Revenge

Revenge focuses on Jen, (Matilda Lutz), who goes on a hunting expedition with her boyfriend and his, “associates” only to be assaulted and left for dead; managing to survive and seek out vengeance.  This film has a strong sense of style, best shown through the film’s score and eye-popping visuals. The visual style of this film is quite distinct, with a strong use of colour contrast, as well as vistas to show both the beauty and the hardness of the desert setting.  Furthermore, the use of Phoenix symbolism, in the latter part of the film, is great as it represents both the change in Jen as a character, whilst also the ideas of the Rape and Revenge sub-genre. Lutz’s is fantastic as Jen, with her character being not only believable but, also one you form a strong emotional attachment with; to the extent that each time she is hurt you actively worried about her. This film knows it’s a B movie, and relishes it; in all, it’s gory splendour. The violence in this film is ridiculous, being reminiscent of Robert Rodriguez’s early works or, something suitably bloody. My personal favourite scene of the film is when Stanley, (Vincent Colombe) must pull a shard of glass out of his foot: being my favourite simply because of how wince-inducing it is. The sound design here is fantastic, probably the best of the year, with the juxtapositions of diegetic and non-diegetic music being incredible. Such as when Stanley is listening to music with lyrics like “I’m in love”, only to cut to a violent scene with a mad rush of non-diegetic music as well of plenty of diegetic screaming. Another example is during the peyote scene, with the non-diegetic music bridging over into the world of the film as a product of Jen’s drug-infused mind, helping to tear down the wall between the film and the audience. The climax of the film is incredibly tense with Jen hunting down her boyfriend Richard, (Kevin Janssens), with match on actions shots, ramping up the sense of mortality. The villains of the film are all menacing in their own separate ways, with Richard being the most intense, with his tendency toward unannounced aggression making him a truly memorable villain.  Overall this film is not for the faint of heart, it can be incredibly tough to watch at times and if you are squeamish this is not the film for you. However, if you do venture to see it you will see one of the best horror films of recent memory.

4/5

Reviewed by Luke.