That was really......Sneaky. (Ravenous (DVD))

Member Name: omarl

Product:	Ravenous (DVD)
Date:	23/10/09 (10 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Good performances, great film score

Disadvantages: Some characters are superfluous

If only I'd looked online sooner for this film - I hunted in stores and 2nd hand shops for nigh on 3 years for a copy of this before I was successful. I now try and recommend this to everyone I speak to, and thanks to this wonderful site I can now spread the word further!

This 1999 film is something of an oddity - it's "hero" is nothing of the sort, he is a coward. During the Mexican-American War in the late 1800s, Lt Boyd (played by Guy Pearce) plays dead while his men are killed. When the enemy are unaware he displays some bravery to take them on and capture them. His is promoted for his heroism but his commanding officer recognises his cowardly nature and assigns him to a remote outpost in the mountains during winter. Only a skeleton crew runs the outpost and nothing seems to happen there. Then the peace is broken when a stranger by the name of Colqhoun (Robert Carlyle) arrives claiming his party of travellers has been eaten by an army officer by the name of Colonel Ives. Boyd reluctantly joins the proposed rescue team to look for survivors. Talk begins of the legend of Wendigo, and the healing properties of eating human flesh. Then follows cat and mouse between Boyd and the duplicitious Colqhoun and a choice for the "hero" - how far will he go to stay alive?

The storyline for this could read as a horror, but thanks to the memorable, quirky characters involved and the dialogue is more of a black comedy, even it's title a playful nod to the subject matter. Pearce is on good weaselly form here - his actions always based on self preservation rather than heroism. Carlyle obviously relishes playing the amoral Colqhoun and provides a character comfortable with the choices his has made. A number of supporting characters whilst not household names should make you pause and think, "I've seen his face before". The film also provides some screentime for the always brilliant Jeffrey Jones, whilst David Arquette puts his usual dopey character traits on display.

The film is shot beautifully, although considering the luscious greenery and breathtaking mountain ranges involved it would difficult to make the scenery look bad. When the bloodletting does occur it's shot in deep, rich reds in stark contrast to the wintery whites.

This also contains a soundtrack scored by Michael Nyman and erstwhile Blur frontman Damon Albarn. For me it's one of the best and most unique soundtracks I've heard, it's dark playful tone in keeping with the rest of the film.

A perfect film to watch at Halloween, and a worthwhile watch at any other time.

Summary: Great black comedy.