Tag Archives: ravenous

Ravenous (1999) – A Forgotten Gem with a Voracious Appetite

19 Thursday Dec 2024

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Few films are as unique, unsettling, and criminally overlooked as Antonia Bird’s Ravenous. Released in 1999 to lukewarm box office reception, this macabre tale of survival, morality, and hunger has since gained a well-deserved cult following. With its haunting blend of black comedy, psychological horror, and frontier drama, Ravenous is an underappreciated masterpiece that deserves to be unearthed and devoured anew.

Set in the snow-covered Sierra Nevada during the Mexican-American War, the film follows Captain John Boyd (Guy Pearce), a disgraced officer banished to a remote fort after an act of cowardice. The arrival of a mysterious stranger, Colqhoun (Robert Carlyle), brings tales of cannibalism and survival, drawing Boyd and his garrison into a gruesome battle of wits and wills.

The cast of Ravenous is nothing short of exceptional. Guy Pearce delivers a subdued yet compelling performance as Boyd, capturing the inner torment of a man battling both his past and a growing, dark temptation. Robert Carlyle is electrifying as Colqhoun, oscillating between charm and menace with unnerving ease. The supporting cast, including Jeffrey Jones, David Arquette, and Jeremy Davies, adds depth and eccentricity to the ensemble, grounding the film’s wild tonal shifts.

Antonia Bird’s direction masterfully balances the film’s disparate elements. The unsettling atmosphere of isolation and dread is punctuated by moments of pitch-black humour, creating a viewing experience that is as unpredictable as it is gripping. The gore is sparingly but effectively used, amplifying the tension without overwhelming the narrative.

Special mention must be made of the score by Michael Nyman and Damon Albarn, which is as eclectic as the film itself. The music ranges from eerie strings to jaunty, unsettling melodies, perfectly mirroring the story’s shifts between horror, satire, and tragedy.

At its core, Ravenous is a meditation on survival and the lengths to which desperation—and hunger, both literal and metaphorical—can drive people. The film’s exploration of cannibalism transcends its shock value, delving into themes of power, consumption, and the thin veneer of civilisation.

Despite its rich narrative and strong performances, Ravenous was sadly underappreciated upon release. Perhaps it was too unconventional for mainstream audiences or too darkly comedic for horror purists. Whatever the reason, its failure to find its audience at the time is a loss for the genre.

Viewed today, Ravenous stands out as a forgotten gem, a film that dares to blend horror, humour, and historical drama into a biting critique of human nature. For those who missed it the first time around—or for those ready to revisit its twisted brilliance—it’s a feast worth savouring.

  • Saul Muerte

Movie review: Les Affames aka Ravenous

08 Monday Oct 2018

Posted by in Movie review

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With zombie films such as Train to Busan or The Girl With All The Gifts along with TV shows such as The Walking Dead or iZombie offering new slabs or takes on the genre, you’d be forgiven for thinking that the Z train must surely be running out of steam sometime soon, but they just keep on trucking. Sure you might get your Day of the Dead: Bloodline movies to contend with but amongst the trite and bloodied guts of the genre, some shine and offer a glimpse of hope, proving that there still maybe signs of life yet to come.
The latest in the mix is French/Canadian horror film (now available on Netflix) that is witty, charming, harrowing and unnerving. And what’s more, you actually give a shit about the characters.

We gradually meet the characters one by one as they scramble and fight for survival in a rural town in Quebec during an apparent zombie outbreak.

There’s Bonin and Vézina, the jokers of the pack, quipping as they coolly dispatch a zombie horde; Céline, a hardcore woman who would give Michonne a run for her money in the badass department; the elderly couple, Therese and Pauline; Tania, the heart of the movie who has been bitten but swears that it was by a dog; Zoé, a little girl; the wise Réal, and young crack shot Ti-Cul. All of who cross paths on their post-apocalyptic journey. One of the gems of this movie is that as we warm to each character, the rug of comfort will be pulled out from under our feet and not necessarily when or with whom you expect it to be from.

Director Robin Aubert leans towards a minimalistic approach to his work, which allows the actors the freedom to stretch their talents and delve deep into their characters. This coupled with some amazing cinematography that allows the beautiful scenery to be captured with stunning shots that breathes life onto the screen. This works in stark contrast against the claustrophobic tension-filled scenes when the zombies choose to attack, which they almost do with animalistic ability, hunting their prey and luring them from safety before ripping them apart or going on a feeding frenzy.

The zombies are also to be commended, as they don’t fit your usual traits. They appear to have smarts and a sense of community attached to them, often being territorial in places. They come with their wails or screams ale Invasion of the Body Snatchers when they see potential victims, but also come with an ethereal oddity when stacking furniture to impressive sights with these structures reaching to the heavens as they all gather round and stare at their creations. This is never explained and compliments the mystery and oddity to the virus that has swept mankind.

 

The Diagnosis:

A zombie film with heart as well as brains that is played out with dramatic integrity and draws you in deep enough to care for the characters before swiftly delivering a killer blow.

– Saul Muerte