La revancha

Costner is Jay Cochran, a freshly retired Navy jet pilot who ventures down to Mexico for a long holiday with old friend, and ruthless kingpin, Tibby Mendez (Anthony Quinn). In no time at all, Cochran becomes enamored of Tibby's gorgeous young wife, Mireya (Madeleine Stowe). Sparks fly between the two, and a steamy love affair ensues. Tibby discovers his wife's illicit activities, and moves to exact revenge for his friend's betrayal. Cochran is beaten to within an inch of his life and left for dead on the side of the road. Mireya, physically marred, is sentenced to life in a brothel to live out her days in a heroin-induced haze. Cochran survives and mounts his own campaign of vengeance.

Now in all honesty, I don't think anyone watches this movie without shaking their head at Cochran. Until he takes up arms and swears revenge, he's your basic facepalm of a character. He knows she's taken, and he knows his old amigo has a vicious temper. She's a well-kept trophy wife surrounded by gun-toting henchmen. Tibby's not going to let this go with a slap on the hand. But it's Tibby's sheer brutality that's so shocking. The film takes a sudden and savage turn when Cochran is beaten to a bloody pulp, bones crushed, consciousness fleeting. And the payback Tibby has in store for his adulterous wife is off the charts; sold into a life of prostitution in a semi-conscious state.

But the common sense of the main characters is not what's important in the long run. This film lives and breathes through the undeniable chemistry between Costner and Stowe. They really do bring 110% to their roles. Their love scenes only add to the horror we (and they) experience when they're punished. Both find genuine (albeit short-lived) happiness only to be sentenced to their respective hells.

The Director's Cut actually excises 30 minutes from the original version, and it serves to quicken the pace and add a visceral punch to an already brutal (and morbid) love story. In a time when such revised cuts are used merely as gimmicks, this film truly benefits from Scott's revisions.

7/10

I'd avoided this film for years, despite being a huge Costner fan, because people had described it as nearly unwatchable. On the advice of someone on the internet, I gave it a shot, and what a surprise! Although it'll never be one of my favorite films, it's certainly worthwhile, a highly engrossing (albeit graphically gory) trip through a wide and shifting range of emotions. Quinn gives his best performance since "Zorba," and Costner and Stowe are extremely good. The photography is extraordinary, and Mexican music has seldom been used so effectively. I'd recommend it to anyone with a strong stomach. The love scenes, by the way, are romantic AND sexy, a rare combination.

Certainly the ending of this film is extremely moving and literally takes your breath away. It leaves you with a feeling that you have probably seen something better than what you actually have. Of course Tony Scott is one of the most stylish directors about ie.- 'The Hunger'(1983) which has to be one of the most stylish films about. He's also made his fair share of blockbusters ie.-'Top Gun'(1985),'Beverly Hills Cop 2'(1987),'Days of Thunder'(1989) and more recently 'Enemy of the State'(1998)- all of which took a lot of money, the profits of the first one in particular bordering on the ridiculous. And don't forget he made the little seen(in the cinema anyway) but memorable 'True Romance'(1992). So you get the feeling that here Mr.Scot was making a picture trapped in-between both worlds- that of the blockbuster and the more personal picture. The film did only average in the box office and did not really make any kind of impact on any of the performer's careers.It is beautifully filmed with lots of trademark Scott shots ie- sun beams pouring through a drawn blind and mist covering the scenery. The violence is maybe a little too graphic. Costner goes through the motions somewhat in a character who is a mix of the roles he played in 'No Way Out'(1987) and 'The Bodyguard'(1992).He does his best acting in the final quarter of the picture where he shows well executed, muted regret and sorrow.Stowe is very attractive and impressive as Miryea who for the second half of the picture is dying slowly through a drugged daze. Anthony Quinn delivers a solid display as the larger than life Mexican gangster who after delivering his vengeance on Jay and Miryea becomes a sad, secluded old man who takes no pleasure in the measures he has taken but continues to justify them.Such a role is very undemanding for a legend like Quinn.Miguel Ferrer also has an undemanding role and John Leguziamo is impressive in an early career role as an eager but almost mute gunman who aids Costner.The plot is nothing special.The only interesting point is that Quinns character's vengeance, though excessive, is justifiable. Ultimately Jay and Miryea get their just deserts in the sense that both betrayed him through their secretive adultery which seems more born out of lust than love. The love between these two is not well enough developed to justify the beautiful ending to the film. If the couples relationship had been longer and not completely based around sex you could understand the emotion between them more.The piano track used for the two lovers is very touching and forms the perfect soundtrack for the memorable ending sequence. OVERALL- I give this picture 7/10. It is raised above average by the ending. Ultimately it is worth sitting through the picture,which is overlong, and paying attention to it just for the ending which is beautifully shot, romantic, captivating and probably one of the most heartbreakingly sad moments in film history(yes its that good). Even the most stoneyhearted will be touched.

Tony Scott loves his so-called good guys to be amoral anti-heroes. The more ruthless they are, the better (after they've taken a pounding from the bad guy first, natch). And whenever possible, he likes Mexico to be in the mix. With that set-up, I could be describing 'Man On Fire', 'True Romance', or 1990's 'Revenge'. Since he unofficially remade 'Revenge' as 'Man On Fire' earlier this year, I should just call up that review and replace Denzel Washington's name with Kevin Costner's. Even though I'm seeing them out of order, the 14-year-old flick is better. Scott even shows more grown-up sensibilities than he usually does and directs his actors through believable love scenes. I don't think he's been so unabashedly romantic since this period in the early '90s.

Costner plays Jay Cochran, a cocky Navy pilot (shades of Maverick from 'Top Gun') who vacations in Mexico after retiring from the jet-set life. Playing host to the flier is a ruthless tycoon, Tibby Mendez (Anthony Quinn). The two men are old friends, despite the generation gap and the fact they have nothing in common. But just when you think Costner is going to have some fun, he has to go and fall in lust with Tibby's wife, Mireya (the heavenly Madeleine Stowe). [What beautiful kids those two actors would make.] They don't vault into bed immediately, but neither of them lets a little thing like loyalty to Tibby get in the way of their passion. When the husband finds out, Jay is severely beaten and Mireya is scarred & banished to a whorehouse.

You thought revenge would be Quinn's for his cuckolding? No, vengeance is Costner's. He spends most of the second hour of this bloody picture busting up anybody who might know what happened to his lover. 'Revenge' equals serious violence, no doubt about it. It's rare that the usually heroic Costner is given the chance to ride the gruesome line between good & evil. He's probably justified, but he DID betray his friend by bedding the man's wife. You don't do that in Mexico without waking up in the afterlife, so you might say Cochran got off easy. The tender climax is a bit of surprise from the the slick Scott, giving his otherwise angry film a heart. The movie might not be much fun, but the actors are pretty good and the story is always watchable. And violent.

It has been nearly ten years since I last saw Revenge but I always have this fond memory of how much it had an impact on me as it was a very courageous project for Kevin Costner at that time. It started off like this Top Gun rip off then turned into this beautiful tale of love, passion and betrayal. Never have a seen a love story with so much chemistry and have an ending which Hollywood would never dream of now compared to back then.

Kevin Costner is an air pilot leaving the Navy to visit a very old friend Anthony Quinn. I can't remember why they were both such good friends to start off with, I think it was something to do with them both being in a war together or something along those lines. In the time they have been apart Quinn has married a beautiful women played by Madeline Stowe and he takes no time in getting them both acquainted. And in no time Costner and Stowe become a little to friendly and start to fall for each other but fight their best to avoid this.

What works perfectly is how Quinn knows how beautiful his wife is and how much he really knows without saying how much Costner wants her. This adds to the tension as he always makes Costner feel uncomfortable by asking him questions about how beautiful she is. It all erupts to you know what and I think most of the end is more like a western than anything. This is what turned the film around for me as they are some truly brutal scenes in this film and that's when the story really begins and the revenge from both sides of the story begin to take turn.

By the end of the film I was just surprised at how rare a film like this was back in the day when films weren't completely apart of Hollywood and followed there own path into making a decent film which is what Revenge delivers. Anthony Quinn didn't make many more films after this so this was a rare gem as his Quinn goes and this is a movie which you wouldn't expect Costner to be taking the lead.

Fantastic