Amour, vengeance et trahison

If you view a great British comedy in the right mood, it can be a splendid evenings entertainment. First you have to get past the dialect, and the faster the lines are delivered, the more challenging this becomes. However, if the laughs are there they will come through loud and clear. Unfortunately this is not the case with "Sweet Revenge". This totally predictable and uninspired effort, fails on several levels. The punchlines are telegraphed well in advance. The script is in many places more mean spirited than funny. Do yourself a favor. If you want to see a wonderful, dark, British comedy, seek out "Car Trouble" and skip this one. - MERK

Henry (Sam Neill) has just lost his job and has been very unlucky in love, too. After hatching a plan to jump off a tall bridge, Henry is surprised to see that someone else is there ahead of him, with the same idea. Its Karen (Helena Bonham Carter), who has been dumped by a man she thought loved her very much. As Henry and Karen convince each other not to end it all, Karen proposes a plan straight out of Hitchcock. Karen will get revenge on Henry's ex boss if Henry will go after her ex and the wife to whom he returned. Bewildered and still emotionally raw, Henry agrees to talk about the idea back at Karen's home. Wait, its a castle and obviously the lady is quite rich. Doubting whether Henry is really sincere, she invites him to spend the night but, when he wakes, Henry's clothes are gone and he is tied to a bed. Nothing will free him except the promise of taking her ex down. He agrees. Soon, Karen has disguised herself as a frump and wormed her way into a temp job as Henry's ex-boss' (Steve Googan) secretary. Meanwhile, Henry reluctantly seeks out the farm where his targeted couple abide, including the lovely wife, Imogen (Kristin Scott Thomas). All too soon, Karen seems to be achieving her goals while Henry drags his feet, because Imogen has transfixed him. What, what will Karen do as revenge to Henry if he doesn't do her bidding? This is a funny tale but by no means exceptional. Neill is great as the hero trying to turn to the dark side for a bit while Bonham Carter is one nasty female. Thomas, Coogan, Rupert Graves and the others do nice supporting work. Sets, costumes, script and direction are quite above average. Therefore, those who enjoy British comedy and light romance will find this a satisfying view for an evening.

Like Harvey Fierstein's TORCH SONG TRILOGY, this two-part play almost demanded a name change before lensing, but all except the US market chose to do so (SWEET REVENGE, to us Yanks). Alan Ayckbourn's cutting comic caper concerns two desperate losers who opt for revenge instead of a midnight dive into the Thames. Fine Britress Helena Bonham Carter is the controlling "she" while sedate Ozian Sam Neil is the duller "he". Stick insect Kristin Scott Thomas replaces the much-missed Joanna Lumley from the stage version while a mopey Rupert Graves is serviceable as the wayward brother. This is only one of three Ayckbourn plays (out of 69) to make it to the big screen (A CHORUS OF DISAPPROVAL and SMOKING/NO SMOKING, the other two) and it's compression proves it's failing. The quaint Liz Smith is antic as the doddering maid. In the end, though, the fabric has been sliced and mended till the narrative is less than satisfying.

"Sweet Revenge" tells of a suicidal man (Neill) and woman (Carter) who meet on a London bridge and hatch a plot to dispose of the trouble-maker in each other's life. The film is a delightful British romp full of stodginess, stuffiness, silliness, and very dry British humor. Those with a taste for British wit will likely find this a fun comedy while those with no such taste will find it dull.

Since I saw this film when it was first aired in 1999 I was desperate to own it. I enjoyed it so much. Having also read the play I thought it was one of the best films I had ever seen. I finally managed to buy it after two years of searching, but it really is worth waiting two years for. The cast are amazing, especially Steve Coogan, who does an amazing job of playing the oily Bruce Tick. His acting is excellent, as is the rest of the celebrity cast. This is definitely one of the best British films I have ever seen, and is definitely worth watching, especially if you're a fan of British movies!