Revengers Tragedy

Description

"He Who Seeks Revenge Should Dig Two Graves"

Alex Cox's new film is a scathing black comedy about love, sex, family, murder, incest and revenge, set in a post-apocalyptic Liverpool. After ten years in hiding, Vindici (Christopher Eccleston-28 Days Later, The Others) returns to destroy the Duke (Derek Jacobi-Gosford Park, Gladiator) who murdered Vindici's wife on their wedding day. During his absence Vindici's family fell into poverty, while the Duke, Duchess and their decadent sons acquired wealth and power, ruling over their court obsessed with transient beauty, money, inherited privilege and power. Determined to exact his revenge, Vindici sets out to gain the confidence of the Duke and his villainous heir, Lussurioso (Eddie Izzard-Dressed To Kill, Circle).

Featuring brilliant performances by Eccleston, Izzard, and Jacobi, Revengers Tragedy proves once again that Alex Cox (Repo Man, Sid & Nancy) is one of the few truly subversive filmmakers at work today. Somewhere between A Clockwork Orange and Baz Luhrmann's Romeo & Juliet, this updated telling of Thomas Middleton's notorious 17th century play is an energetic and stylish masterwork.

Customer Reviews:

It's a tragedy if you're an Ecclesfan and don't get this movie!.......2007-07-31

Fair warning, this is listed as a "Black Comedy." It's set in a post apocalyptic future, in Liverpool. The cast list alone makes this worthwhile: Christopher Eccleston, Derek Jacobi, & Eddie Izzard, to name but 3 amazing actors in this. The story is an updated retelling of Thomas Middleton's play of the same name, with the 17th century Jacobian language intact. If you enjoyed anything these aforementioned actors have been in, and/or A Clockwork Orange, then you will enjoy this. It's set in Liverpool in a time similar to Clockwork Orange. Vindici (Eccleston) returns after a decade of absence to get revenge on the corrupt Duke (Jacobi) for poisoning his bride on their wedding day. The Duke has prospered and his sons are just as evil as their father, including the Duke's heir and eldest (Izzard). The story unfolds in an interesting manner from there. The language is poetic and rather easy to follow. The acting is superb.

Beautiful.......2007-07-17

This film is quite beautiful. The action and story line are presented in such a way as to respect the audience to figure things out. The music (by Chumbawamba, an AMAZING band) fits everything perfectly. Overall, this film sews the elements together wonderfully...highly recommended.

Alex Cox treats his audience like intelligent people - refreshing, ingenuitive.......2007-02-28

Artistically, this is a very interesting presentation of the story. By setting it in modern pronunciation (AKA Liverpool accents), the director forces us to understand how closely it resembles our own world; he even mentions in the extras how fitting it was that during the filming the US and Britain entered an actual war of revenge - unfortunately this world is politically strife with revenge and it makes the film that much more topical when he hands it to us in a setting full of factory-lined alleyways, chain link fences, corrugated metal and modern contraptions to allegorically dig in the point.

The actors were absolutely perfect for their roles, every one of them (though i must confess to have a particular weakness for Derek Jacobi and Eddie Izzard - they're just both so interesting in their own right) and unlike Leonardo DiCaprio's Romeo, they actually seem to know what they are saying. The manner of speaking incorporates both old style prose and modern day curses and slang, which only seems to further anchor it to the set and make the collaboration of 17th century play and modern day trappings seem all the more natural - kind of a cute way of talking too. The language is very powerful, definitely gets it's point across.

There is makeup on men (as one should expect when reading Eddie Izzard on the playbill), but rather than being a contagion that spread to the other actors I do see this makeup as an artistic advantage. Besides tying the movie to it's stage roots (where all men wear makeup), the makeup visually divulges the excess that these rich men were treating themselves to, and also outlines their vanity very well indeed.

I also found fascinating the movies' proposition that different leadership would simply find different reasons to be corrupt. I am very glad that they left in the scene with the confrontation of the mother. She had toyed with the idea of selling her daughter's favors for the goodwill of the duke. Not only did the confrontation scene provide continuity by tying up this loose end, but it also lets the audience know how fine a line we all walk - how easy it is for vengeance to go too far and for one to become no better than their enemy.

This is the best adaptation of an out-of-date play to the screen that I have seen yet. While I do enjoy old plays, it is very hard to relate to them. The licenses that Alex Cox has taken are illuminating and keep you on your toes.

bring on more middleton, please.......2007-02-23

Much ado on this DVD is made of whether a reconciliation scene should have been cut from the film. Though after the fact the director states he was probably mistaken when insisting to retain the scene, I heartily disagree.

An early scene shows the main character disguised beyond recognition to his sister and mother. (Neither time I've viewed the film has it been clear to me that the wedding slaughter and his disappearance from society were a decade earlier, likely accounting for his family's not knowing him now.) Incognito, he is pleased to find that his sister is virtuous but shocked to discover that his mother is willing to pimp her daughter's virtue for the sake of payment. This led me to anticipate a climactic scene at the end where the "revenger" would punish his mother for her immorality. The reconciliation that displaces this scene absolutely needs, therefore, to be included in the story.

Regardless of what one voice in the documentary insists, theme is NOT automatically superceded in deference to bloody action, just to keep the 15-yr-olds in the audience attentive. Indeed, one infers that busy MTV editing of a confusing arena competition at the opening of the plot should have been ditched, but was used in deference to mandates of the "weird movie" sponsors of the production.

The second unexpected story element involved a plot to finally kill the Duke. Given the cynical bloodiness of this trenchant satire, when the protagonist's sister agrees to disguise herself as the Duke's lust partner and dons a wig, I feared she'd end up slaughtered by mistake a la TITUS ANDRONICUS and the like. How nice to see she survives unscathed. At least survives THAT adventure!

The DVD correctly identifies this fascinating play as a precursor to Joe Orton. It only whets one's curiosity for more about Thomas Middleton, and to wish some of his other plays were also captured on film.

The Luhrmann effect..........2007-01-30

All I needed to watch this movie was to know that Alex Cox had directed it, but as soon as the credits rolled, and there was Doctor Who (Eccleston) and Eddie Izzard and Derek Jacobi, and a soundtrack by Chumbawumba, I was settling in and expecting quite a thrill.

But outside of the wonderful nastiness of the original play, there is a serious dirth of solid direction in this movie. I chalk it up to the Luhrmann effect--spend so much time finding flashy ways to update the way a Renaissance-era play can be staged, but pay almost NO attention to the actual acting or use of the language itself. The Luhrmann _Romeo & Juliet_ was almost unwatchable for its clumsy Shakespeare--if so much time is spent updating the setting, why not also spend some time to update the delivery of the lines? Not that I would necessarily recommend throwing out the old script and rewriting all of the dialogue in modern lingo. This approach often falls flat as well, but in keeping the original text, it would seem helpful to teach the actors how to say the lines with genuine expression and emotion rather than stumble over the lines in a faux-classical approach.

A linguist recently did a study of English accents and determined that a Renaissance London accent probably more resembled an Appalaichan accent, so these poor renditions of classic English drama need to STOP these fake deliveries and try to deliver lines with some genuine emotion rather than present the fallacy of a classical performance.

The story here is a juicy one, full of incest and rape and bawdy jokes and necrophilia. Poison and love and revenge, and Cox picks up well on the sense of revenge spiral and how violence begets violence into endless spirals, but his overly-hyped setting with loud combinations of colors and neon and technology up the wazoo grows quickly tiresome when the lines sound about as fluid as kindergarten recital.

And poor Derek Jacob...in purple fingernail polish and dark lipstick flounders without solid direction on the language--if a great actor like this had trouble pulling off an even adequate performance, what chance has the rest of the cast have? I am a huge fan of Eddie Izzard, and I long for him to be in a stupendous movie, but here he is as clumsy as most everyone else in the film.

Read the play, and try to imagine a solid, straightforward performance without all the unnecessary lights and mirrors. This is a brutal work, worthy of a brutal performance.

Average customer rating:

Mediocre at best
Great Classic Kung-Fu/Swordplay Movie
Ti Lung stars in dual role in minor kung fu epic
Vosloo fan reviews the Revenger
Arnold Vosloo fan reviews The Revenger

Revenger
Starring: Shih Chung Tin , Tao-liang Tan , Man-ming Tao , Hao Li (III) , and Chin Hsiao
Director: Hsueh Li Pao
Manufacturer: Tapeworm
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B0000524D9
Release Date: 2000-11-07

Customer Reviews:

Mediocre at best.......2005-05-05

Despite knowing that this film is presented in full frame and not remastered, I took a chance as so many of my favourite Shaw stars are in it - Ling Yun, Shih Sze and Ti Lung. I also wanted to see what Hsu Feng was capable of doing. The first impression is that the image is clearer than expected. But I was not prepared for the English dubbing. What horrible accent is that? American, British or something in between? The production values are terrible....definitely not up to the high standard set by Shaw Brothers. Shih Sze is wasted in a non-fighting role. Ti Lung is too old to play a lad and Hsu Feng looks fat. But my hero Ling Yun is still good and his performance alone is worth the price I paid for this dvd. I hope this film will be remastered and released in Mandarin in cinemascope one day.

Great Classic Kung-Fu/Swordplay Movie.......2001-06-18

I'll try to keep this short. The Revenger is an older, "classic" kung-fu flick. A very, very brief and approximate synopsis: A free-lance fighter resists the "unionization", if you will, of the fighters in his province. The evil leader and his fighters ambush the good guy to do away with him. 18 years later, his son goes on a quest to gather all of his fathers bones, which apparently rest with each of the fighters that ambushed him.

What's unusual about this film is that most of the combat is done with various weapons. If you have a favorite martial arts weapon, it's probably in this movie (although I was disappointed that the fan fight was so short). The sets in this movie look great, as do the costumes, creating a very colorful film that is pleasing to the eye.

The quality of the DVD is ok. The transfer is full-frame. While the film is not re-mastered, most of the film is quite vibrantly colered.

In summery: great martial arts film, good dvd, excellent addition to your collection.

Ti Lung stars in dual role in minor kung fu epic.......2001-03-14

This Hong Kong kung fu film from 1979 offers a more complicated cross-generational plot than usual as a group of children seen in a prologue and flashbacks reunite, all grown up, to get revenge for crimes committed against their parents. Star Ti Lung plays both a father and his grown son in separate scenes. Although the English dubbing is terrible, there is a very nice score of original Chinese music. The photography and set design are above average, although the plot does get confusing. It all culminates in a big, gimmicky battle in a palace as the grown children take on evil master Wang Ching (a perennial villain in these films). Other kung fu greats in the cast include female star Hsu Feng and high-kicker Tan Tao Liang.

Vosloo fan reviews the Revenger.......2000-02-06

I bought this movie from Amazon because it had Arnold Vosloo in it. It's about a man who meets up with a friend(Vosloo)and it changes his life. Unknown to the main character his long lost friend is up to his neck in trouble with a crooked man. He spend most of the movie trying to get his life back. Not a bad movie, but Arnold is only in it for about the first 15 minutes. A must have for die-hard Vosloo fans. It's one of his first movies-89.

Arnold Vosloo fan reviews The Revenger.......2000-02-06

I bought this movie through Amazon because Arnold Vosloo was in it. For any Vosloo fan you should at least rent it. It's nice to see Arnold in any movie, but he is only in it for about 15 min-the story line isn't bad. A sax player meets up with an old friend(Arnold)and unknowingly gets into his troubles and tries to get his life back.

Average customer rating:

Mediocre at best
Great Classic Kung-Fu/Swordplay Movie
Ti Lung stars in dual role in minor kung fu epic
Vosloo fan reviews the Revenger
Arnold Vosloo fan reviews The Revenger

The Revenger [Region 2]
Starring: Oliver Reed , Frank Zagarino , Jeff Celentano , Nancy Mulford , and Sean Taylor (VIII)
Director: Cedric Sundstrom
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Action & Adventure | Genres | DVD | Video

( R ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video
ASIN: B00007JGF6

Customer Reviews:

Mediocre at best.......2005-05-05

Great Classic Kung-Fu/Swordplay Movie.......2001-06-18

The quality of the DVD is ok. The transfer is full-frame. While the film is not re-mastered, most of the film is quite vibrantly colered.

In summery: great martial arts film, good dvd, excellent addition to your collection.

Ti Lung stars in dual role in minor kung fu epic.......2001-03-14

Vosloo fan reviews the Revenger.......2000-02-06

Arnold Vosloo fan reviews The Revenger.......2000-02-06

Average customer rating:

It's a tragedy if you're an Ecclesfan and don't get this movie!
Beautiful
Alex Cox treats his audience like intelligent people - refreshing, ingenuitive
bring on more middleton, please
The Luhrmann effect...

Revengers Tragedy

ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Comedy | Genres | DVD | Video

( R ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video
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ASIN: B0000DCY02

Customer Reviews:

It's a tragedy if you're an Ecclesfan and don't get this movie!.......2007-07-31

Beautiful.......2007-07-17

Alex Cox treats his audience like intelligent people - refreshing, ingenuitive.......2007-02-28

bring on more middleton, please.......2007-02-23

The Luhrmann effect..........2007-01-30

Average customer rating:

The Revenger
Starring: Oliver Reed , and Frank Zagarino
Manufacturer: Televista
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Action & Adventure | Genres | DVD | Video

Suspense | Mystery & Suspense | Genres | DVD | Video

Mystery | Mystery & Suspense | Genres | DVD | Video

General | Mystery & Suspense | Genres | DVD | Video
ASIN: B000UNYJJK
Release Date: 2007-09-25

Description

Starring Oliver Reed and Frank Zagarino. An innocent drive turns into a hellish nightmare for musician Michael Keller when he is thrown into an intricate web of murder, pornography and underworld corruption. Set up for manslaughter and sentenced to hard time, Michael Keller (FRANK ZAGARINO) returns from prison to find his life further destroyed. Evil mob boss Jack Fisher (OLIVER REED) has kidnapped his wife and intends to kill her unless he returns $500,000 in stolen drug money.

Average customer rating:

Good film not great

Shaolin Revenger
Starring: Red Mantis Collection
Manufacturer: Crash Cinema Media
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B0001A7V0Q
Release Date: 2004-03-23

Product Description

Chou Tu (Ti Ling) is a martial arts master who wanders the countryside dressed in white robes, picking fights and kicking ass!!! And making enemies, lots and lots of enemies. One enemy Mau (Wong Ching, King Boxer and Mask of Vengeance) gathers fighters to confront Chou and put an end to his bad assness. Unfortunately Chou Tu is killed, but not before his pregnant wife and unborn baby escape. 18 years later that baby becomes a man once again playing by Ti Lung, now hell bent on avenging his fathers' death.

Ti Lung is at the top of his game as both father and son in this classic "Revenge" epic. Also starring the incomparable "Flashlegs" Tan Tao Liang.

System Requirements:

Running Time 101 Min

Format: DVD MOVIE

Customer Reviews:

Good film not great.......2007-07-10

After watching numerous movies staring Ti Lung you tend to get familar with his choragraphed fighting style movies like Avenging Eagles, Blood Brothers, and Sentimental Sword are just of few of the great ones. This one has a fair story yet plenty of fight scenes but not at the high level that I know Ti is capable of doing.

Average customer rating:

The Revenger

Manufacturer: DIGITAL DISC REMASTERED
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

DTS | Fully Loaded DVDs | Features | DVD | Video

Product Description

CHINESE MARTIAL CLASSIC CLASSIC ! THE REVENGER : STARS TI LUNG AN CO STARS: TI LUNG SHIH SZU TAN TA LIANG DIRECTED BY PAO HSIEH LIEH

DVD:

DVD

DVD