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20 of 20 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Strange and wonderful, January 18, 2006
Another great postmodern version of a Renaissance play by director Alex Cox. THE REVENGER'S TRAGEDY is comparable to Julie Taymor's TITUS (Shakespeare's Titus Andronicus) or Derek Jarman's EDWARD II (the Marlowe play). The dialogue is based on the original language of Thomas Middleton's play, but the setting and action are futuristic. The movie is actually pretty faithful to an extremely bizarre play, which includes incest, necrophilia, murder, poison, and you name it. Apparently the 21st century has nothing on the late Renaissance when it comes to decadence. Christopher Eccleston gives a great performance as Vindici, the revenger character. There are a couple of scenes of lovemaking which don't technically include "nudity." There is also some violence, but what makes the play so shocking is the decadence of the characters and setting. Very darkly humorous and satirical.
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20 of 21 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
"Whose fault is this catastrophe?" - Derek Jacobi (the Duke), July 28, 2004
Alex Cox's ninth full-length feature is arguably his finest work since Highway Patrolman and the great Walker. This could largely be credited in the respect of the material being more personal to the director. His passion for the Jacobean play and for Spaghetti Westerns both shine brightly in this picture. And as can be guaranteed on each of this greatly-underappreciated artist's films, his style and wicked satirical humor are in full force here - in the Revengers Tragedy. This simple, and yet nasty tale of revenge written by a contemporary of William Shakespeare's with themes of love, sex, family, political decadence, and incest, and splendid dialogue from the original play by author Thomas Middleton and screen adapter Frank Cottrell Boyce features extraordinary performances, especially by Eddie Izzard, Christopher Eccleston, Andrew Schofield (Johnny Rotten in Cox's Sid and Nancy), and the immortal Derek Jacobi. Cox, himself, plays a small role as the Duke's driver, sporting a great haircut.
Ambitioso (Justin Salinger): "There's no advantage in the killing of a younger brother!"
Alex's eccentric approach to storytelling is usually bound to throw off newcomers to his work, or casual movie-watchers whom are accustomed to a more typical and financially refined (by Hollywood standards) picture. Also, and largely, Alex's sarcasm tends to get misunderstood despite its value in intelligence and sometimes beauty, which is strong in this picture, partially because of the material, as it was in Walker - a film which went so unappreciated and so disliked that Cox was shunned by the Hollywood studios thereafter. Ironically, that film remains his towering masterpiece. So for those interested in the Revengers Tragedy I would recommend to watch the picture at least twice before you make up your mind on its merits. Actually, having seen it four times thus far, and having heard the commentary and watched the fantastic extra features supplied by Fantoma I have grown fonder of the film. And I had thoroughly enjoyed it upon my initial viewing of it, late last year. The score by Chumbawamba is terrific.
"Farewell to all... He that climbs highest has the greatest fall. My tongue is out of office."
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13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Weird, fascinating, enjoyable, January 12, 2006
I saw this film and had to get my own copy. It's a strange, fabulous, weird, and amazing picture. The film is a fusion of a really old script, modern texture, and futuristic noir grit. It's very difficult to place, nearly impossible to handle, and quite demanding. I feel like it only comes together after several viewings, though the first time through is shocking and enjoyable. The more I watch it the more I like it.
The dialogue is fiercely original--written in an archaic and fantastic style, delivered in a colorful way, filmed to perfection. It's amazing. The accents and words are so interesting and (to me) strange that it frequently helps to have the sub-titles on through the first couple viewings. Imagery is outstanding, camera work is great, and casting is dead on.
The soundtrack is awesome, too, and complements the film's entire sociopolitical backdrop so well the audio and visual become inseparably wed. Tremendously successful, eminently enjoyable, and highly recommended.
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