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Let's see – a period piece about cannibalism with no bankable stars, filmed almost entirely in Slovakia and the Czech Republic by an arthouse director (Antonia Bird, Priest) - I could see why Fox would bankroll a project like that. The film is set in pre-Civil war America, where Capt. John Boyd (Guy Pearce, L.A. Confidential) has just been honored by his commanding officer for infiltrating enemy lines during the Mexican-American war. Little do they all know, Boyd is really a yellow-bellied coward who played dead while his platoon was wiped out by the feisty Mexicans.
Boyd is assigned to Fort Spencer, which is located in the Sierra Nevada mountains of California. Upon his arrival, he finds a wacky group of soldiers – a drunk, a Bible-thumper, a pot-head, a hot-head, two Indians and Ferris Bueller's principal. Then one night, they find a strange settler (Robert Carlyle, The Full Monty) who tells a ghastly story of being caught in a blizzard and having to share a cave with a blood thirsty man-eater, who slowly killed and ate the other members of his party. Intent on bringing this savage to justice, the military men set out to find his cave…but is the stranger's story true or is it all just a trick to lead them into a big, black pot filled with onions and carrots?
Pearce is fantastic, despite having few lines, and comes off as a cross between Dead Man Johnny Depp and Legends of the Fall Brad Pitt. Carlyle really sinks his teeth into his meaty role, making a real meal of it (sorry). Ravenous also features both breathtaking views and a creepy score from Michael Nyman (Gattaca, The Piano), but is definitely not for the faint of heart. (R – 1:40 for extreme violence, gore, adult language and cannibalism)
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