Bullet Points: Revenge (2017)
Revenge movies are fun for me. I can easily empathize with the victims, in most cases, and there are so many excellent ways to avenge something that I am normally blissfully surprised. 2017’s Revenge is the type of film that will keep action fans like myself blissfully surprised and eager to come back for more.
Synopsis: Never take your mistress on an annual guys’ getaway, especially one devoted to hunting – a violent lesson for three wealthy married men.
- The Title: You have to appreciate the simplicity of a title like Revenge. No matter how much you know about the film going into it, you’re guaranteed to get a certain type of movie by the end. I took the chance and read and watched next to nothing about this one so I began with virgin eyes.
- I’m here for the view: The early star of the film is the incredible body of Matilda Anna Ingrid Lutz. My heavens, we have a whopper of a bod here! It seems that everyone knew it, too, since there are so many shots of her body and every character is absolutely obsessed with her. I can understand why…
- Creepers gonna creep: Is anyone rich surprised that the rich douchebag who can’t take his eyes from her rapes her when her boyfriend isn’t around. Richard (Kevin Janssens) leaves for just a couple of hours and Jen (Matilda) gets raped by Richard’s wealthy hunting friend. Sadly, two of Richard’s buddies show up early to the house and wrecked the lovers tryst that was planned. It turns out worse than anyone could have expected.
- Oh, Matilda: Jen tries to run off when she realizes that Richard isn’t there to help her and ends up getting pushed from a cliff. Getting yourself impaled on a tree branch definitely wasn’t in her itinerary that morning.
- Shit got real for sure: The men decide to dispose of the body during their hunt but don’t realize that Jen is still alive and able to do some amazing shit to escape death. She reaches a lighter and sets the impalement tree on fire. It somehow releases her from its grasp and she drags her bleeding body some ways away to eventually deal with the wounds like some sort of sexy model John Rambo.
- Lingerie Lara Croft: Jen slowly builds an arsenal as she comes face to face with her would-be killers and she begins to look like some sort of scantily clad figure you’d see in a video game. We get to watch her learn how to operate the shotgun (which was cool) and see how Bear Grylls might cauterize a wound in the desert if he only had a knife and a beer can.
- Peyote-fueled rage: Doing drugs is not cool. Sorry, folks. If there was a time when drug use could be acceptable it would have to be when one was impaled and left for dead in the desert.
- Shop Club USA shootout: The finale is such an awesome bloodbath that I nearly went back and watched it a second time. Most of the movie plays out in ways that won’t surprise you in story and direction but the execution is the part that will leave you more interested. The music and cinematography play to the strengths of writer/director Coralie Fargeat in a way that makes me wonder how this female director hasn’t done something since this release. In a social climate that is seeking out excellent female directors for big projects then why would you look elsewhere? The absolute brutality of Revenge is the icing on the cake and this final scene places a succulent cheery atop that sweet icing.
The Verdict: I had seen some blurbs about Revenge since it came out a couple of years ago but had never sat down to partake. When I say that every bit of the film is well done then you must know that I thoroughly enjoyed it. From the way it was shot to the music, to the buckets of blood that are used in the actual revenging, Revenge doesn’t lack anything that I can think of and I’m certain that you’ll find a similar amount of enjoyment as I did. Come for the magnificent views but stay for the sheer brutality of the vengeance. This slice of Revenge is absolutely wonderful!
