Ravenous (1999)

I first saw this on a VHS. Revisited it recently on a blu ray. This movie seemed to have come up with a unique and interesting angle to the usual cannibal story. Captain Boyd (Guy Pearce) is assigned a post at the remote Fort Spencer in the wilderness inspite of defeating the enemy command as it was an act of cowardice that got him there. The others at the fort are two Indians, three private soldiers , one Major n one Colonel. When a stranger (Carlyle) appears and recovers from frostbite almost instantly after being bathed, he tells a story about his party leader, Ives, eating members of the party to survive. As part of their duty, they must go up to the cave where this occurred to see if any have survived. Only three people stay behind. The Indian warns that since the stranger (Carlyle) admits to eating human flesh, he must be a Windigo, a ravenous cannibalistic creature. Cinematographer Anthony B. Richmond captured the striking imagery of vast, snowy landscapes very well. U r transported to the snow-covered peaks of the landscape of the Sierra Nevada wilderness circa 1847. The quirky, versatile score also stands out. The acting is phenomenal, especially by Carlyle n Pearce. Ives (the cannibalistic wendigo) is one of the best villain brought to screen. One of the best part of this movie is that its not at all predictable.

One of the most original movies ever made. Also one of the funniest black comedies of all time. It's funny the same way Fargo is. In fact, if the Coen Brothers ever returned to their thriller roots, or made a straight up horror, this is the type of movie they might end up with.This AV Club blurb does a spot on job of conveying why this movie is so good.It may be hard to believe now, but once upon a time — call it the late Nineties — a major movie studio sunk $12 million into a comedic western about 19th century soldiers who believed eating other humans endow folks with superhuman strength and the ability to recover from life- threatening injuries. When shooting on the film crashed to a halt after three weeks of interference and executive micromanaging, one of the suits at at 20th Century Fox hit upon an idea: fire director Milcho Manchevski — the Macedonian art house sensation whose devastating wartime romance Before the Rain was nominated for an Oscar — and replace him with Raja Gosnell, whose only feature credit to date was Home Alone 3. Shockingly, it didn't work out.The cast, lead by Guy Pearce and Robert Carlyle (fresh off his BAFTA-winning performance in The Full Monty), rejected Gosnell like a body denying a transplanted heart, and Ziskin's filmmaker of choice returned to the comforts of his wheelhouse in Los Angeles, where he would promptly get to work on Never Been Kissed. Carlyle eventually pressured Fox into filling the director's chair with his trusted collaborator, Antonia Bird, a veteran of British TV whose best known feature on these shores was Priest, about a closeted man of the cloth. It did not sound like an ideal match- up. Shockingly, it turned out great.Ravenous is a film that, by design, was forced to thread the needle between three different genres, a challenge that few directors have the finesse to overcome under normal circumstances — let alone on a project that had more cooks in the kitchen than it did carnivores on screen. Kicking off with the twang of a banjo that might not have been tuned since 1846, this Mulligan's stew of a movie walks such a fine line between bleak comedy ("He was licking me!"), hyper- violent survival drama, and supernatural creature-feature that the guy narrating the trailer seems to have no idea what he's actually selling. Advertising lies all the time, but seldom is it so confused: "One man must choose between having dinner, and being dinner…" (You wait for him to follow that oddly jokey declaration up with "I guess?") Audiences of the time can hardly be blamed for not being sold.But while many studio boondoggles betray the messiness of their making (Fantastic Four, anyone?), this ragged, unsung 1999 gem was one of the very few that was able to feed off the chaos. An origin story about the American spirit, the film is a lot like America itself: a melting pot of disparate elements, thrown together in a fit of violence, and galvanized by the righteous illusion that this is how God intended it to be.Subtlety is not on the menu here, and it's easy to imagine how the bluntness of the script by Ted Griffin (Ocean's 11) helped it weather the constant assault of studio notes and creative upheaval. The story begins by introducing us to Second Lieutenant John Boyd (Guy Pearce), a Mexican- American War vet who's being promoted to Captain after killing an entire unit of enemy soldiers on their own turf. The problem is that, after playing dead and being stacked in a heap of corpses, our hero was only capable of such battlefield bravery because of an unsettling jolt of strength — which he got from drinking trickling-down blood. Boyd is now nauseated at the sight of raw meat; he pukes behind a tent after a celebratory banquet as the title card flashes on screen. Laughs are usually the first things that get lost when a movie is Frankensteined together, but the film's sick sense of humor remained intact.Surprisingly, a story that rubs our faces in America's ongoing history of cannibalism (cultural, commercial, or otherwise) is always going to be a tough sell in a country that still celebrates Columbus Day. Ravenous bombed at the box office, grossing $10 million less than it cost to make and anticipating a climate where a film like this would be lucky to premiere at Fantastic Fest in advance of a straight-to-VOD release. Perhaps that's for the best. A major studio trying to wrangle something so bloodthirsty and off-kilter is like a child trying to raise a feral hyena — it's too wild to tame, and it's always laughing at you for trying.But maybe this movie isn't quite as bleak as it appeared at the time; maybe this is just a case of not being able to see the forest for the trees. For all of its nihilism, this perverse take on the weird, weird West digs so deep into the darkness that it eventually shines a light out through other side. Like Colqhoun, it knows that we have to face the truth — and like Boyd, it knows that doesn't mean we have to live with it. To quote the film's opening title card, it's never too late to say "Eat me."

There are two ways you can watch this. You either expect a spooky film with cannibals or a film with the embodiment of courage, fear, and bravery. There is definitely a stronger, deeper meaning to it that most people overlook... If you're expecting a war film or a horror, I think you will be pleasantly surprised. It's so unique and distinct... it's just a fresh dose of...something. I adore the film so much and the nostalgia it holds, I have a quote from it tattoo'd on me. If you want to know the quote, I will put it at the very end of my review with a spoiler warning. Back on topic...If you allow yourself be absorbed, there are some scenes that definitely arouse panic and curiosity... I don't think there could have been any better actors for this film. Guy Pearce and Robert Carlyle collide in this movie like PB&J! Another thing, the soundtrack is absolutely ASTOUNDING. A mixture of folk, bluegrass, and classical. Some songs are triumphant and it always brings a tear to my eye. The music FOR SURE enhances the experience. (NON SPOILER) For the negative things I have to say, there are a good amount blunders and factual errors. I won't give any spoilers out, you'll have to watch it yourself (maybe multiple times to notice the mistakes). It would be a 10/10 but I give this a film a 8/10 because of it's mistakes and because I personally feel it would have been better if it was a Spaghetti Western AND because I feel like some of the actors (David Arquette, Guy Pearce, and Jeffrey Jones to be specific) could have done a better job... I know earlier, I stated, "I don't think there could have been any better actors," ...That still rings true, but the acting itself... these men performed exceptionally well, but don't act vicariously in their roles as authoritative figures... If that didn't make sense, here's another way to explain... MINOR SPOILERS...I don't believe a realistic colonel would act as goofy/lighthearted as Colonel Hart did. And I don't believe a realistic private would act like a jerk fresh out of boot camp (Private Reich). Other than that, I am emotionally attached to this dainty film... It's very precious to me... SPOILER..."Morality; the last bastion of a coward."

Even the soundtrack is hypnotic! One of those films similar to Dawn of the Dead, where you automatically get chills when you hear it.This film is very believable, both visually and with the storyline. Without eluding to a spoiler, this brings you along a path of humor, horror and plain weirdness. The great thing about it is, again this is a film that is unique. The story is different from the same cookie cutter films that are churned out now. This is what pulls you in, something different. What keeps you watching is the character development and great acting.This movie is highly recommended. Sit back and relax, you will enjoy this film!