley

Helen

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The Violent Heart: Trailer 1

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Synopsis

Fifteen years after the murder of his older sister, 24-year-old Daniel (2020 Emmy nominee Jovan Adepo) finds himself falling for Cassie (Grace Van Patten), an outgoing high school senior, in this Romeo & Juliet-style thriller set in the American heartland.

Director: Kirun Sanga
Producer: Dan Cohen, P. Jennifer Dana, Shawn Levy, Tobey Maguire, Edward L. McDonnell, Matthew Plouffe, Mark Roberts
Screenwriter: Kirun Sanga
Distributor: Gravitas Ventures
Production Co: 21 Laps Entertainment, 3311 Productions, Material Pictures
Genre: Mystery & Thriller, Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Feb 19, 2021, Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Feb 19, 2021
Runtime: 1h 47m

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