Revenge, an action/thriller written/directed by Coralie Fargeat and starring Matilda Anna Ingrid Lutz, is the story of a mistress’s highly justified journey of vengeance. One she takes on after her lover and his friends do their worst.

Featuring just four characters and set in a desert somewhere, Jen the mistress is supposed to be a kind of semi-superhero.  My first issue with Revenge is that the movie didn’t declare itself as ‘not quite realistic’ early or clearly enough. Especially considering how frighteningly real the beginning of the film is. This omission left me questioning and doubting the validity of things that were happening later, instead of surrendering to the ‘semi-real’ place the story occupies.

The next unexpected challenge with Revenge came with the moments that were meant to be played for laughs. As funny as those scenes may have been, one could say that I became too focused on justice and the villains’ comeuppance to concern myself with amusement.

As for what I did enjoy about Fargeat’s film,  that would be the suspense, visual style and the story of a badass female fighting for herself against the odds. I also appreciated the good, realistic-looking movie blood, of which there’s plenty. It’s unsurprising, then, that the two most unforgettable scenes both feature a lot of the red stuff. The main one is a tension-filled corridor chase sequence towards the end. Another scene involves an impaling. I’d like to add that I don’t ‘have a thing’ for blood. I just like it to look realistic, especially where hue and consistency are concerned.

I may have enjoyed Revenge more if it hadn’t included the superhero/fantasy elements. What a different and confusion-free experience that might have been. (*sigh).

See it if you’re curious, but maybe don’t expect too much.

Happy Film Loving,

G