Film4 Productions
Sixteen Films
Why Not Productions
Not part of a collection.
You Were Never Really Here
A traumatized veteran, unafraid of violence, tracks down missing girls for a living. When a job spins out of control, Joe's nightmares overtake him as a conspiracy is uncovered—leading to what may be his death trip or his awakening.
- Original title
- You Were Never Really Here
- Language
- EN
- Country
- GB
- Budget
- $17,000,000
- Revenue
- $9,400,000
CinemaSerf
Dec 7, 2025 · via TMDB
There weren’t a lot of lines for Joaquin Phoenix to learn for this gritty and brutal story of “Joe”. He makes a living retrieving girls who have gone missing - voluntarily or otherwise, and repatriating them. Occasionally this happens straightforwardly, but more frequently this is a violent and dangerous business that sees him having to fend off people both in and out of uniform. It’s this latest job to rescue “Nina” (Ekaterina Samsonov) that is proving to be his most testing and as he struggles to rescue his quarry from a short-lived career in sexploitation, and stay in one piece, he is suddenly immersed in reminiscences of his own turbulent childhood. With his adrenalin all that is keeping him going, might this operation be his undoing or might it be his final victory over a father whose cruelty still haunts this forty-something man? Phoenix is on solid form here, with a less-is-more style of performance that borders on the visceral. His character is as purposeful and focussed as it is confused and traumatised, and I found the lack of dialogue really quite an effective tool as we see a little of what drive this man’s vengeful yet benign actions. It very much hits the ground running, and to be honest it does struggle to sustain the intensity of that pace after about half an hour, but with the emphasis now more on the psychology of his character, I found that I didn’t mind swapping some of established techniques of gory violence with something altogether more menacingly cerebral. Sure, there isn’t a great deal of jeopardy as the plot takes a fairly standard approach to it’s denouement, but it’s certainly never dull. See it in a cinema if you can, the audio is also important at helping create the tense atmosphere and that benefits from a bit of Dolby and you’ll be pleased to read that “Nina” is no shrinking violet, either.
Gimly
Jan 20, 2019 · via TMDB
I did not feel as positively about _You Were Never Really Here_ as most people seem to have, but I **do** absolutely recommend it. One of Jaoquin Phoenix's best roles, and that is about as far from small praise as it gets. _Final rating:★★★ - I liked it. Would personally recommend you give it a go._
Bazzjazz
Apr 20, 2018 · via TMDB
The way this movie was hyped up in the press about it being the Next ‘Taxi Driver’obviously raised my expectations and Phoenix being the Antihero ah-la Travis Brickle . Well, did I get letdown like a disappointed kid at Xmas when he didn’t get what he expected. If Phoenix won best actor at the Sundance Festival for his performance in this film. Then I’m decidedly in the wrong profession. He had a one dimensional character, very dark and not much else to him. The hammer being the ‘DIY’ tool of choice , which you never actually see it nailing anything. And there’s no real curiosity or imagination attached to the extent of him using the ‘hammer’. If you haven’t seen ‘The Professional’ With Natalie Portman and Luc Besson and Gary Oldman as a real lunatic cop. Then do yourself a favor and rather watch it. I was largely disappointed in this film and it doesn’t live up to anything it’s primed to. Not Memorable.
User reviews courtesy of TMDB.
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Spectrum On Demand
Joaquin Phoenix
Joe
Judith Roberts
Joe's Mother
Ekaterina Samsonov
Nina Votto
John Doman
John McCleary
Alex Manette
Senator Albert Votto
Dante Pereira-Olson
Young Joe
Alessandro Nivola
Governor Williams
Frank Pando
Angel
Claire Hsu
Staring Girl
Lucy Lan Luo
Dead Girl
Tian Chaudhry
Dead Girl
Ryan Martin Brown
Towel Boy
Jason Babinsky
Eye of Providence
Jonathan Wilde
Joe's Young Father
Ronan Summers
Joe's Young Father Double
Kate Easton
Joe's Young Mother
Novella Nelson
Diner Woman
Madison Arnold
Diner Man
Joseph Anthony Jerez
Russian Bath Patron (uncredited)
Cristina Dohmen
News Anchor (voice)
Sarah Hindsgaul
Hair Department Head
Chris Colombo
Stunt Coordinator
Jodi Michelle Pynn
Stunt Double
Patrick M. Walsh
Stunt Double
Christopher Jon Gombos
Stunts
Jay Carrado
Stunts
Mick O'Rourke
Stunts
Robert Lee Harvey
Stunts
Roberto Lopez
Stunts
Lynne Ramsay
Director
Jacques Audiard
Executive Producer
Jonathan Ames
Executive Producer
James Wilson
Producer
Lynne Ramsay
Producer
Pascal Caucheteux
Producer
Greg Contaldi
Production Assistant
Jonny Greenwood
Original Music Composer
Anna Bertmark
Sound Effects Editor
Jonathan Ames
Novel
Lynne Ramsay
Screenplay
Syncope
Goodnight Moon
The Shawshank Redemption
The Godfather Part II
Pulp Fiction
North by Northwest
Aliens
Trainspotting
Nobody
Downfall
Dances with Wolves
Absolut
Freaks
All Quiet on the Western Front
Jaws
Arsenic and Old Lace
Battleship Potemkin
Bang, Boom, Bang
Night on Earth
East of Eden
The Experiment
When Harry Met Sally...
Interview with the Vampire
Goldfinger
Bad Education
O Brother, Where Art Thou?
The Hours
Murder at the Gallop
Murder Most Foul
Starship Troopers
From Russia with Love
Frenzy
A.I. Artificial Intelligence
Face/Off
Strange Days
Dr. No
The Tin Drum
Komediantská historie
Silent Barricade
To Die For
Secret Beyond the Door
The Ninth Gate
Next Door
Sleepless
Operation Napoleon
Saw IV
God Is a Bullet
I Live on Danger
Piercing
Dual Mania
The Picture of Dorian Gray
The Naturalist
Dog Day Afternoon
Touch of Evil
Lord of War
25th Hour
Cherry
She Rides Shotgun
Phone Booth
Panic Room
Spider
The Girl on the Train
The Number 23
Derailed
Leave the World Behind
Along Came a Spider
Don't Say a Word
Asphalt City
The Night Clerk
The Woman in the Window
The Nines
The Killer Inside Me
Jan 19, 2018
Sundance Film Festival
Apr 6, 2018
Apr 13, 2018
Atlanta Film and Video Festival
