Ravenous Movie
Storyline
TAGLINES
Survival is the only option.
You are who you eat
Eat up.
Get a taste for terror.
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.
| 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 |
| Bill Brochtrup | Lindus |
| Sheila Tousey | Martha |
| Pedro Altamirano | Mexican Commander |
| Antonia Bird |
6.80 out of 10 (12625 votes)
Visitor Reviews
Best Horror Movie Never Seen
posted on 23 Aug 2009Bloody, funny, smart, artistic, and wonderfully acted. Robert Carlyle heads a flawless cast in a film that is so surprisingly good it puts most horror movies to shame. This is something so unique it has to be seen to be believed. There is depth here among the gallons of blood; Every character is constructed nicely, and each has their moment; The locations and snow add a nice visual layer, and the cinematography captures the drab, depressing, grim overtones nicely. Hard to beat that whole cave scene, not to mention two(yes, two...) genuine, shocking surprises in this one. But this movie is about going all out with it's premise; It's crazy and outlandish, but it runs with it...all the way. But it's also refreshing. How many countless crappy serial killer/japanese ghost kids/70's horror remakes do we have to sit through before we get something like 'Ravenous'? Way too many. I'm surprised this movie even got made. But thank God it did.
Scares you to death AND leaves something behind
posted on 20 Aug 2009This movie is one of the best horror movies I have seen. It´s not just about some supernatural being who gets shot 15 times and you don´t see a scratch on it, or a freakishly strong person (even when the murderer has absolutely no muscles) who happens to hate you and tries to kill you the whole movie. The characters are likeable and very believable. I could believe all this really happened. Well, at least that the characters existed. The writer deserves a big hug for this magnificent piece. Oh, and don´t forget the actors. I was positively puzzled when I saw all the great actors. I only rented it cos Guy Pearce was in it - Lucky me, I found a little gem, with so many fabulous actors who did a excellent job, as did the director, Antonia Bird. And gosh, the music really freaked me out, I though I was gonna die. It´s definitely the scariest music I´ve heard in a long time. It gave me the chills.The movie has a theory in the plot, like in "the Sixth sense", which makes you really think about what you´ve seen. After you watched "Scream", sure you thought about the film for a while but there was no meaning behind it and it fell flat on it´s face. And I´m not talking about being afraid of the boogieman in the dark. The movie got me thinking, could this really happen? I mean, we´ve all heard about cannibalism before. There must be some reason why it´s done, and I think this movie gives a good one. Although, I don´t think it´s a new theory, because I have read about it in the book "The Vampire Lestat" by Anne Rice. I wonder if the writer has read that book. If you watch closely you might notice in the beginning a "hidden" meaning in capt. John Boyd's description of his war achievement.Without telling you who the killer is, I can only tell you this: The killer was repelling, and the killer's manners really annoying, but at the same time and even more often did the killer enchant me.The ravenous is a terrific film! Even if you aren´t a big fan of horror movies, just see it on account of the actors.
Eat to live. Don't live to eat.
posted on 17 Aug 2009Ravenous-- a story of cannibalism. I have never been able to stomach the concept of humans eating humans. For that reason, I had a hard time commiting myself to watching this movie. I must confess, though, that the movie itself is greatly amusing. It is unpredictable, intense, and made slightly comical by the almost cheery music used in gruesome scenes. Set in 1847, this film explores an Indian myth that when a man eats the flesh of another, he gains the strength and spirit of the other man. Robert Carlyle does an outstanding job in the role of Colonel Ives, a manipulative man driven by cannibalistic hunger. Guy Pierce, who stars as the cowardly Captain Boyd, also performs his role with excellence. -An all around five star film.
Not anything great, but I like it well enough.
posted on 06 Aug 2009In the time of the Mexican / American war, soldier John Boyd (Guy Pearce) is sent to a remote California fort in a snowy wilderness where he and his men rescue a Scotsman named Colqhoun (Robert Carlyle) who tells a spooky story of cannibalism. However, the story is not over yet...Obviously a very ambitious movie with some semblance of intelligence, this twisty movie is all over the map. If it were a dog, it would be a mixed breed. It incorporates elements of a classic western, a gory horror movie, and an oddball comedy. It has a decent cast (although Jeremy Davies' character Toffler is one of the wimpiest soldiers I've ever seen in a movie) and a variable score that is just fine at some times and a little too, well, WEIRD at others. (For some reason, during a harrowing chase scene, upbeat country music is playing.)Logic dictates that when we rate movies, we rate them against others of their type, although we can't really do that here; this movie really seems to fall in a class of its own.6/10 (just for being a little different)
So Much More Than Cannibalism
posted on 02 Aug 2009If someone were to ask what Ravenous is all about, the easiest thing to say would be: `It's about cannibalism in a remote Army outpost in the 1800s.' That's exactly right, and that's probably what kept audience members away from Ravenous when it briefly ran in theaters back in 1999. Cannibalism? Who needs to watch that? Indeed.Yes, there is cannibalism in Ravenous. Quite a lot of it, in fact. The film is steeped in murder, the eating of human flesh, and is flavored with madness. At times the film can be downright difficult to watch, though the compelling nature of the narrative keeps the viewer's eyes locked on the screen for the full ninety-eight minutes.Ravenous is so much more than a meditation on people eating other people, though it's obvious there was a great deal of confusion about how exactly to present this dish to the public. Its plot is fairly simple for the first half: Mexican War hero (and hidden coward) Lt. Boyd, played by LA Confidential's Guy Pearce, is assigned to an end-of-the-Earth fortress in the western Sierra Nevadas. This fort, populated over the winter by a tiny handful of misfit officers and enlisted men, receives a visitor in the person of a starving man with an awful story of a failed mountain crossing that eclipses the Donner Party's. What happens then is so twisted, but skillfully crafted, that it would be criminal to spoil what transpires.But Ravenous is not just a horror story. What lies at its heart is an allegory about man's relationship to other men and how society structures itself around the powerful and the powerless. Issues such as the morality of Manifest Destiny and even the ethics of simple meat eating are touched upon. Guy Pearce gives an underplayed performance so low-key that he almost vanishes into the film stock, while co-star Robert Carlyle (most recently in The World is Not Enough) plays opposite him with delightful nuance. The material even brings deeply textured work out of Tim Burton stalwart Jeffrey Jones as the commander of the fort, and scattered around these three are solid supporting actors like Jeremy Davies, who's much better here than he was in Saving Private Ryan, and David Arquette.If anything works against Ravenous at all, it's the curious inclusion of humor at the outset of the picture. Director Antonia Bird, who also made Priest and Safe, is not known for her lighter side, which makes the appearance of a goofy epigram at the very start of the picture, and the use of some bizarrely inappropriate music during a later sequence, seem more like some producer's half-hearted attempt to blunt the sharp edge of the film's commentary with silliness.Luckily for the viewer and the film, however, Ravenous is far too powerful a motion picture to be undercut in this fashion. By the time the final reel has passed, any memory of earlier missteps is forgotten as the pace grows more deliberate and the action becomes bloodier and bloodier up until the final moments.Unjustly neglected on the screen, Ravenous is a film with a great deal to say. It's only too bad that cannibalism was the best way to say it.
Smart, visceral, funny horror.
posted on 23 Jul 2009Although not without flaws, Ravenous is a fascinating movie, not only because of its fearless blend of humor, social philosophy and go-for-the-throat horror, but also as evidence that a movie this daring and eccentric can still be produced within the studio system. It's predictable that Fox would dump it in the spring with a howlingly awful ad campaign -- they must have been utterly bewildered with the film. But hats off to them at least for not ruining it in post. A uniformly wonderful ensemble of performances led by the astonishingly good Robert Carlyle. Don't be surprised if his ballsy, idiosyncratic and riveting performance ends up being the best of the year.
Edge of the seat action from start to finish
posted on 21 Jul 2009I was flicking through the TV channels late at night and I came across the film. It is not the type of film I usually watch but after 10 minutes, I was hooked and I stayed like that till the very end.The first part of the film is about Captain John Boyd played by Guy Pearce who has been sent to a broken down army fort in Sierra Nevada in the 1800s. The reason is his act of cowardice in the Mexican-American war of 1847. The fort is manned by a small gang of soldiers and officers who are the dregs of the army and have all been tucked away as if they are an embarrassment for the army. These are Col. Hart (Jeffrey Jones), Pvt. Cleaves (David Arquette), Knox (Stephen Spinella), Pvt Reich (Neal McDonough), Pvt. Toffler (Jeremy Davies) and two Indian siblings George (Joseph Runningfox) and Martha (Sheila Tousey).They are soon confronted by the horror from the outside world when Robert Carlyle (Ives/Colqhoun) turns up, frozen and sick. The film moves from an ordinary movie about the soldiers having to deal with the harshness of life on a run down fort in the middle of winter and into something entirely different. A story about murder and cannibalism. Carlyle, when he first shows up acts like the victim and says that there might be a survivor and the soldiers have no choice but to go and look for themselves but they are too late and as a result they are killed by Ives accept Boyd who in desperation has to eat Pvt. Reich to get back to the fort.The next part of the film is Boyd trying to make Martha, Pvt. Cleaves, Knox and Gen. Slauson (John Spencer) to believe his wild story to them but to us, we are in the same situation as Boyd because we have seen what Ives has done and we know he is the madman not Boyd but Ives is clever and never is suspected of any wrong doing. The irony is everyone thinks Boyd is mad and won't listen to him and we see Boyd having to deal with everyone's suspicion that he has something to do with the murders of the soldiers and we also see his fight within himself, to resist the temptation of eating human flesh again.At the end, Boyd decides to kill Ives to stop the madness and in the end knows the only way he is going to do that is to kill himself as well which we see when he is trying to find Ives and comes across a trap device. Boyd certainly thinks the murder and cannibalism will be stopped if they are both dead and no-one else is infected with the hunger for human flesh but we see at the end, Ives has left a pot on and Gen. Slauson tries it and then keeps on trying it and the audience is left to wonder if he will turn into the type of addicted person who won't be able to stop eating human flesh and will hunger for it like Ives and Boyd.The film is brilliant. It has many twists and turns which you don't see till they are upon you. The actors make the film compelling especially Guy Pearce and Robert Carlyle. Pearce gives Boyd intensity and vulnerability. Carlyle shows Ives as a man who doesn't think he is doing anything wrong and blinded by the benefits of his physical health from eating human flesh but who doesn't see himself as a madman, just someone who is trying to survive.Special mention should go to Antonia Bird who kept me permanently on the edge of my seat. Damon Alburn and Michael Nyman whose music worked well with the visual images to add to the tension. The Cinnematography by Anthony B. Richmond and Film Editing by Neil Farrell that adds to suspense of the film.
*Humans Eating Each Other, how insane*
posted on 14 Jul 2009I must admit I am a big fan of horror. I love gore, blood and anything left to the imagination. With a movie, such as "ravenous", I found it to be incredibly insane and stupid to base a movie on humans eating humans for supremacy and power. This movie is not based on humans eating humans for survivial, it is humans eating humans for the sheer pleasure of it. I am disgusted that any human being could direct and produce such a horrible movie. My advice, if you are a sicko, a real sicko, and love to watch humans eating their own species then this is for you.
I'm a vegetarian...
posted on 08 Jul 2009...and I loved this movie! I missed it in the theater, but caught it on video, and thoroughly enthralled, watched it again. Not having had enough, I rented the DVD later and watched all of the commentaries. And now I'm ordering it on DVD. It's that good. I've never seen a movie that blends horror, history, mythology and humor in this fashion. The scenery (the movie was filmed in Poland and Slovakia) and the music are breathtakingly beautiful. The characters are interestingly developed (I've never seen Jeffrey Jones play a role like this) and the story moves you right along. You don't have to understand the concept of cannibalism, or be sympathetic to it, to enjoy this film. Clever, memorable, and a good story as well, that stands on its own strength, rather than relying on big names.
Neither good nor bad, but average- (spoiler)
posted on 01 Jul 2009When i heard this movie was about cannibalism i thought it would be a very dark, creepy thriller kind of movie. But i was sadly mistaken. In the beginning it is kinda creepy when Robert Carlyle is telling the story of how he ended up in the fortress but after they come to the cave it suddenly turns to be a fast killing movie that isn't scary or creepy at all. Now the movie is only trying to be as bloody as it can and that is mainly why i didn't like this movie a lot. And that is too bad because Robert Carlyle is an excellent actor. So is Guy Pearce. But the idea of cannibalism is somewhat of an easy choice it seems and they don't seem to mind having to eat people... I rate this movie 4
A story to chill the bones...
posted on 01 Jun 2009I love cinema. I mean, I truly LOVE cinema but sometimes you have the face the fact that it can be a pretty hypocrite business from time to time. Especially since the last ten years, everybody complains that there aren't any good horror movies being made. Only uninspired Scream clones and rip-off's. But that is a lie !! There are good and original thriller being made but they just don't get many attention because they are "politically incorrect". Ravenous is a perfect example of this. Made in 1999 and it stars a few familiar faces but it went straight to video in my country and I never saw it advertised. That's a real shame because movies like this prove that there are still young directors active who're creative and talented. It's up to the fans to discover movies like this and ignore the overload of mainstream slashers. Ravenous has a very solid plot. simple but effective and supported by terrific acting performances. It shows a few of the darkest aspects of the human mind and, personally, I'm really intrigued by that. Subjects like Cannibalism and ancient Indian mythes are fascinating and when they're placed in a historical setting ( Mexican-American was of 1850 ) it even becomes better. This results in Ravenous being a very atmospheric and tense movie experience that you won't forget easily. The tension is built up slowly ( a bit too slow at first ) and the atmosphere of the cold and lonely Sierra Nevada is being portrayed very well. Guy Pierce is a great choice to play Captain John Boyd. His character is a cowardly figure with a complete lack of authority. He has to go through a battle himself and he's very messed up. The shows is obviously stolen by Robert Carlyle who is used to working with director Antonia Bird. His character is demonic and - duh - ravenous. A terrific performance and Carlyle manages to play his character with a lot of black humor and satanic charisma. David Arquette's role is pretty useless but it was great to see Jeffrey Jones again. Jones is a very decent actor and - even though he's frequently cast by Tim Burton - he's often overlooked and ignored. Ravenous is beautifully shot and some of the effects and make-up is pretty gruesome and explicit. But it isn't just mindless gore and violence so no complaints there. In fact, no complaints at all....Ravenous is a breath-taking movie from beginning till end and a must for anyone who believes that the genre of horror is dead.
The Power Of Flesh...
posted on 20 May 2009Would you eat human flesh if it was a matter of life or death? Well, everyone in this story surely did. This film is about a military outpost in the late 1800's which is visited by a man close to death who claims that he has escaped from cannibals who turned on him. Well after that…I cant reveal anything although some revelations are pretty obvious, but I don't want to mess up the film. This film deals with subjects like temptation, guilt, extreme situations, and bounds to be broken. It deals with the feelings of the human mind and soul when confronted with difficult situations such as death. In this film we see flesh as something that revives a human and gives him power. Something like blood for vampires. The only thing that is needed for one to enjoy flesh, is to kill the feeling of guilt. The true villain of this film is the human mind. I really enjoyed this film because it gave me something to think about. It is well directed, beautifully acted and has some very shocking scenes. We also get some insight on Indian spirituality which sometimes give it a supernatural/spiritual twist. All in all, an excellent film and a definite must see.
Don't Eat this, food poisoning
posted on 18 May 2009Let me say that this movie sucks more than most movies with a gory premise. Apparently this movie thinks that it does not have to be good as long as it has a part-time sense of humor and gore that will shock some people. I did not see too much gore, and the humor was not that good. This movie bored the life out of me.This movie is not anything disgusting, so the gore hounds will be disappointed. This movie also isn't that funny, and I thought "Very Bad Things" was hilarious. The only cool guy, Pike, leaves in the first half of the movie. By the time the first half is over, you are like, that was a simple movie. Then things get slower, and longer, and by the end, you are ready to jump to "Carrie 2," which I have not seen at time of writing. The contrasts are blinding between the dark caves and huts, and the blinding snow, making you annoyed the more it is used. The acting is not very convincing, although I liked Carlyle for some strange reason.The premise is overdone, having movies like "Cannibal, the musical!" The plot is tedious, based on some ancient indian myth. The gore is less than what you can get in a cheesy horror movie at home, and the laughs do not come out.I cannot recommend this except for the masochistic and curious. If you are curious by the trailer, rent the trailer and watch it many times, and you will have seen a better movie than the actual one. This movie is also insulting to my intelligence, especially when a retarded quote from Ben Franklin, "Eat to live, don't live to eat," is treated like miracle dialogue. -30 out of 10.
I liked it uh-lot but not everyone did.
posted on 26 Apr 2009For one, I watch a lot of moovies, so its GREAT to see somethin' new. I also thought the music was great! Really funny these big man-eat-man chase scenes with this "deliverance" banjo music goin' on! :) Some silly dialogue and a neat-o plot twisteroo, and I was happy, but the other 15 peeps I saw it with thought it sucked, so oh well huh! They can write about that with their own account!
UNDERRATED GEM!
posted on 22 Apr 2009How did this not get properly acknowledged, I'll never know. Excellant blending of DARK comedy, drama, and subtle horror, with some supernatural overtones. Just like the cover says: a blend of cannibal/vampire...a WEENDIGO! Great outdoor feel set in a civil war backdrop...cool musical score as well. Robert Carlyle is GREAT! This one gets an 8/10 Get the DVD!
Tasty Treat
posted on 20 Apr 2009If a cult/horror/ cannibal/western/comedy is what you crave, Ravenous is the film for you. Your digested popcorn may just return to you but you will be plenty entertained. It is a truly strange movie with everything including the kitchen sink thrown in but somehow it manages to work. Much has been made about the music being oddly out of place and I would agree that the score works well at times and misses at others. The cinematography effectively conveys a sense of doomed isolation. The acting by Jeffrey Jones is great. Jeremy Davies and David Arquette are both funny in essentially one note performances. Guy Pearce is okay - a little over the top, but I guess that's the point. For me, it's all about Robert Carlyle. He reminds me of Gary Oldman in that, despite being a physically scrawny and unimposing guy, he is able to convey intensity and menace far beyond his size. Don't take it seriously, don't eat beforehand and have you'll have a blast.
Psychologically Thrilling
posted on 15 Apr 2009I found Ravenous a great thriller. It really did not hype so much on the gore, but on the mental anguish of Boyd and his coming to terms with what was happening to his surroundings. Robert Carlyle gave me chills with his brilliant performance. Everytime he was on screen, a chill ran up my spine. Pearce was excellent also. He showed skill and determination in resisting the act of cannibalism and his acting was not forced... very believeable. The only disapointing thing was, is that they really didn't delve too much into the reason why cannibalism was started except to mention an indian fable. I would have liked to learn more before everyone was eaten! But besides that...... a great great film
Fantastic
posted on 27 Aug 2009It's movies like Ravenous that gives me hope there is still some originality in the film industry. An absolutely wonderful cannibal/vampire film, it is also quite funny. It is one of those unique movies that most people can't seem to appreciate but a few of us out there worship. I actually wrote on Ravenous for a film class (I called it a revisionist western, I don't think that's too much of a stretch). The film is full of great performances (especially, I think, from Pearce who is turning out to be a great actor) and the direction is very suitable for creating a dark but tongue in cheek mood. And let's not forget the music. Along with Dead Man, I think Ravenous has one of the best scores of the 1990s. It's both haunting and hillarious. And I often find myself humming it. In fact, I guess I would have to say that the music makes the movie. It wouldn't be quite the same without it. Ravenous remains one of the most intriguing and fun movies of the decade and it is really a worthwhile viewing.