Irreversible (2002)
Time destroys everything.
A woman’s lover and her ex-boyfriend take justice into their own hands after she becomes the victim of a rapist. Because some acts can’t be undone. Because man is an animal. Because the desire for vengeance is a natural impulse. Because most crimes remain unpunished.
| Type | Movie |
|---|---|
| Released | 22 May 2002 |
| Genre | Drama, Thriller, Crime |
| Director | Gaspar Noé |
| Starring | Monica Bellucci, Vincent Cassel and Albert Dupontel |
| Runtime | 97 min |
| Rated | NR |
| Scores | Rotten Tomatoes (average) 6/10 · Rotten Tomatoes 59% · Metacritic 51/100 · TMDB users 7.2/10 |
Where to watch Irreversible
We could not find Irreversible on any of the subscription services we track in the US right now. That changes often; open it in Binge Boss and we will show you where it lands.
Where to watch Irreversible in 1 other country
| Country | Streaming on (price a month) |
|---|---|
| South Korea | Netflix ₩13500, Wavve ₩10900 |
Subscription, free and ad-supported services we track; prices where Binge Boss has a price list for the country. "About" marks a price the service bills in another currency, converted at the day's rate. All countries as data.
What kind of watch this is
Gaspar Noé directs a 97-minute drama that moves backward through time. It starts with the aftermath and winds back to the cause. The tagline says time destroys everything, but here it builds it. The premise is simple: vengeance. Marcus and Pierre take justice into their own hands after Alex is attacked. The film does not soften the blow. It lets the violence sit in the room until the silence becomes unbearable. It is a test of endurance for the viewer.
What the critics said
Rotten Tomatoes sits at 59% as of November 2024. Metacritic lands on 51 out of 100 as of October 2025. The average user rating on Rotten Tomatoes is 6 out of 10, reported in October 2021. These numbers paint a picture of a film that divides its audience cleanly. The scores do not resolve the argument. They merely measure the size of the disagreement.
How it did with audiences
There is no box office figure to report, which saves us the trouble of explaining why a film that starts with a woman’s head being struck by a bottle and ends with a man’s life in a ditch might still make money. The only hard number here is a 7.2 TMDB user score. That is a solid mark. It tells you the audience watched it all the way to the end. They did not blink.
What came next for the cast
Monica Bellucci moved from Malena to the Matrix sequels and later Bond films. Vincent Cassel went from The Crimson Rivers to the Ocean’s franchise and Black Swan. Their paths diverged sharply. One became a global franchise staple; the other kept finding unexpected corners. The timeline shows the shift, not the cause.
If you liked this
TMDB's recommendations for people who watched Irreversible.
Sources
- Irreversible on TMDB — synopsis, cast, ratings and recommendations
- Wikidata Q754745 — review scores, box office and awards (CC0)
- “Irréversible” on Wikipedia, by its contributors (history) — reception, audience figures and legacy, summarised and adapted here under CC BY-SA 4.0
- Where to watch and prices: Binge Boss, from TMDB watch-provider data (powered by JustWatch) and our own provider list
Watch it without paying for the whole year
Binge Boss tracks the movie you are on and tells you which services you need this month, and which you can cancel.
Add Irreversible to your list