Well, you've been seeing a ton of trailers for this one all about, and them first test screening reviews we got way back... around 6 months ago sounded dreadful... but each time it gets screened we're getting a better result, so it looks like it's a film to actually look forward to be seeing. So... let's see... WARNING... THERE ARE SPOILERS IN THE BELOW REVIEW... DON NOT READ IF YOU DON'T WANT TO KNOW...
Last night in London I attended a Test Screening of a new film called 'Ravenous'. It's directed by Antonia Bird (Priest) and stars Robert Carlyle (Full Monty, Trainspotting), Guy Pearce (Priscilla, LA Confidential), David Arquette (Scream) and Jeffrey Jones (Ferris Beuller, The Crucible) It's set in the Nevadas, California, in the 1840's and it is ONE WEIRD FILM!! I'll tell a bit about it, but I'll not use any major spoilers. Pearce plays a US soldier who is seen receiving a medal for bravery at the beginning of the film. However, flashbacks reveal that he 'played dead' to avoid being killed, and escaped by being buried under a load of his comrades bodies on a wagon. While lying quietly, his sergeants blood is pouring all over his face and down his throat. Later, he feels envigourated and manages to capture the enemy leader. He wins his medal, but he is haunted by his earlier display of cowardice.
That night there is a celebration dinner, but Pearce starts to panic and feel sick while looking at all the blood coming out of his steak. He runs outside and vomits, witnessed by one of his superiors. This guy suspects that he is no hero at all, and 'promotes' him to a distant outpost in the Nevadas.
The outpost is led by Jeffrey Jones, and there is a skeleton staff of about 8 men. After a few days, Carlyle appears out of the snow, seemingly malnourished and close to death. The soldiers take him in and nurse him back to health.
When Carlyle wakes up, he tells the story of how he and 5 others had tried to cross the Nevadas, but had been trapped by a storm over the winter. With nothing to eat, they were forced to eat one of their party, who had died from the cold. This caused some of them to develop a taste for flesh, and soon they killed one of their companions. The next day they killed another. Carlyle, fearing for his life, was forced to run away. He knew he would be the next to be killed for his flesh.
Back at the rancht, the soldiers decide that they have to go to the cave to see if they can find any survivors. Carlyle insists on going with them, to 'help them find the cave', as he explains.
At this point, the Indian woman living in the outpost tells of a Native legend. He who eats the flesh of another absorbs that mans spirit and strength. He becomes revitalised, strong and healthy. He also craves more human flesh...
You might be able to see where this is leading; Pearce understands the legend and is interested in Carlyle (after feeling envigourated from his Sergeants blood). Carlyle, it is immediately obvious, is not AT ALL what he seems. The plot twists and turns, the script is very tight, and is at times very gruesome.
It is a strange film. Why strange? It doesn't seem to know what it is trying to be; at turns shocking, gruesome, suspensful, intelligent, thought provoking and hilarious. (You remember Marvin getting his head blown off in Pulp Fiction? Everyone laughed, but you kind of thought ' I shouldn't really be laughing at this!'. Well, this film is FULL of moments like that. For example; Carlyle is making a stew in a cauldron, but he is only using onions and carrots. The guy in the room with him asks if he can help in any way. Carlyle, with superb irony, quips;
"Aye. You can ' contribute' later". Needless to say, he ends up in the cauldron.
The script is clever, and it does keep you guessing right until the end. There are some genuine shocks, and some very graphic gore. It is a VERY daring film; highly original, not afraid of criticism (of which, I have no doubt, it will receive a lot of. Not from film lovers - from the Mary Whitehouse brigade, who no doubt will be 'morally outraged' by it's subject matter).
I really enjoyed it, but it kind of leaves a funny feeling in your stomach. It's very much 'in your face', but I think that Antonia Bird should be commended for making such a refreshing, totally new kind of film. >{?The questionnaire we received after the viewing showed a lot about the filmakers problems in classifying this film. One of the many questions asked 'What genre is this film?', and we had to choose ONE option from this list; Psychological Thriller, Suspense, Horror, Dark Comedy.
That was an impossible question, because it really is all 4 in equal amounts.
Go and see this film when it is released, and I think you'll find it refreshing. But be warned! You'll leave the cinema with a strange taste in your mouth, and you'll probably be thinking 'What sick person wrote that?!!' and 'Woah! Bizarre!'
Overall, though, a damn fine film. I hope they don't change it too much or tone down the gore.
One thing that must be said; Robert Carlyle delivers a really FANTASTIC performance. Funny, menacing, crazy and charming. He obviously had a blast filming it, and he steals every scene he is in. Some of his lines are just brilliant.
Trivia fans; The soundtrack is co-written and performed by Damon Albarn of Blur. Very Minimalist, but very atmospheric, original and effective .
'The Northerner'.
