Revanche

A very good film, one that brought to mind Haneke, Inarritu, and mostly Kieslowski. It's got that combo of interconnectedness and honest exploration of pure humanity that he often dealt with. I didn't find it as moving or artistic as most Kieslowski films, but it did tell an interesting story that for the most part rings true. That rotating saw is a brilliant device for building tension. The performances all seemed good too, although sometimes that's hard to judge with another language.

Decent film by all means -- worth seeing -- but it has some serious issues. Somebody wrote that it reminded them of Haneke, Inarritu and Kieslowski, and I can't think of a more fitting insult. It's slight like a Haneke, contrived like an Inarritu, and hollow like a lesser Kieslowski.

A truly special film, the kind that hints at the transcendent and spiritual using nothing but the natural and mundane to prove it. Of special note is the use of nudity to do nothing sexual, but point towards greater intimacy from character to character and from audience to character than would normally exist.

Now that's a film! Story takes time to build-up, but it is never boring. There are no long shots of the sky, no long shots of characters staring at each other. Something is always happening. That makes this film distinctive from other recent films that explore guilt. It doesn't look kinetic on the outside, but holds very high moral and emotional intensity.

Real people with real problems. It's refreshing to watch a movie as genuine as this.

A refreshingly natural revenge film. Much more about the natural emotions following ultimate loss than anything outwardly dramatic. That being said I'm not sure the progression of the script was as natural as Spielmann thought it to be, but he's certainly making films the right way. Recalls Kieslowski in a way.

Really enjoyed this. The pacing is brilliant and it tells a very touching and engaging story. Loved the actors, particularly in the part of Alex, and the character development was very impressive. I really do have respect for a film that dares to be one thing for the first half of the film, then present a twist at the middle and become something entirely different.

At first this may seem like it's going to be yet another Berliner Schule-style exercise in glacial miserablism, but fortunately Spielmann knows better and actually lets things happen, in this case for the better, as it results in character interactions and emotional content beyond vague ennui, while still maintaining a restrained stylistic remove that prevents the film from lapsing into melodrama. Haneke meets Inarritu is actually a pretty dead-on comparison, come to think of it.

A meditation on revenge, Spielmann's film quietly explores the feelings of vengeance that inevitably arise after a terrible, even preventable, tragedy. The film relies a bit too much on narrative contrivances to make its way to its stunning conclusion, but the way in which Spielmann approaches his material, with a clear humanistic bent that refuses to demonize or lionize any single character, makes the film a must see.

The script isn't entirely credible, but it does contain moments of immense power. Excellent acting and stylistic touches.

The story threads are connected nicely, but overall it's very long and tedious. The hopelessness and depression is intense.

A little underwhelming, but maybe I had too high hopes.

A gripping and terrific drama that masterfully delves into the psychology of revenge and atonement.

A huge mess of contrivances, but if you can put that aside, it's powerful. It tells a story we've heard a thousand times in a way it's never been told before, and that's always something worth doing. Though the tension boils the whole time, there's only one point where it's allowed to burst, and when it did, it knocked me flat on my ass. Otherwise it's a slow burn, very well-acted, beautifully shot, and genuinely, effortlessly spiritual. Sticks with you, and not in the way you might expect.

impressive

intikam sicak yendiginde leziz oldugunu gostermek istemis ama gereksiz uzun

Although it has all the ingredients of a powerful, naturalistic drama, things are ruined by watching a guy chop wood for 30 minutes. Again and again and..again.

Crystal clear picture. Like there is no air, only movements. People live, people go about. Outstanding acting,

If it is clear enough that the theme of this rather grim tale is "responsibility", it is less clear what the filmmaker hoped to impart by telling it. In its determination to confound generic expectations of action or thrills, it perhaps winds up inadvertently pulling its punches, seeming to gently chide its audience for presuming (or secretly wishing) that the protagonists are destined for some kind of violent confrontation by way of resolution. Relies a little too heavily on coincidence.

starts off as a traditional heist film but it soon evolves into something totally different and wonderful , wonderful acting, interesting characters and beautifully shot...........

After minute 75, this gets really seriously unbelievable

Don't understand what is special about the movie

Schematic (though I guess that's the point) film that has something in common with Von Trier and Egoyan in that it puts its characters through a formally tight story to make a point that is, of course, logical given the tight confines of the story. In other words, I don't really buy it though I acknowledge the control and sense of purpose guiding the actions.

loved this when it came out, kinda suspect i'd hate it now. rating it down the middle.

Very emotional film with well presented characters - I think anyone could easily connect with every single one of them. Pretty good story, that sometimes takes just a bit too much time... Also gets a point or two for authentic setting.

86.000

Poetic with a remarkable moral depth. Extremely well crafted and acted, the whole film is really a shinning example of what creative, talented filmmakers working today can contribute to the cinema. Very moving.

offputting first scenes, not hugely interesting, performances not powerful enough to lift the bland material. plot was very engaging, but ultimately too silly for something taking itself so seriously: basically, the writer threw in numerous threads of conflict so as to create tension, and it did work to an extent, but at the cost of believablity. people mention haneke, but where he has perfected his bluntly minimalist aesthetic, spielmann has made no attempt at audiovisual craft whatsoever.

A great, intense crime drama that makes a lot of very little, something American directors could learn from.

Superb thriller, beautifully filmed and paced. It moves slowly, and there is very little action, but it is riveting throughout. The characters are complex and rounded, and the story makes an open-ended but somehow satisfying, whole.

"Revanche is almost fatally reluctant to get its hands dirty, its milieu shifting on a violent twist from a grimy Vienna brothel to the rural exurbs for buckets of guilt, angst, and frequently clumsy metaphors." - Bill Weber

Through intelligent formalism, [director] Spielmann crafts a penetrating perception of the world and human experience.

This movie is beautiful and the directing and cinematography is just to die for.

86.250

One of the greatest joys this film has to offer is it's ability to completely thwart your expectations. The title and set up lead you to expect a violent crime thriller, but you get a tense character drama where none of the characters completely understand the situation. It leads to a wonderful conclusion where one character finally does. The title means "revenge", but the films more about guilt and how a series of bad choices threaten to escalate to even worse ones.

For some reason I thought this was a Herzog movie. Rating it now, I realize it's not. But it could be one.

This is an excellent character exploration piece with some very different characters all being looked into deeply. Nothing is ever fake or contrived, it's all very honest and true throughout.

The film strays from any melodrama that's usually associated with pivotal moments preceding an emotional aftermath, which feels quite nice and natural. I like it's immediate effects of time, and the build-up to it's manipulative coincidences.

What a snore. Starts promisingly, and the character has a nice arc, but listen, I'm trying to live my life here -- I don't expect everything handed to me in a movie, but you've got to give me *something*. I can't watch a guy chop wood for 30 minutes -- I've got my own wood to chop.

A somewhat atypical spin on the "job gone wrong" genre, mixed with the "cop/criminal duality" genre, Revanche lives in its pacing and acting, which is top notch. I would have preferred a more ambiguous ending, but what are you gonna do?