Depending on when you saw the movie, you may have observed that the initial cut and the more recent edition are arranged in a nearly clockwise and counter-clockwise fashion. This version begins with the chaotic actions of “Marcus” (Vincent Cassel) and his companion “Pierre” (Albert Dupontel), as they hurry through Paris early one morning, determinedly searching for the person who brutally assaulted his girlfriend “Alex” (Monica Bellucci) in a city underpass while she was walking home. Director Gaspar Noé doesn’t hold back, visually or aurally, showing us how these two men respond with intense anger and attempt to find the perpetrator; furthermore, the assault itself is depicted openly, which in some ways lessens the impact of “Marcus's” actions as he loses all sense of restraint. It’s a story about revenge, but also about its pointlessness. No action can reverse what has occurred, even if the men they enlist to help them find this attacker succeed; these two will simply have to cope with it in whatever way they can. Cassel delivers a raw and powerful performance, which is nicely balanced by Dupontel’s character (also an ex-boyfriend of “Alex”), who attempts to keep his friend's increasingly erratic behavior in check while dealing with his own sorrow. It’s also disturbing to note the portrayal of the person responsible for not only one but several horrible and degrading acts against this vulnerable woman, and although it is certainly not a simple film to watch, it remains strangely captivating, prompting us to consider how approaches to vigilantism might change if something like this happened to someone close to us.

Source on TMDB