Bullet Points: Ravage (2019)
The amount of unknown films that are available to watch at any moment is downright absurd. I can put on any number of free movie apps and gain access to thousands of flicks in which I’ve heard little to nothing about. That was the case when I decided to watch this revenge flick I found on the TUBI app. A one or two sentence synopsis is all it takes when you’re as willing as I am for a good revenger and what Ravage lacked in notoriety was made up for in the amount of violence it brought to the screen.
Synopsis: Alone in the woods, nature photographer Harper witnesses a violent crime. After being captured by the culprits, she uses her survivalist skills to try and make it out alive.
- Police questioning: The film opens with a patient in a hospital being questioned by the police about a possible abduction/homicide. It’s a story so wild that other members of the local law enforcement don’t believe them and the fact that the patient is completely covered in bandages just makes it all the weirder.
- Wrong place, wrong time: We tag along as the story is unwound for the police detective. A young woman by the name of Harper is in the backwoods of America doing some wildlife photography when she witnesses some strange hillbillies torturing and killing a man tied up in the trees. The rest of the film is a desperate attempt at escape and survival in the small piece of wilderness that is both vast but also claustrophobic at the same time.
- A girl’s gotta do: One of the things you’ll notice most about Ravage is just how badass and capable Annabelle Dexter-Jones’ Harper is. While she is ONLY A PHOTOGRAPHER, she has spent time in some of the craziest spots in the world and is totally up for the challenge. Imagine if a female Bear Grylls was on the run from some bad guys in the wilderness and you’re not too far off from what happens here. The fact that Annabelle is so good in the role only helps to bring up the likability of the character instead of just making her one of those dreaded Mary Sue types.
- Along the river: When you’re running for you life from murderers, rapists, and torture enthusiasts you don’t have much time for sight seeing. The few times Harper stops running are usually spent putting together Kevin McCallister-style traps for the murdering psychopaths to run into. It makes for some good fun!
- Changing: The longer the film goes the more and more messed up shit Harper lives through. If there was ever a good way to be abducted, raped, and nearly killed this isn’t it. You can tell from her mannerisms around other characters and the way she reacts to the death around her that she is changing into a different person.
- Disturbing shit: As Ravage comes to a close, it becomes more apparent that there won’t be much in the way of a happy ending for our main character. We already know that she’s going to soon be covered in bandages from head to toe and I don’t think she was on her way to any Halloween party. Veteran horror guy Robert Longstreet plays the evil Ravener and we finally get a showdown between himself and Harper. They have each changed over the course of the film and both go into some detail about the brutal ways they would like to end the other’s life. What follows from there, though, is on par with some of the more disturbing things you could do to a person.
The Verdict: If you’re looking for a fucked up movie that is going to keep you guessing as to what might happen next then Malignant is a pretty good place to start. However, Ravage just might be that other movie that you can watch to talk about with your buddies afterward. How this one flew under the radar is beyond me and I consider myself lucky that I happened across it on the streaming platform TUBI. Describing it as a deranged Home Alone in the wilderness isn’t too far off and one might even consider this a fitting Unofficial Sequel for some female-led Home Alone film that I’ve never seen. Ravage isn’t afraid to shock or disturb you and that should make you even more excited to watch it. Annabelle Dexter-Jones is phenomenal and the films doesn’t pull a single punch. Grab a friend and watch it now!
