Independent film-making is the heart of cinema. Making movies outside the studio system, or without major financial backing, takes power away from gatekeepers, and allows creativity, innovation, and youth to flourish. Not all indie flicks are equal, and let's be frank, even some titles that come from big names are of the sort that would be better served kept within a circle of friends or among participants rather than be distributed for mass consumption. Yet save perhaps for the very worst of the worst, one generally has to at least admire the labor put into any production. And so we have this French crime thriller, 'Revanche' ('Revenge'): one way or another, it's almost squarely in the middle of the road.
The effects are reasonably decent, and I appreciate the cinematography; in true indie fashion, filmmaker Stéphane Roquet served the latter function in addition to directing, and co-writing and co-producing. Though less outwardly noteworthy, other bits and pieces are quite well done too, including hair and makeup, music, and editing, and some splendid filming locations. The acting is a bit of a mixed bag but the cast put in an earnest effort, and Roquet, and star and co-writer Jean-Yves Bourgeois, laid out a firm foundation with their screenplay for the feature they wanted to make. All this is well and good. As to the rest? Well, it's hardly that this is abjectly bad. But let's just say that some folks' skills would benefit from further development.
The writing provides a foundation, yes, and in the broad strokes the storytelling is fine is emphatically straightforward with no twists or turns. The scene writing is less reliable, and a lot of the dialogue pretty much just raises a skeptical eyebrow. The production values come off as rather bare-faced, as if little or no time or money was spent on any manner of processing or color correction for the footage that was shot. This is echoed in sound design that woefully imbalanced; headphone users beware, for some audio here will threaten to blow out speakers and ears. The more visual effects are employed in a moment, the more transparently bogus they are; broadly serviceable as the performances are, there are definitely instances of overacting. And more than anything else, the greatest trouble 'Revanche' faces is that there isn't the slightest trace of tact or nuance to be found in Roquet's direction. While it's most evident during action sequences, and the extended climactic sequence above all, there's a grating, curt forthrightness to Roquet's orchestration of shots and scenes, and his guidance of the cast, that's rather off-putting. If there could be an equivalent for a director to what we describe in actors as "chewing scenery," this would surely exemplify it.
Please understand, I actually did have a good time watching. Despite my harsh criticism, I'd be lying if I said I didn't find the picture enjoyable in some measure. It's not "great," and "good" might even be pushing the envelope, but there are far worse ways to spend one's time. It's just that this is most certainly an example of a film that one can "watch" without actively engaging; the colloquial phrase "blunt instrument" comes to mind. At least in being so unsophisticated 'Revanche' also declines the overbearing "cool factor" or slickness that embellishes a lot of action flicks, so there's that; would that it didn't also decline any degree of polish or refinement along the way. Oh well. There's no need to go out of your way for this, and by all means there are countless other titles you should make a higher priority. If you do come across 'Revanche,' however, and you want something you can put on without paying significant attention, this will easily fit the bill. Take that as you will.
