It is said that you are what you eat, in this week’s edition of Disc Dive we see how true that is with Ravenous.
Title: Ravenous
Director: Antonia Bird
Released: March 16, 1999 (Theatrical – United States)
Runtime: 1 hour 41 minutes
Disc Format: Blu-ray
John Boyd (Guy Pearce) is a United States soldier receiving a promotion to Captain for his perceived bravery during battle. However, his superiors know that cowardice, not bravery, explains why Boyd is still alive. He played dead when the enemy came and continued doing so until he saw a window to escape.
Rather than outing him as a coward, his superiors assign him to a remote military outpost known as Fort Spencer. After his arrival, the population of the fort is now up to a whopping 8 people. Not long after settling in, a man named Colqhoun (Robert Carlyle) arrives seeking refuge. He and his party were led astray by their guide before becoming completely lost. To survive, the party ate their horses and pack animals. Once those were gone, the guide turned to cannibalism. That was a bridge too far for Colqhoun, who took off in search of help.
After hearing his story, the men of Fort Spencer organize a search party. If there are survivors out there, they must be rescued, even if it means coming face-to-face with a cannibal.
Ravenous was a first-time watch for me. I’d heard it had developed a cult following and snagged it during a sale. I figured if I didn’t like it, at least I didn’t pay full price.
And well, at least I didn’t pay full price.
One thing I didn’t know until after viewing is that this makes the second film in my collection loosely based on the story of Alfred Packer, the other being Cannibal! The Musical, covered just a few weeks back.
On the surface, there’s a lot to like. A western horror led by Guy Pearce is a strong start, and it’s a subgenre that doesn’t get nearly the attention of slashers or found-footage. But the wheels come off not long after the opening credits.
Every scene feels like a competition in which the actors see who can chew up the most scenery. While Pearce flip-flops between grounded and over-the-top, the biggest culprit is Carlyle. Every time he’s on camera it’s as if he’s running his own one-man show.
To make matters worse, the score of Ravenous is wildly out of place. What you have on camera is a serious, dark, almost gothic atmosphere and then what you hear is a lighthearted score more fitting of a campy horror comedy. While you’d think it might find the right tone eventually, it does not.
There are good bones here, but the end result is a bit of a mess. More grounded performances and a score that fits the film it’s in, and maybe this earns its cult status.
As it stands, Ravenous isn’t one worth rushing back to.