[[quoteright:215:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/215px-Horsemenposter_1026.jpg]]

''Horsemen'' is a 2009 American thriller film directed by Jonas Åkerlund and starring Creator/DennisQuaid and Creator/ZhangZiyi. It follows Aidan Breslin (Creator/DennisQuaid) a bitter and emotionally distracted detective who has grown apart from his two sons after the death of his devoted wife. While investigating a series of murders he discovers a terrifying link between himself and the suspects that seem to be based on the Biblical prophecies concerning the [[HorsemenOfTheApocalypse Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse]]: Pestilence, War, Famine, and Death.

Needs More Love.
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!!''Horsemen'' Provides examples of:

* AbusiveParents: [[spoiler:Kristen (Creator/ZhangZiyi), The War horseman, murders her adoptive mother, because her father continually molested her at night, and her mother did nothing to stop him.]]
* {{Angst}}: Alex is constantly distant from his dad, due to him being pulled away very often, and not dropping a case to be with his dying wife.
* AntagonisticOffspring:
** Played straight with [[spoiler:Kristen, as she killed her mother because the latter covered up the abuse Kristen received from her father.]]
** {{Downplayed|Trope}} with [[spoiler:Alex. He resents his father for not being there for his mother when she was dying, but Alex doesn't kill his father, only knocks him and makes him watch his (Alex's) death.]]
* AntagonistTitle: The title of the movie are the four horsemen who go on a ritualistic, killing spree.
* AntiVillain: The Horsemen, [[spoiler:as they only kill people guilty of heinous crime.]]
* ApocalypseHow: The four horsemen-based murders are designed to begin the apocalypse:[[spoiler: The final death, streamed live to a website of millions of depressed adolescents suffering abandonment, neglect, and abuse, will incite them to begin the destruction of society.]]
* ArcNumber: [[FourIsDeath Four]].
* AssholeVictim:
** [[spoiler:Kristen's mother turned out to have let her daughter be molested by her husband.]]
** {{Subverted|Trope}} with the second victim. [[spoiler:Garrison lied to the others that the man molested his son which is why they killed him.]]
** {{Subverted|Trope}} with [[spoiler:Taylor. At first, it seems like Corey is about to kill his brother, but he uses the saw on himself while making his brother watch.]]
* BigBrotherBully: Taylor is this to Corey, as he repeatedly notes how disgusted he is with his brother being gay and making disparaging remarks despite seeing how visibly hurt his little brother is.
* BitchInSheepsClothing: {{Double Subverted|Trope}} with [[spoiler:Kristen. She was seen mourning her mother's murder with her two sisters until she creepily reveals, she killed her mother... because said mother allowed Kristen's father to continuously molest her.]]
* BittersweetEnding: [[spoiler:Alex didn't die, but he's going to jail for his crimes along with the fact that there are other Horsemen out there plotting an apocalypse. And the end implies that Aidan will be there more for Sean.]]
* BreakTheHaughty: Taylor starts off an arrogant, BigBrotherBully who makes it known to Corey that he disapproves of him being gay. [[spoiler:The aftermath of Taylor being forced to watch Corey rip out his own heart clearly shakes him up and he is left in a blubbering mess the last time he is seen.]]
* BrilliantButLazy: How one of Alex's teachers describe him. He doesn't have to do much to succeed, so he doesn't try at all.
* BringMyBrownPants: [[spoiler:Taylor starts pissing himself when he believes Corey is about to murder him]].
* ColorMotifs: The four horsemen are represented by four colors -- Conquest (white), War (red), Pestilence (black), and Death (green).
* CoolBigBro: Alex has shown to take diligent care of Sean.
* CreepyChild: While not a child, [[spoiler:Kristen]] opens up into this persona after [[spoiler:she reveals that she killed her mother and is the War horseman]].
* EvenEvilHasStandards: [[spoiler:The other Horsemen killed Garrison because he tricked them into killing an innocent.]]
* AFateWorseThanDeath: [[spoiler:Kristen's reason]] for murdering her [[spoiler:mother instead of her father. She thought her father living without his soulmate was way worse than him actually being dead.]]
* ForcedToWatch: [[spoiler:Corey, the Death Horseman, forces Taylor to watch him cut out his own heart.]]
* FourIsDeath: There are ''four'' horsemen who intend to carry out ''four'' deaths.
* {{Gayngst}}: Corey is gay and while his parents accept him, his older brother, Taylor, makes it vehemently clear that he doesn't.
* HappilyAdopted: Kristen was adopted by her parents when she was eight and given her grief over her mother's torture and murder, she clearly loved them. [[spoiler:{{Subverted|Trope}}, in that it was an act and her adoptive parents were abusive jerks.]]
* HarmfulToMinors: Alex chastises Aidan for leaving his work - which includes pictures of dead bodies - around for the young Sean to see.
* MarriedToTheJob: {{Deconstructed|Trope}}. Aidan's devotion to his work means he hardly can spend time with his sons and the main reason he wasn't there when his wife was dying. [[spoiler:This is also the reason why Alex became a Horsemen.]]
* {{Matricide}}: [[spoiler:Kristen murdered her adoptive mother because she kept quiet over her husband molesting their daughter.]]
* MissingMom: Sean and Alex's mother died of cancer.
* NiceJobBreakingItHero: If Aidan had just paid a little more attention [[spoiler:to his kids, even took just a peek into Alex's room, he would have seen that he is severely disturbed by his father's neglect, and the Fourth horseman Conquest. He could've stopped many of the murders/suicides from ever happening.]]
* ParentsAsPeople: Aidan does love his sons and wants to spend time with them, but his work pulls him away.
* PosthumousCharacter: Aidan's wife is dead by the movie's beginning.
* RealLifeWritesThePlot: Sean's actor has heterochromia, and therefore, so does Sean in the movie.
* RecycledPremise: The film is basically ''Film/{{Se7en}}'', but with the murders based on the Four HorsemenOfTheApocalypse instead of the SevenDeadlySins.
* WhenYouComingHomeDad: Both Alex and Sean want to spend time with Aidan, and so does Aidan himself, but his job keeps him away from them.