So there’s this new horror/suspense movie called Revenge in limited release on on iTunes that has inexplicably good reviews for a movie where “rape/revenge” is a descriptor. But it is that kind of film and it does have great reviews… and, in case you didn’t know, “rape/revenge” is a subgrene of crime/horror film that involves a brutal rape of a woman (usually) who then goes on a killing spree to get her revenge. Usually these are exploitation films that try to have their cake and eat it too. Exploitation of women and then some vague declarations of feminism that justifies brutal, sadistic revenge. Not that brutal, sadistic revenge against rapists isn’t warranted… but you gotta take with a grain of salt how actually feminist these movies really are.
That out of the way, what makes Revenge unique is that it’s written and directed by a woman. Ergo when it gives creepy pervy shots using the “male gaze” it’s not as creepy and pervy as it would be if a man did it? That the woman is raped is less disgusting? That her revenge is any more or less feminist?
Well, maybe it is? It’s a curious film in the beginning since the camera does ogle and leer at the woman in the same way a male director would. But maybe that’s setup for the slight twist on the revenge side of the plot.
The woman in this film has gone off to the desert with her married boyfriend but his two creepy hunter friends arrive a day early and things go south. The rape scene, to be fair, is about 50% less interested in fawning over the event and manages to cut away so we don’t have to experience the full thing (like in most such films). When the men toss her off a literal cliff, the movie switches to feminist revenge mode… and the movie makes a fairly convincing argument to actually be a bit more legit about woman-power than the subgenre usually is. It involves a bikini clad soldier with high-powered scoped hunting shotgun and a badass bit of phoenix imagery (plus a lot of shrooms). It also involves one of the men in his full birthday suit so we get a lot more male nudity than female. Progress? For this subgenre, yeah.
It’s also extremely, excessively bloody and gory. Not just from the vast quantities of blood spilled but also creepy close-ups of flesh wounds and how one might probe them, sew them shut, etc. So don’t be distracted by the idea that, just because a woman wrote and directed it and the rape scene isn’t as leery, the movie is ultimately any less a dirty, grimy exploitation film.
To analyze the actual revenge as far as a piece of pop culture victim revenge goes, yeah, it’s satisfying in that lizard brain sort of way. You know… when you go “YEAH, GIT HIM!” and realize you’ve fallen for the film’s storytelling and visceral thrills. That the movie has manipulated you into enjoying this sweet, sweet bloody revenge and you know you should be a better person. But if you were, you’d be watching a different movie!
So, yeah, probably as soon as rape/revenge sub-genre was mentioned, you knew if you were going to watch this (and read the rest of the post). If you like your movies grimy, bloody, yet somehow perversely uplifting as a revenge fantasy, then this is for you. If you are into feminist critiques of Hollywood sub-genres, then its also an interest film on its socio-psycho-sexual-meta-narrative-historical-point-of-view merits (trying to remember my film criticism lingo here). Most others probably should steer away.
Score: 82