Ravenous (1999)

In a remote military outpost in the 19th century, Captain John Boyd and his regiment embark on a rescue mission which takes a dark turn when they are ambushed by a sadistic cannibal.

Director:

Antonia Bird

Writer:

Ted Griffin

Stars:

Guy Pearce, Robert Carlyle, David Arquette

1 win & 4 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Guy Pearce	...	Capt. John Boyd
Robert Carlyle	...	Col. Ives / F.W. Colqhoun
David Arquette	...	Pvt. Cleaves
Jeremy Davies	...	Pvt. Toffler
Jeffrey Jones	...	Col. Hart
John Spencer	...	Gen. Slauson
Stephen Spinella	...	Knox
Neal McDonough	...	Pvt. Reich
Joseph Runningfox	...	George (as Joseph Running Fox)
Bill Brochtrup	...	Lindus
Sheila Tousey	...	Martha
Fernando Becerril	...	Mexican Commander
Gabriel Berthier	...	Mexican Commander
Pedro Altamirano	...	Mexican Commander
Joseph Boyle	...	U.S. Blonde Soldier

Storyline

Captain John Boyd receives a promotion after defeating the enemy command in a battle of the Mexican-American War, but because the general realizes it was an act of cowardice that got him there, he is given a backhanded promotion to Fort Spencer, where he is third in command. The others at the fort are two Indians, George and his sister, Martha, who came with the place, Chaplain Toffler, Reich, the soldier; Cleaves, a drugged-up cook; and Knox, who is frequently drunk. When a Scottish stranger named Colquhoun appears and recovers from frostbite almost instantly after being bathed, he tells a story about his party leader, Ives, eating members of the party to survive. As part of their duty, they must go up to the cave where this occurred to see if any have survived. Only Martha, Knox, and Cleaves stay behind. George warns that since Colquhoun admits to eating human flesh, he must be a Windigo, a ravenous cannibalistic creature.

---

Plot Keywords:

cannibalism | cannibal | mexican american war | homoeroticism | u.s. frontier | 

---

Taglines:

Eat up.

---

Genres:

Adventure | Comedy | Horror

---

Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for considerable gore and strong violence

Details

Country:

UK Mexico USA Czech Republic

Language:

English Italian Spanish Washoe

Release Date:

19 March 1999 (USA)

Also Known As:

Ravenous

Filming Locations:

Tatranska National Park, Tatra Mountains, Slovakia

Box Office

Budget:

$12,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$1,040,727, 21 March 1999

Gross USA:

$2,062,405

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$2,062,405

Company Credits

Production Co:

ETIC Films, Engulf & Devour Productions Inc., Fox 2000 Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

101 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The tape loop used during Colqhoun's story is an archival track from the 1920s.

---

Goofs

At one point when the soldiers are in search of the rest of Colquhoun's party, one of them kicks a patch of snow which folds over showing it to clearly be a piece of white cloth.

---

Quotes

Ives: Morality - the last bastion of a coward.

---

Crazy Credits

The film begins with a famous quote by German philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche (1844-1900): "He that fights with monsters should look to it that he himself does not become a monster." Nietzsche's surname is misspelled as 'Nietzche'. Shortly after, a comedic quote appears below Nietzsche's: "Eat Me" - Anonymous.

---

Alternate Versions

Finnish video version is cut by 58 seconds.

---

Connections

Referenced in The Blood Pact: The Making of 'Blade II' (2002)

User Reviews

Director Antonia Bird Has Crafted a Grippingly Intense and Bizarrely Original Film, that Defies Pigeonholing or Labeling!

............................................................from Pasto,Colombia...Via: L.A. CA., CALI, COLOMBIA and ORLANDO, FL

A Cult-Classic Masterpiece! Director Antonia Bird, has me totally convinced of her boundless talent! She has crafted a grippingly intense and bizarrely original film, that defies any attempt at pigeonholing or labeling! It is, at times, amusing, often deftly ironic, chillingly irreverent, with moments of intentional political INcorrectness, and ever so subtly feminist at its core.

Juxtapositioning, with flawless style and sobering effectiveness, diverse elements of Horror, Period Western, Action-Adventure, Psychodrama, Suspense and the Supernatural, against a backdrop of some of the most breathtakingly dazzling outdoor scenery imaginable(Shot near Durango, Mexico), and set to a perversely inspired musical score that highlights the full potential of music to shape the ambiance of a film and provide the psychological equivalent of running your fingernails across a blackboard!

Ms. Bird has managed to coax truly riveting performances from each member of a superb cast! Guy Pearce(L.A.Confidential), starring as Captain Boyd, provides us with an uncannily haunting portrait of a tormented pacifist soldier, in the throws of a fierce struggle for his own soul!

Robert Carlyle(Trainspotting) was icily convincing as a fanatically focused, but utterly deranged cannibal in uniform. Jeffrey Jones, in an oddly empathetic change of pace role, played mild-mannered Colonel Hart, plagued by an interminable list of human frailties. Thusly, he is easily subverted by the sinister Ives(Carlyle). Despite all of the aforementioned accolades, I feel I must offer a word of caution: Ravenous is undoubtedly NOT suited to everyone's taste!

Though it has scarcely a few moments of starkly violent or macabre footage, these moments seem so devastatingly repulsive, that they don't go away easily. Consequently, I'd hesitate to throw out the Welcome Mat on this One! If you don't particularly care for the extremely bizarre, you might just want to stay clear of RAVENOUS. 9*.....ENJOY/DISFRUTELA!

Any comments, questions or observations, in English o en Español, are most welcome!

[e-mail]