Revenge (2017)
Revenge
- 4/5 Cameras 🎥🎥🎥🎥
- Written and directed by: Coralie Fargeat
- Starring: Matilda Lutz, Kevin Janssens, Vincente Colombe, and Guillaume Bouchède
- Where to find it: Shudder
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| No Copyright Infringement Intended Revenge (2017) is a French film that fits in with the often
distasteful subgenre of rape-revenge films. Often, films that fit this genre
are violent to the extreme with little artistic merit, seemingly existing
simply to see how much they can disgust their audiences, but there are those
that go beyond. Which category does Revenge sit in though? The plot of Revenge concerns Jen, a young American woman whose
boyfriend, wealthy (and married) businessman Richard takes her to his secluded desert
retreat for a romantic weekend ahead of his annual hunting trip. When his
hunting buddies show up a day early, things quickly turn sour, with a sexual
assault that escalates into Richard pushing Jen into a canyon to get rid of
her, thus avoiding the consequences of what his friend has done. Unfortunately
for the hunting buddies, Jen survives and is out for the titular revenge. First things first, this film is unrelentingly violent.
While the early rape scene is mercifully not overly explicit, elsewhere no
punches are pulled as each violent act is shown in all its gory detail. Clear
inspiration has been taken from exploitation films of the 70s and 80s (‘I Spit
on Your Grave’ being an obvious example) and as such, this probably won’t be to
a lot of people’s tastes. Yet despite its seedy inspirations, abhorrent setup,
and seemingly exploitative sexuality and violence Coralie Fargeat manages to
spin a thrilling and intense tale of female empowerment. Key to its success is its lead Jen, played by Matilda Lutz.
When we first meet Jen she’s sat in the backseat of Richard’s helicopter,
dressed seductively while sucking on a lollipop. She knows her boyfriend is
married, but he’s hot and rich, so what does it matter? By the time you reach
the climax, this Lolita-inspired opening is a dim distant memory, almost as
though it’s from another movie, a couple of star-shaped earrings being the only
real reminder. The film leans heavily on the metaphor of a phoenix, with Jen
rising from the ashes after her initial ordeal to fight back hard. This leads
to some visually striking symbolism that culminates in a film that is often
beautiful to look at, despite its intense violence, notable particularly in a
drug-laced scene of self-surgery. Even without the impressive visuals, it would be hard to
stop watching Revenge. The simple but abhorrent set-up leads to Jen being
incredibly easy to root for while making it very hard to feel sorry for
anything that happens to the three men. Richard (Kevin Janssens), Jen’s
boyfriend, is particularly detestable as the group’s leader, a character that bears
more than a passing resemblance to Patrick Bateman of American Psycho fame. The
small cast and minimal dialogue leave the film without unnecessary baggage to
clog up its story, allowing for constant forward movement at a good pace. All of this culminates in one simple truth; Revenge is an
extreme, violent thriller that manages to be wholly entertaining throughout. It’s
similar in concept to the 2020 film Promising Young Woman but leans a lot more
into its violence and exploitational style making for a far more brutal,
visceral experience that doesn’t sacrifice its relevance. Show caution if
you’re squeamish, but otherwise, watch and enjoy. |
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