Review copy provided by Second Sight Films.
Second Sight Films recently released a limited edition Blu-ray for the film Revenge. Due to this I feel obliged to give 2 opinions. My opinion of the film and my opinion of the package as a whole. I am doing this because with this release you are not solely buying this Blu-ray for the film alone. Due to this structure I will be giving 3-star ratings, one for the film, one for the package and an overall rating for this release.
Film Review
Revenge is about Jen (played by Matilda Lutz) who is having an affair with Richard (played by Kevin Janssens), the two head to a remote house before Richards annual hunting trip with his 2 friends Stan and Dimitri (played by Vincent Colombe and Guillaume Bouchède). But Stan and Dimitri arrive early for the trip. For a while the 4 of them are having a good time but after a horrific incident, Jen is left for dead and she is now on the hunt for some revenge.
I think it’s important to know that Revenge is a rape-revenge film. I feel especially in 2020, that a film in this sub-genre could easily be exploitive, uncomfortable and just simply nasty. But writer and director Coralie Fargeat, brings this delegate and womanly touch to the rape scene that allows it to be artistic and mature instead of being just a soft-core porn scene in disguise.
Matilda Lutz does a good job playing Jen, seeing her rise from the ashes and become this badass warrior is really engaging and the best part of the film, this is highlighted in the scene that takes place in a cave that legit feels like a Bear Grills mind trip. I felt the rest of the cast also provided solid performances, but I wish more of their dialog was in French rather than English. Their delivery while speaking in French was far more natural and believable compared to when they spoke English.
There is one thing this film does better than a lot of other films and that’s the blood. The use of practical blood squibs, which used to be normal for films has slowly become a thing of the past due to the fact the CG blood is more convenient. But Revenge is filled with practical blood. The final scene alone has so much blood that it felt like an artist threw a tub of red paint over a completely white canvas.
I do however have a big issue with this film and my issue is with the films editing. Many times, throughout the film I felt that the editing was distracting and noticeable. While this issue isn’t an issue during the middle of the film. In my opinion good editing shouldn’t be noticed, but many times during the beginning and the end of the film, I kept thinking why are so many cuts happening.
They say Revenge is a dish best served cold but when it comes to this film, it’s a dish best served covered in blood. Revenge is a very good first feature and a solid film if you don’t mind its subject matter.
Package review
This limited edition Blu-ray created by Second Sight Films is just flat out incredible for its price. Starting with the bonus features, there are 4 new interviews. The first being Out for Blood which is a new 42 minute interview with director Coralie Fargeat and actor Matilda Lutz. There’s also a 14 minute interview with actor Guillaume Bouchède, a 24 minute interview with cinematography Robrecht Heyvaert and finally a 24 minute interview with composer Robin Coudert. To conclude the bonus feature there’s a new audio commentary track by Kat Ellinger, author and editor of Diabolique.
In a day and age where getting bonus features of a Blu-ray feels like a relic of the past it’s nice to see a Blu-ray package filled with additional content and all of that content have a good length to them instead of being 5 minute clips that could be found on YouTube.
Also, this package comes in a beautiful rigid slipcase featuring new artwork by Adam Stothard, you also get a poster with said new artwork and a soft cover book with new writings on the film by Mary Beth McAndrews and Elena Lazic. All of the physical extras feel like the cherry on top of an already delicious cake.
Honestly for the price this package is worth every penny.
Overall opinion
As an overall release Revenge by Second Sight Films is a must own for fans of the film or Blu-ray collectors as I honestly believe that it’ll look good on anyone’s shelf as part of their collection.
