Love Lies Bleeding review: "Kristen Stewart is excellent in this neon-drenched primal roar of righteous rage"

GamesRadar+ VerdictRose Glass’ sophomore effort is both neon-drenched desert noir and primal roar of righteous rage. GamesRadar+ Verdict GamesRadar+ Verdict Rose Glass’ sophomore effort is both neon-drenched desert noir and primal roar of righteous rage. Rose Glass’ sophomore effort is both neon-drenched desert noir and primal roar of righteous rage. Why you can trust GamesRadar+Our experts review games, movies and tech over countless hours, so you can choose the best for you.Find out more about our reviews policy. Why you can trust GamesRadar+Our experts review games, movies and tech over countless hours, so you can choose the best for you.Find out more about our reviews policy. Love Lies Bleeding has had its UK premiere at the Glasgow Film Festival. Here’s our review… In ’80s Albuquerque, bored gym worker Lou (Kristen Stewart) falls hard for bodybuilding drifter Jackie (Katy O’Brian), who’s on her way to compete in Las Vegas. Lou’s estranged father, Lou Sr (Ed Harris), is a violent gangster who runs the local shooting range, where Jackie gets a job. Her sister, Beth (Jena Malone), is married to abusive dirtbag JJ (Dave Franco). So it’s no wonder Lou’s obsessed with Jackie’s immense physical power. But when she starts supplying her new lover with steroids, Jackie’s simmering rage threatens to engulf them all. If Saint Maud explored the private sanctuaries of its female characters, Love Lies Bleeding puts them in very public, very male spaces, where they find themselves under constant scrutiny and, often, in danger. When Jackie shrugs off the advances of another bodybuilder he punches her full-on in the face; Lou Sr fires a gun over her shoulder for wasting his time on the job; and JJ is both vindictive and pathetic – quite an achievement for the usually charming Franco. But all these bruised male egos are nothing in the face of Jackie’s physicality, the ultimate special effect. It’s a lot for one movie, maybe too much, with the more outré moments threatening to unstitch the tapestry rather than adding to it. But the actors – particularly the two leads – are excellent; Clint Mansell’s score throbs with purpose, and Ben Fordesman’s cinematography turns the desert from paradise to hellscape on a dime. More fever dream than film, Love Lies Bleeding shows that Glass is the real deal. Who knows what sights she has to show us next? Love Lies Bleeding is in US theaters on March 8 and UK cinemas on May 3. For moreupcoming movies, check out our guide to2024 movie release dates. More info More More about love lies bleedingLove Lies Bleeding star Katy O’Brian talks facing her fears and working with Kristen Stewart on gory thriller from Saint Maud’s Rose GlassLove Lies Bleeding star explains how Kristen Stewart’s last-minute improv in a certain scene set the gory romantic thriller’s whole toneLatest26 years later, Codemasters' Chris Southall talks Colin McRae Rally: “We wanted to do something that was an authentic rally experience for the hardware of the time"See more latest► More about love lies bleedingLove Lies Bleeding star Katy O’Brian talks facing her fears and working with Kristen Stewart on gory thriller from Saint Maud’s Rose GlassLove Lies Bleeding star explains how Kristen Stewart’s last-minute improv in a certain scene set the gory romantic thriller’s whole toneLatest26 years later, Codemasters' Chris Southall talks Colin McRae Rally: “We wanted to do something that was an authentic rally experience for the hardware of the time"See more latest► More about love lies bleedingLove Lies Bleeding star Katy O’Brian talks facing her fears and working with Kristen Stewart on gory thriller from Saint Maud’s Rose GlassLove Lies Bleeding star explains how Kristen Stewart’s last-minute improv in a certain scene set the gory romantic thriller’s whole tone More about love lies bleeding Love Lies Bleeding star Katy O’Brian talks facing her fears and working with Kristen Stewart on gory thriller from Saint Maud’s Rose GlassLove Lies Bleeding star explains how Kristen Stewart’s last-minute improv in a certain scene set the gory romantic thriller’s whole tone Love Lies Bleeding star Katy O’Brian talks facing her fears and working with Kristen Stewart on gory thriller from Saint Maud’s Rose Glass Love Lies Bleeding star Katy O’Brian talks facing her fears and working with Kristen Stewart on gory thriller from Saint Maud’s Rose Glass Love Lies Bleeding star explains how Kristen Stewart’s last-minute improv in a certain scene set the gory romantic thriller’s whole tone Love Lies Bleeding star explains how Kristen Stewart’s last-minute improv in a certain scene set the gory romantic thriller’s whole tone Latest26 years later, Codemasters' Chris Southall talks Colin McRae Rally: “We wanted to do something that was an authentic rally experience for the hardware of the time"See more latest► Latest 26 years later, Codemasters' Chris Southall talks Colin McRae Rally: “We wanted to do something that was an authentic rally experience for the hardware of the time” 26 years later, Codemasters' Chris Southall talks Colin McRae Rally: “We wanted to do something that was an authentic rally experience for the hardware of the time” 26 years later, Codemasters' Chris Southall talks Colin McRae Rally: “We wanted to do something that was an authentic rally experience for the hardware of the time” See more latest► Most PopularNemesis review: “A magical sense of tension"Anbernic RG28XX review: “a tiny budget handheld that fits in my weird tiny 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