Revenge

 2/4

Starring: Kevin Costner, Madeleine Stowe, Anthony Quinn, Miguel Ferrer

The version being reviewed is unrated.  For the record, the theatrical cut is rated R (probable for Strong Violence, Graphic Sexuality/Nudity, Language and Drug Content)

"Revenge" is a dime-store potboiler that starts strong but loses the thread because it fails to respect the rules of the genre to the very end.  Perhaps director Tony Scott, working from a short story by Jim Harrison, was trying to both honor and subvert the revenge story.  If so, it didn't work.  Which is all the more tragic because it starts out so well.

Jay Cochran (Costner) is a fighter pilot who has just decided to hang up his wings.  To celebrate his retirement, he decides to pay a visit to his wealthy friend Tibey Mendez (Quinn).  He is impressed with Tibey's life of luxury and power, but what truly captures his attention is Tibey's scintillating wife, Miryea (Stowe).  The attraction is mutual and soon the two are in the throngs of overwhelming passion.  Unfortunately for them, when Tibey inevitably finds out, they discover the price of crossing him.

The first act of this movie is terrific.  It dazzles because it exploits our basest desires: money, sex, power.  The fact that anyone would know that sleeping with your friend's wife is not a class move under any circumstance is irrelevant.  These characters are not governed by morality, but by their appetites.  The late Tony Scott, who never valued subtlety, highlights this.  The sex is explicit and raw, the violence is uncensored and neither malice or desire or hidden.  By filming the story this way, the actions of the characters seem logical in ways that would normally defy common sense.

Then the film makes a mistake.  Once Tibey dishes out his primal punishment, the film delves into morally ambiguous territory.  Not necessary.  This is a revenge story.  It can only work if the hero is obsessed with righting wrongs and the villain is blackhearted to the bone.  By taking a turn for the existential, the film renders its story inert.  It's debatable whether or not there is enough story to be spun out to feature length, but the fact remains that the more it muddies the water, the more slack the story picks up.  And it's hard to imagine anyone finding the ending satisfying on any level.

Kevin Costner has never been known for his range.  Although he has the good looks and presence of a leading man, his talents are best served as a character actor (which is what his career turned into post-"Waterworld").  He's the everyman, and when he stays within that range, he's effective.  There are times in "Revenge" where his range is stretched to more than he is capable of giving, but he's mostly effective.  Madeleine Stowe shows of a sexy side that she rarely gets to show.  It's not that she takes off her clothes or engages hot and steamy action that makes her so intoxicating to watch, but it's her presence and the way she says her lines that turn up the heat.  And while the would-be revisionist material kills the film's energy, at least Anthony Quinn handles it aplomb.

It's a shame really.  The first act is everything you'd hope for in this kind of movie.  It's gritty, sexy and grungy.  It has energy that most exploitation flicks are either incapable of giving or too ironic to try for.  I could almost recommend the first 45 minutes just for those reasons, although ending on a cliffhanger with no payoff isn't something I particularly enjoy.