Sunday, June 26, 2022
flickfeast
  • News
  • Reviews
  • Festivals
  • FrightFeast
  • Spotlight
  • Contribute
  • Submissions
    • Advertise on Flickfeast
    • Submit a Film
No Result
View All Result
flickfeast
  • News
  • Reviews
  • Festivals
  • FrightFeast
  • Spotlight
  • Contribute
  • Submissions
    • Advertise on Flickfeast
    • Submit a Film
No Result
View All Result
FLICKFEAST
No Result
View All Result
Home Reviews Film Review

31 Days Of Horror #25: Ravenous (1999)

Kevin Matthews by Kevin Matthews
October 25, 2016
in Film Review
31 Days Of Horror #25: Ravenous (1999)
15
SHARES
1.5k
VIEWS
Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

I love Ravenous. Absolutely love it. I’ve loved it since I first saw it, I love it when I get to recommend it to other people, and I somehow love it even more every time I rewatch it. It’s an impressively gruesome tale focused on cannibalism that also mixes in wendigo lore, and it also happens to be a great comedy, if you like your laughs pitch black and sometimes spattered with blood.

Guy Pearce plays Capt. John Boyd, a man who is sent to a remote military outpost as reward for an act of courage that was borne from an act of cowardice (you’ll see what I mean when you watch the film). The outpost is soon visited by a man named Colqhoun (Robert Carlyle), which leads to a tale of wilderness survival, bad decisions, and cannibalism. And, as the old saying goes, you are what you eat.

You might also like

Elvis (2022) – Film Review

The Black Phone (2022) – Film Review

Lightyear (2022) – Film Review

Antonia Bird directs, helped by a sharp script from Ted Griffin, and sets the tone perfectly from the opening credits onwards. Juxtaposing battlefield horror with attempts to continue with a normal life, Ravenous uses the horror genre to play around with ideas of social acceptability, PTSD, and unusual diets. The wonderful collection of characters (including a doctor who is almost always inebriated, a young clergyman without any real flock, and the devilish Colqhoun) helps to keep things light, even as the heart of the film grows darker and darker, right up until a hugely satisfying finale.

Every single cast member here is on top form, pitching their performances beautifully. Pearce walks throughout most of the movie with a shadow over his soul, either wrestling with his past or being confused by his latest circumstances. Carlyle is positively impish, although his character runs the gamut from vulnerable to afraid to arrogant and quite terrifying. The scenes in which Pearce and Carlyle debate the morality of their situation are among the best in the film, with both men delivering some of their best work, no small praise indeed considering how consistent their quality of work is. Jeffrey Jones, Jeremy Davies, and Neal McDonough are also fantastic in major supporting roles, and you also get great moments for Stephen Spinella and John Spencer. David Arquette isn’t give the best character to work with, leading to a performance that is slightly out of alignment with the rest of the film, which makes it a saving grace that most of his scenes are alongside more convincing turns from Joseph Runningfox and Sheila Tousey.

If you need any more reasons to convince you to watch the film then I’ll heap plenty of praise on the sublime soundtrack by Damon Albarn and Michael Nyman, the damn fine stuntwork that is used in one or two jaw-dropping sequences, and some of the best final dialogue ever uttered by a baddie.

DIRECTOR: ANTONIA BIRD
WRITER: TED GRIFFIN
STARS: GUY PEARCE, ROBERT CARLYLE, JEFFREY JONES, JEREMY DAVIES, NEAL MCDONOUGH, STEPHEN SPINELLA, JOHN SPENCER
RUNTIME: 101 MINS APPROX
COUNTRY: CZECH REPUBLIC/UK/USA

Film Rating: ★★★★½

Tags: 31 days of horrorantonia birdcannibalGuy Pearcejeffrey jonesjeremy daviesjohn spencerneal mcdonoughRavenousrobert carlylestephen spinellated griffinwendigo
Kevin Matthews

Kevin Matthews

Kevin Matthews lives in Edinburgh and has done for some time. He loves it there and he loves movies, especially horrors. No film is too awful to pass through his cinematic haze.

Related Posts

Elvis (2022) – Film Review
Film Review

Elvis (2022) – Film Review

by Dallas King
June 20, 2022
The Black Phone (2022) – Film Review
Film Review

The Black Phone (2022) – Film Review

by William Stottor
June 21, 2022
Lightyear (2022) – Film Review
Film Review

Lightyear (2022) – Film Review

by Dallas King
June 16, 2022
Swan Song (2021) – Film Review
Film Review

Swan Song (2021) – Film Review

by William Stottor
June 15, 2022
Jurassic World: Dominion (2022) – Film Review
Film Review

Jurassic World: Dominion (2022) – Film Review

by Dallas King
June 11, 2022

Recommended

Looper (2012)

December 10, 2021
Thomas & Friends: Big World! Big Adventures! The Movie (2018) - Film Review

Thomas & Friends: Big World! Big Adventures! The Movie – Film Review

July 20, 2018

Don't miss it

Father of the Bride (2022) – Film Review
Reviews

Father of the Bride (2022) – Film Review

June 25, 2022
Elvis (2022) – Film Review
Film Review

Elvis (2022) – Film Review

June 20, 2022
The Black Phone (2022) – Film Review
Film Review

The Black Phone (2022) – Film Review

June 21, 2022
Lightyear (2022) – Film Review
Film Review

Lightyear (2022) – Film Review

June 16, 2022
Swan Song (2021) – Film Review
Film Review

Swan Song (2021) – Film Review

June 15, 2022
Jurassic World: Dominion (2022) – Film Review
Film Review

Jurassic World: Dominion (2022) – Film Review

June 11, 2022
flickfeast

Whetting your appetite for cinema with the best film reviews and features since 2009

© Copyright - flickfeast. All Rights Reserved.

No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • News
  • Reviews
  • Festivals
  • FrightFeast
  • Spotlight
  • Contribute

© Copyright - flickfeast. All Rights Reserved.

Posting....