Brian Hammons' thoughts on Ravenous

I remember working at my first job at a movie theater back in '99 when this came out. Back then I saw just about everything that our theater got, or, at least pieces of it during downtime on the clock. In fact, our club member who made this selection, Brian B., originally met me while I was at work and I let him into a few movies for free (and gave him a sizable portion of the promotional standee for The Crocodile Hunter: Collision Course). I remember having some sort of mild affinity for this film, but until watching it this morning, was finding recalling it quite difficult. I think the somberness and tone were probably over my teenaged head and I don't think I'd ever sat down fully and watched it in its entirety. Still, this film always reminds me of that time period, and, immediately upon hearing its "theme" that plays during the closing credits (as well as when Boyd walks back to Fort Spencer) I was hit with a rush of nostalgia. While sweeping up auditoriums as an usher you'll hear the music during a film's credits countless times during its stay at your theater, it's for this reason I can sing the entirety of Dashboard Confessional's "Vindicated" from Spider-Man 2. I remember being really taken by the eeriness of that piece of music, the simplicity, the bass drum, and organ/keyboard; I found it rather haunting and captivating, and I remember not turning up the lights in the auditorium to begin cleaning, but typically sliding into a seat in a very dark aisle and just sitting there listening to it. Rediscovering it today made me happy as I really, really dig that particular song and just found it on YouTube so I can listen to it at my leisure.

First I'll get out of the way some of the issues I have with the film. Some of the plotting of the action sequences seemed clunky. I don't think physical action scenes were Antonia Bird's specialty as a director, and not altogether surprisingly, this was the last major film she directed (although she's done some TV work over the last decade). There were plenty of little guffaws that a clever viewer will catch, they misspelled Nietzsche's name at the beginning of the film, while the soldiers search for Ives' party one kicks over a patch of snow which reveals itself as a piece of white cloth, Ives said he reached Denver that spring which would have been of 1847 but the city wasn't even founded until 1858, etc. There's also lots of continuity errors, Ives' hands being tied and the mysteriously being free, the placement of the knife during the final fight scene changing position between shots, etc. A point of calling all of this to attention is to point out some of the shortcomings of the director and crew. It's also a film that has a troublesome tone as at times there's moments that are borderline comedic but most of the tone is solemn and serious.

However, these things being said, it's still a riveting and for my money rather fascinating film. The aforementioned music, locations, tone (when its not uneven), etc. really give the film a unique feel and vibe that is somewhat unsettling, which makes it that much more compelling and interesting. It's sort of Robert Carlyle's show as Ives/Colqhoun, he appears to really be relishing playing such a disturbed character, and brings lots to the role. The twists and turns are placed well throughout the film to keep the viewer on their feet and unsure of what to expect. The idea that they want to be cannibals forever, continually eating flesh to garner strength, doesn't have a lot of legs for a long-term story and seems a bit shortsighted. But, that's not really our concern, as we're more focused on this particular event of Ives' betrayals and systematic conquering of Fort Spencer. I liked the use of locations, they filmed in the Czech Republic, Slovakia, and Mexico, and much of it looked fantastic.

If you've still got your copy around I'd recommend listening to one or more of the alternate commentary tracks, Carlyle's has an amusing story about real-life vegetarian Guy Pearce having to eat the "flesh stew". If you liked this film, and want something even more off the beaten path, seek out Cannibal! The Musical, a film from the creators of South Park I was fortunante enough to see at a film festival in Louisville. As Colonel Hart said, "It's lonely being a cannibal. Tough making friends".