Vintage Violence is an absurdist crime thriller for phone addicts | The VergeSkip to main contentThe homepageThe VergeThe Verge logo.The VergeThe Verge logo.TechReviewsScienceEntertainmentAIPolicyNotificationsNotificationsHamburger Navigation ButtonThe homepageThe VergeThe Verge logo.NotificationsNotificationsHamburger Navigation ButtonNavigation DrawerThe VergeThe Verge logo.Login / Sign UpcloseCloseSearchLightSystemDarkTechExpandAmazonAppleFacebookGoogleMicrosoftSamsungBusinessSee all techReviewsExpandSmart Home ReviewsPhone ReviewsTablet ReviewsHeadphone ReviewsSee all reviewsScienceExpandSpaceEnergyEnvironmentHealthSee all scienceEntertainmentExpandTV ShowsMoviesAudioSee all entertainmentAIExpandOpenAIAnthropicSee all AIPolicyExpandAntitrustPoliticsLawSecuritySee all policyGadgetsExpandLaptopsPhonesTVsHeadphonesSpeakersWearablesSee all gadgetsVerge ShoppingExpandBuying GuidesDealsGift GuidesSee all shoppingGamingExpandXboxPlayStationNintendoSee all gamingStreamingExpandDisneyHBONetflixYouTubeCreatorsSee all streamingTransportationExpandElectric CarsAutonomous CarsRide-sharingScootersSee all transportationFeaturesVerge VideoExpandTikTokYouTubeInstagramPodcastsExpandDecoderThe VergecastVersion HistoryNewslettersArchivesStoreVerge Product UpdatesSubscribeFacebookThreadsInstagramYoutubeRSSThe VergeThe Verge logo.Vintage Violence is an absurdist crime thriller for phone addictsNotificationsNotificationsComments DrawerNotificationsCommentsLoading commentsGetting the conversation ready...EntertainmentCloseEntertainmentPosts from this topic will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed.FollowFollowSee All EntertainmentFilmCloseFilmPosts from this topic will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed.FollowFollowSee All FilmMovie ReviewCloseMovie ReviewPosts from this topic will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed.FollowFollowSee All Movie ReviewVintage Violence is an absurdist crime thriller for phone addictsReviews from TIFF 2026: Vintage Violence, Ken Russell’s The Devils in 4K, and Gentle Monster.Reviews from TIFF 2026: Vintage Violence, Ken Russell’s The Devils in 4K, and Gentle Monster.by Andrew WebsterCloseAndrew WebsterSenior entertainment editorPosts from this author will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed.FollowFollowSee All by Andrew WebsterSep 15, 2026, 4:00 PM UTCLinkShareGiftImage: TIFFPart OfTIFF 2026: The latest movie reviews from Torontosee all updates Andrew WebsterCloseAndrew WebsterPosts from this author will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed.FollowFollowSee All by Andrew Webster is an entertainment editor covering streaming, virtual worlds, and every single Pokémon video game. Andrew joined The Verge in 2012, writing over 4,000 stories.There are a lot of movies that have tried to seamlessly integrate modern tech — text messages, livestreams, etc. — into their storytelling. Some of the most novel attempts have been in the genre space, like the Twitch-style horror flick Deadstream. But the most chaotic to date might just be Vintage Violence, an absurd crime thriller with lots of blood, jokes, and screentime.I was able to catch Vintage Violence, the latest from director Eugene Kotlyarenko, on my fifth day at the Toronto International Film Festival. Kotlyarenko has previously explored our hyper-connected culture in 2020’s Spree, a movie in which Stranger Things’ Joe Keery plays a rideshare driver who starts murdering passengers while livestreaming the crimes. But Vintage Violence takes things a step further by trying to replicate what it’s like to constantly be on your phone as the movie plays out. It’s a lot to take in, but I really enjoyed it. Unfortunately there isn’t a trailer yet to give you a better sense of how things work onscreen, but I’ll make sure to share it when they do release one.Vintage Violence was one of three films I took in on day 5 of TIFF 2026; the others were a 4K restoration of a cult classic and a devastating drama that’s on its way to Netflix. Here are my thoughts on all three.Image: TIFFVintage ViolenceNo theatrical date yetFrom the premise alone you can tell this movie is ridiculous. Carter (Cole Sprouse), a disgraced MrBeast-style influencer, finds a cache of vintage Levi’s while livestreaming, and one of his fans, Izumi (Kiko Mizuhara), suggests he comes to Tokyo to sell the denim for some big cash. When he gets there, just about everyone is running some kind of scam — pretty quickly the yakuza get involved, including an enforcer with a prosthetic middle finger — and things play out like a toned-down, but still brutal and bloody, Takashi Miike film. But what really elevates Vintage Violence is the way it constantly displays what characters are doing on their phones right alongside the main film. That means everything from sending text messages to livestreaming to listening to whale sounds to relax. It can get chaotic and a challenge to follow — at one point I was trying to read the chat on a Kick stream while an action scene played out beside it — but that’s also kind of the point.Ken Russell’s The DevilsIn theaters on October 16thThe Devils is one of those cult classics I’ve always meant to watch but never got around to. But this new 4K theatrical rerelease was the perfect excuse. First released in 1971, The Devils is a surreal and disturbing account of a witch trial in a small, independent town in 17th-century France. Run by an impossibly handsome priest (Oliver Reed) who openly defies a powerful cardinal, the town soon descends into pure hysteria following reports of demonic possession, which the church seizes on in order to oust the priest. This version is not only a remaster but also a director’s cut — it’s rated NC-17 — and while I can’t speak to what’s new since I hadn’t seen it before, I will say the film rarely shows its age, with enthralling and disturbing sequences merged with a poignant story about the dangers of mixing politics and religion. And in 4K the stark architecture and uncomfortable violence really pop on the big screen.Gentle MonsterIn theaters on October 30th; streaming on Netflix on November 18thMarie Kreutzer’s latest feature is a difficult watch. It follows a young family that is torn apart when the police arrive at their country home one day to seize the father’s digital devices as part of a CSAM investigation. The story is primarily centered on the mother, Lucy (Léa Seydoux), a pianist who struggles with accepting a truth that threatens to upend her entire world. Gentle Monster does a remarkable job of slowly taking you through Lucy’s complicated, messy, and constantly changing understanding of the situation, but what really makes it work is Seydoux’s raw and unnerving performance, which oscillates between wishing the problem would go away to doing anything she can to protect her son. It’s a great film, but one that’s certain to leave you unsettled.Follow topics and authors from this story to see more like this in your personalized homepage feed and to receive email updates.Andrew WebsterCloseAndrew WebsterSenior entertainment editorPosts from this author will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed.FollowFollowSee All by Andrew WebsterEntertainmentCloseEntertainmentPosts from this topic will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed.FollowFollowSee All EntertainmentFilmCloseFilmPosts from this topic will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed.FollowFollowSee All FilmMovie ReviewCloseMovie ReviewPosts from this topic will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed.FollowFollowSee All Movie ReviewTIFFCloseTIFFPosts from this topic will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed.FollowFollowSee All TIFFMore in: TIFF 2026: The latest movie reviews from TorontoThe four-hour-long Elon Musk documentary might be preaching to the choirAndrew WebsterSep 14Your Mother Your Mother Your Mother will make you forget all about Marvel’s Blade disasterAndrew WebsterSep 13Laika’s stop-motion fantasy Wildwood looks so smoothAndrew WebsterSep 12Most PopularMost PopularApple releases iOS 27 with Siri AI overhaulThe Steam Frame is made for irresponsible hardware nerds like meThe Dell XPS 13 is the first real competitor to the MacBook NeomacOS 27 is available nowJensen Huang puts Trump on speakerphone onstage to announce robots won’t take over the worldThe Verge DailyA free daily digest of the news that matters most.Email (required)Sign UpBy submitting your email, you agree to our Terms and Privacy Notice. 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Vintage Violence is presented as an absurdist crime thriller specifically targeting phone addicts. Andrew Webster, a senior entertainment editor at The Verge, reviews the film, noting that it fits into a broader trend of movies attempting to integrate modern technology, such as text messages and livestreams, into storytelling. Webster previously cited Deadstream as a novel attempt in the genre space, but deemed Vintage Violence to be the most chaotic of its kind due to its blend of blood, humor, and screen time. The film centers on Carter, a disgraced MrBeast-style influencer, who discovers a cache of vintage Levi’s while livestreaming. A situation escalates when a fan suggests he travel to Tokyo to sell the denim for money, leading to the involvement of the yakuza, including an enforcer with a prosthetic middle finger, resulting in brutal and bloody events reminiscent of Takashi Miike films. A defining characteristic of the film is its constant display of the characters' interactions with their phones—sending texts, livestreaming, listening to whale sounds—juxtaposed with the main action, which creates a chaotic yet intentional viewing experience.

Webster also provided commentary on other films he viewed during the Toronto International Film Festival in 2026. He reviewed Ken Russell’s The Devils, a 4K theatrical rerelease of the 1971 film. This version is positioned as a director's cut and is rated NC-17, exploring a surreal and disturbing account of a witch trial in 17th-century France, focusing on the conflict between a priest and a powerful cardinal amidst hysteria and demonic possession. Webster noted that the film successfully merges enthralling and disturbing sequences with a poignant narrative concerning the dangers of mixing politics and religion, and that the 4K restoration enhances the stark architecture and violence. Furthermore, he reviewed Gentle Monster, which follows a young family fractured by the arrival of police investigating the father's digital devices related to a CSAM investigation. In this film, the focus is on the mother, Lucy, a pianist whose understanding of her world shifts as she confronts a truth. Webster praised Léa Seydoux’s raw and unsettling performance as the mother, which oscillates between her desire for the problem to vanish and her actions to protect her son, concluding that the film is unsettling.