Ravenous Review
by Jamey Hughton (bhughton AT sk DOT sympatico DOT ca)October 7th, 1999
RAVENOUS
***1/2 (out of five stars)
A review by Jamey Hughton
Starring-Guy Pearce, Robert Carlyle, Jeffrey Jones, Jeremy Davies,
Neal McDonough, David Arquette, Stephen Spinella and John Spencer
Director-Antonia Bird
Rated 18A
20th Century Fox
MOVIE VIEWS by Jamey Hughton
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The tag-line for Ravenous is “You are who you eat”, and that couldn’t be
more accurate. The subject in this deranged and enjoyable horror/comedy
is cannibalism, so if you don’t have a stomach that can withstand
graphic dismemberment’s (which there are plenty of), I would advise you
to keep your distance. But, for those individuals with an acquired taste
for an original story with their carnage, this unique little bloodbath
could spell genuine fun.
The year is 1847, and the Mexican-American War is in full swing. Captain
Boyd (Guy Pearce) has been dispatched to the base of Fort Spencer.
There, he joins an interesting troupe of characters. The commanding
officer is Lieutenant Hart (Jeffrey Jones), who informs Boyd of his
duties at the Fort. Major Knox (Stephen Spinella) is a careless drunk,
Toffler (Jeremy Davies) is a dedicated man of God, Reich (Neal
McDonough) is a cocky soldier and Cleaves (David Arquette) is the
bumbling idiot of a chef. Fort Spencer is a desolate and uneventful
location, until a mysterious stranger arrives at the door, freezing and
suffering from malnutrition (ha!).
The strange drifter, who calls himself Colqhoun, is played by Robert
Carlyle. He describes to the group how he came to be in their presence.
You see, he was part of a six-person expedition when they became lost
and stranded by oncoming weather. After eating the oxen and horses, they
had to resort to something even more terrifying. Yep... cannibalism. Lt.
Hart opts to travel to where the group had taken shelter and look for
any survivors, but once there he discovers the real truth. Could it be
that Carlyle is not really who he seems....?
Ravenous basically tanked at the box office, a statistic that could have
been easily predicted. This movie is not for all tastes. Director
Antonia Bird has created a bizarre cocktail of black comedy and bloody
horror, and either aspect may possibly disgust the average viewer. In
it’s inner workings, however, Ravenous is something truly interesting.
There is some great suspense and atmosphere at the film’s core, backed
up by a wonderfully oddball musical score that combines bizarre
instrumental work with some genuine excitement. The script is also full
of amusing one-liners, usually spoken by the witty Carlyle and centering
around the pun of “eating people”. In fact, he even has an argument for
cannibalistic actions: “Winston Churchill once said ‘Eat to live, don’t
live to eat.’ ”
Which brings me to the cast. I had a minor problem in that most of the
supporting players were hideously stupid, but then again, each actor is
so convincing with a limited IQ. The stand-out here is easily Carlyle,
who many will recognize from The Full Monty (and soon as the new Bond
villain in The World is Not Enough). The actor perfectly rounds every
corner of his role, showing plenty of depth and craftsmanship, even as
he puffs contentedly on a cigar. Pearce plays a cowardly but
strong-minded character, much like his role in the excellent LA
Confidential, but he doesn’t have as much success here. As the
protagonist, he shows hardly enough courage to be considered a hero,
even despite Boyd’s typical spineless ways.
The first act of Ravenous is wonderfully staged, efficiently setting up
the domino’s so that they can (hopefully) be knocked over with style
when the time comes. Alas, there are a few too many garish and
unpleasant twists as the movie nears the finish line, but not so much
that the film loses complete momentum. There are still the performances
and soundtrack to keep it churning - and that, surprisingly, seems to be
enough.
There is plenty of icky gore involved. If just the thought of
cannibalism makes you feel nauseous, then this movie is not for you. It
is what you would call “different”, yes, but I also found it engagingly
offbeat and entertaining. If you’re getting sick of the endless
repetition that Hollywood has to offer, try Ravenous on for size. It’s a
scary, amusing - an overall bloody good time. Bring a napkin and dig
right in.
(C) 1999, Jamey Hughton
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