It's lonely being a cannibal. Tough making friends. (Movie only) (Ravenous (DVD))

Member Name: marandina

Product:	Ravenous (DVD)
Date:	09/01/08 (138 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Fab movie, black humour, great story, Pearce and Carlyle on top form

Disadvantages: Gory?

Lieutenant Boyd (Guy Pearce) is an apparent hero during the American war with Mexico in the 1840's. Having been promoted to captain, his commanding officer discovers that he is a coward and transfers him to the remote Fort Spencer in the bleak, but picturesque, Sierra Nevada mountain range. With Boyd having met the dysfunctional fort team, Calhoun (Robert Carlyle) stumbles into camp looking bedraggled and traumatized. He tells his story about a wagon train, lost and cut off from the outside world after attempting a short cut that went wrong. As his story unfolds, the fort inhabitants listen in terror as Calhoun recounts a tale of desperation and depravity as the wagon party is killed and eaten by the remaining survivors, eventually leaving just him, a woman and Colonel Ives. Fearing for his life, he fled the camp, leaving the woman at the mercy of the colonel.

Honour bound to investigate, the fort soldiers mount a search party, led by Colonel Hart (Jeffrey Jones), into the mountains to see if there is anyone still alive in the cave where the atrocities took place. As Boyd realises the grim truth that Calhoun has killed all of the wagon party himself, leaving just the eaten cadavers stranded in the cave, the agitated Calhoun waiting by the side of the cave entrance digs up a concealed knife and sets about maniacally killing the search party. Cornered on the edge of a forest ravine, confronted by the insatiable cannibal, Boyd jumps into the gorge, falling through trees and tumbling down the mountain side where he lands along with and along side the body of one of Calhoun's latest search party victims, still barely alive but soon dead within seconds of landing. Frozen in terror for several days and with a badly broken leg, Boyd resorts to cannibalism himself by partially eating his compatriot and having temporarily fixed his leg, he makes it back to Fort Spencer. Having had his tale of terror dismissed by the latest fort inhabitants as wild fantasy, Boyd is introduced to the latest camp commander, Colonel Ives. As the uniformed Colonel Ives turns to greet Boyd, the escapee finds himself staring back into the malevolent Calhoun's eyes; Calhoun being Colonel Ives.

"Ravenous" is a horror film released in 1999, directed by Antonia Bird and starring Guy Pearce, Robert Carlyle and Jeffrey Jones. The essence of Ted Griffin's screenplay draws inspiration from other literary works centering on cannibalism. Where ever it came from and no doubt there will be true accounts of people eating human flesh in 1840's California, a mystical edge is added to the story with Red Indian accounts of the mythical wendigo fueling the rationale behind the more craven aspects of the movie and the notion of cannibalism at that time.

The most noticeable thing, other than the story, is the stunning sets. Predominantly shot in Slovakia, the rural backdrop is simply beautiful with an amazing snow bound vista dominating the early scenes in the movie and flawless cinematography from Anthony Richmond. Guy Pearce and Robert Carlyle are on top form as the two main leads. Pearce is the bearded, honour-bound soldier who goes through the mill having escaped the crazed Calhoun/Ives on one occasion only to be confronted by him again in the fort camp. Carlyle is outstanding as the cannibalistic villain of the piece and the apocryphal scene where, having killed the rest (and eaten some) of the search party, Ives, blood dripping from his mouth, eyes ablaze with madness, corners a terrified Pearce on the edge of the ravine with nowhere to go but down several hundred feet, is wonderfully conceived and shot. The last thing the audience expects is for Boyd to jump off the edge and, of course, that's exactly what he does!

There are moments where suspension of belief is required. Eating human flesh seems to cure any ill, making the person committing a cannibalistic act almost indestructible by absorbing that person's spirit. As Ives tells Boyd of all the medical ailments that eating human flesh has cured including tuberculosis, his plans for future settlers using that trail become clearer and Boyd realises that he has to put an end to Ives.

Bird directs the movie with aplomb, the plot nicely paced as the tension mounts and the twists and turns unfold. There is a deceptive black comedy aspect running underneath the story highlighted by Colonel Hart's aside at one point. Having been resurrected via forced cannibalism by Ives and reflecting on the possibilities of the three of them forming a triangle of friendship, he observes, with a rye smile "It's lonely being a cannibal. Tough making friends." The finale is as creative as it is unexpected and the *musical score from Damon Albarn (best known for being in the band "Blur") and Michael Nyman is just superb with a blend of synthesizer mixed with plinking, banjo riff set to a American, wild west theme.

"Ravenous" has a respectable run time of 100 minutes and with visceral violence and plenty of blood and gore, it's very much an 18 certificate and one for adults only. There's a black comedy feel to the movie although the story is played straight for the most part with only subtle, comic undertones. It's a winning combination that makes "Ravenous" a stylish, original horror flick with a great plot that just flies by. I saw it again the other night and enjoyed it every bit as much as when I saw it for the first time. With Pearce and Carlyle at their best, it's a must see movie for horror fans. As Ives tells Boyd, memorably, "Eat to live. Don't live to eat."

Thanks for reading

Mara

DVD available at Amazon from £5.97

*opening scene and a sample of the musical score at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LQC4ZnX8FQQ

Summary: Overview of movie