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Revanche

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A gripping thriller and a tragic drama of nearly Greek proportions, Revanche is the stunning, Oscar-nominated international breakthrough of Austrian filmmaker Götz Spielmann. In a ragged section of Vienna, hardened ex-con Alex (the mesmerizing Johannes Krisch) works as an assistant in a brothel, where he falls for Ukrainian hooker Tamara. Their desperate plans for escape unexpectedly intersect with the lives of a rural cop and his seemingly content wife. With meticulous, elegant direction, Spielmann creates a tense, existential, and surprising portrait of vengeance and redemption, and a journey into the darkest forest of human nature, in which violence and beauty exist side by side.

DIRECTOR-APPROVED SPECIAL EDITION FEATURES

- New, restored high-definition digital transfer, approved by director Götz Spielmann (with DTS-HD Master Audio soundtrack on the Blu-ray edition)
- New video interview with Spielmann
- The Making of “Revanche,” a half-hour documentary shot on the film’s set
- Foreign Land, Spielmann’s award-winning student short film, with an introduction by the director
- U.S. theatrical trailer
- New and improved English subtitle translation
- PLUS: An essay by critic Michael Wood

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Can anyone who's seen this comment? It certainly looks intriguing, but I didn't know if this has as many dissenters as other recent foriegn indie darlings a la Gommorah.

I have been dying to see this ever since Criterion picked it up. I have also seen 'Antares' by the same director and I absolutely loved it. I hope 'Revanche' is as good as 'Antares'.

alice_the_goon wrote:I have been dying to see this ever since Criterion picked it up.

Was this one that was previously announced or do you mean, like, all afternoon today?

I think Alice means since Janus Films picked it up.

Gotcha.

I have no qualms about recommending this as a blind buy. It's easily the best film I've seen all year, and I've been anxious to get my hands on the Blu-ray just to have a chance to watch it again. Hopefully it won't get lost in the shuffle with the other great films Criterion has on tap for February. Götz Spielmann's arrival is the most excited I've been about a new auteur in a long time. Can't wait to see what he does next.

I wouldn't go so far as to recommend it as a blind buy, but it's a very good film... one that brought to mind Haneke, Inarritu, and mostly Kieslowski. It's got that combo of interconnectedness and honest exploration of pure humanity that KK often dealt with. I didn't find it as moving or artful as most Kieslowski films, but it did tell an interesting story that for the most part rings true. The rotating saw is a brilliant device for building tension. The performances all seemed pretty good too.

I'd also recommend it as a blind buy. While the first half wasn't particularly great, even though I must admit for much of it I was distracted by the broken subtitles, the second half is truly one of the best displays of cinema this year. The way the relationship between the gangster, the wife, and the cop unfolds is very interesting and unexpected. What it says of guilt and revenge while not new is nevertheless handled more maturely than I expected. The scenery is another great aspect too.

knives wrote:The way the relationship between the gangster, the wife, and the cop unfolds is very interesting and unexpected. What it says of guilt and revenge while not new is nevertheless handled more maturely than I expected.

Further to this--and I know I've said this elsewhere on the forum--the second half reminded me of the Dardenne's Le fils, in the way that Johannes Krisch's character handles his resentment. So there's something to recommend it for anyone who was a fan of the Dardenne's film and its layers of psychological tension.

If this film really is like Kieslowski directing Le fils, then it truly must be one of the greatest films ever made... =P~

It's a great film, for sure, but be careful not to set your expectations too high. Its first half is not nearly as strong as its second, which I think cannot be said of the best of Kieslowski and the Dardennes.

knives wrote:I'd also recommend it as a blind buy. While the first half wasn't particularly great, even though I must admit for much of it I was distracted by the broken subtitles, the second half is truly one of the best displays of cinema this year. The way the relationship between the gangster, the wife, and the cop unfolds is very interesting and unexpected. What it says of guilt and revenge while not new is nevertheless handled more maturely than I expected. The scenery is another great aspect too.

Broken subtitles you say? I hope this won't be a problem on the disc, considering it is highly likely Criterion will just use Janus' subtitles. Either way, I'm looking incredibly forward to seeing this for the first and also seeing February's other releases (I've already seen Hunger). 2010 is looking like a great year for Criterion.

The broken subtitles are intentional. One of the characters, the girlfriend, is foreign and I assume doesn't speak German well so they use subtitles in broken English to relay that effect.

Didn't know much about Revanche when it was first announced by Criterion, but the cover and write-up have me very intrigued--a really perfect cover, beautiful! Is anyone else thinking blind-buy for this one?

I second Jeff's recommendation for a blind buy to those who have not seen this movie. I definitely saw shades of Kieslowski and the Dardennes as well, but for me, Melville was the best antecedent I could think of.

Stop naming all of my favorite directors! There is no way this film is going to live up to all of this hype now. If someone mentions Tarkovsky next I think my head is going to explode.

It actually ends with a title card dedicating it to Antichrist

I think I enjoyed it more not knowing much about it, plot-wise. As others have said, the first hour isn't particularly awesome, as the setup feels familiar and I figured I had the film pretty much pegged after the first few minutes. But it goes in unexpected directions as it continues, and by the end I was surprised at how moving it is.

I wonder how it will hold up to repeated viewings. I don't know if I'd go so far as to recommend it as a blind buy but it's definitely worth seeing. It's not profound or groundbreaking but it's accomplished filmmaking with a terrific lead performance by Johannes Krisch.

As for comparisons to other filmmakers, to me it felt a bit like Lubitsch crossed with Oshima with a bit of von Stroheim thrown in.

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I watched this last night and I agree with Jeff 100% in that this one of the best movies I've seen in years. I think it was somewhat predictable for the first 1/3 of the film but by the time we get to the countryside it really shines. The way all of the main characters were revealed in different lights through the complex relationships was handled very well and presented in an emotional and believable manner. This is easily one of my top criterion releases and likely my favorite all around CC BD.

Found this disappointing and deeply bland. Not offensively bad in the manner of, say, Hunger, but just thoroughly forgettable; the sort of state-funded Euro-pudding material that you can't escape from at second tier film festivals on a daily basis, with no real point nor any real audience (that is, if Oscar/Criterion hadn't obtusely picked it up). As an auteur film for people who don't like auteur cinema I guess it succeeds, perhaps (I guess that's what the 'Best Foreign Film' Oscar category is for).

I adored it and didn't find it bland or pointless in the least. Beautiful and obvious at worst.

I'm so glad some of the recent Criterion releases (Che, Summer Hours, and now Revanche) have been available for instant viewing from netflix. I thought this film was very, very good. Absolutely loved the long shots toward the end, with the only sound coming from the breeze. I'd second those who said this is worth a blind buy.

knives wrote:The broken subtitles are intentional. One of the characters, the girlfriend, is foreign and I assume doesn't speak German well so they use subtitles in broken English to relay that effect.

OK, thank you. I am ten minutes in and this is driving me crazy. Came to the thread to check if Criterion severely botched this. Glad to know this is intentional.

Whole conversations were missing, and then much of the dialogue is in broken English... I couldn't wrap my brain around it, but what you say makes sense. Thanks