Featured Audience Ratings

• Aditya G

  
  I can't put my finger on it, but there's something about these Central European films that make them so entrancing..maybe it's the film-makers' approach of handling subjects that are so close to real life; so tangible that you feel a part of it all! Austrian… More
  I can't put my finger on it, but there's something about these Central European films that make them so entrancing..maybe it's the film-makers' approach of handling subjects that are so close to real life; so tangible that you feel a part of it all! Austrian writer-director Gotz Spielmann's 2008 film "Revanche" (Meaning: Revenge) is one of the finest examples of such film-making where the director makes it all look so simple..yet when the film is over you realize what talent it must have taken to build this exquisitely crafted product that displays such awe-inspiring profundity. The opening shot of the film is a work of art by itself. We are shown the view of water in a pond. The water is dead still with the reflection of the trees surrounding the pond, clearly visible. The natural atmospheric sounds and the chirping of the birds is all that is audible. The camera indulges in a steady capture of this shot for some time until the viewer gets completely immersed in that state of tranquil.... ....and then suddenly out of nowhere, something is thrown in the water that completely disturbs the peace. Ripples are created in the water and the reflection disappears; there is turbulence..and the water is no more still! This opening scene more or less symbolizes the central theme of this picture. We are introduced to two couples; a Ukrainian prostitute, Tamara (Irina Potapenko) working in a brothel in Vienna and her boyfriend Alex (Johannes Krisch) who works for the brothel owner. Alex has a plan to make some quick bucks that will enable him and Tamara to make a getaway from the brothel and start a new life. The second couple is a husband-wife duo staying by the country-side not too far from Vienna. The hubby, Robert (Andreas Lust) is a cop and his wife Susanne (Ursula Strauss) works in a local store. Together they make ends meet; have a comfortable life that way, but both of them long for a child and they haven't had the good fortune of having one thus far. Then we are also introduced to Alex's aged grandfather, old man Hausner (Johannes Thanheiser) who resides alone on a farm very close to the residence of Robert and Susanne. Once in a while he likes to play his accordion. Life is as usual for all of the above characters until one day when Alex decides to put his plan into action; post which everything heads towards an irreversible change... Further plot synopsis would only dampen the mesmerizing effect of the narrative and therefore I will leave it at that. At the outset and the few sprinkles of synopsis above would make the reader feel that this is yet another pedestrian film with some 'seemingly perfect' plan going wrong, paving the way for some usual material for a Hollywood thriller. But rest assured, so is not the case, and you are in for a pleasant surprise, as Spielmann's story unfolds in a most unpredictable fashion! Spielmann gives the film a naturalistic feel by completely steering clear of background score and relying only on natural sounds. The sound designers do an excellent job in that department and Spielmann ensures that we don't feel the lack of music at all. In fact it comes across as a welcome feature of the screenplay and it wouldn't be wrong to think that any background score would've in fact compromised the quality of it! This has been done before in Michael Haneke's 2005 film "Cache'" but is much more effectively pulled off in "Revanche". The rustling of the leaves, the singing of the birds, the faint howling of a light breeze...all wonderfully incorporated! Hell..the sound of wood-chopping never sounded as lovely before! Full points also go to the cinematographer Martin Gschlacht. What beautiful captures of the countryside...the pond, the farm, the woods....those lovely scenes, sometimes captured at a distance almost made me want to go into the screen and enjoy that moment. And then there is the editing by Karina Ressler. Some may argue that some scenes are too indulgent and unnecessary while on other occasions, the editing seems extremely crisp. But then there is a good reason why such an approach has been chosen. So yes, there are some long, recurring scenes of Alex chopping wood on his grandpa's farm...but I believe that is one of the qualities of this picture..a finer nuance that needs to be appreciated based on the context of the scene. Although some gratuitous nudity could have easily been done away with, it is hardly any reason to nitpick. The acting is top-notch as well, particularly by Johannes Krisch, a part Tommy Lee Jones-part Brad Pitt lookalike who is fabulous as Alex. All sympathies go out for this character who is shattered by the way things turn out for him, far from conforming to the way he had planned. Andreas Lust as the cop haunted by guilt and Ursula Strauss as his supporting wife are close seconds in the acting department. Irina Potapenko and Johannes Thanheiser support well. The film ultimately belongs to its writer-director Gotz Spielmann, the proud creator of this venture. This film was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Film in a Foreign Language, and it is certainly no surprise. Watch "Revanche", folks. It is drama at its very best. Beautiful stuff!

• Jake .

  
  In many ways, Revanche is almost two separate films. Exactly halfway through the film, it takes a turn that, while somewhat dependent on the opening, can exist on its own. The same goes for the first half. The credits could role at the one hour mark and the film would still feel… More
  In many ways, Revanche is almost two separate films. Exactly halfway through the film, it takes a turn that, while somewhat dependent on the opening, can exist on its own. The same goes for the first half. The credits could role at the one hour mark and the film would still feel complete. Still, they both influence each other. The first deals with the longing for a better life, while the second act is the converse; it preserves the memory of better times and the struggle to regain what has been lost. One desperate act transforms everything; one bullet - literally - causes the change. It's really sort of depressing and pessimistic if you think about it. Alex is perfectly miserable throughout the entire film, no matter what else is happening. Granted, he has had a hard life, but it makes you wonder if happiness truly is nothing more than a state of mind. Anyway, it's not one of the best films I've ever seen, but it still deserves some credit and recognition.

• danny d

  
  a brooding thriller that is set in a bit more of a real world than most films of this genre. spielmann has crafted this film perfectly, making the wise choice to leave out a musical score to heighten the sense of realism and using excellent camera work to set the mood of each scene… More
  a brooding thriller that is set in a bit more of a real world than most films of this genre. spielmann has crafted this film perfectly, making the wise choice to leave out a musical score to heighten the sense of realism and using excellent camera work to set the mood of each scene instead. the absence of a score also makes the grandfathers accordion playing a bit more relevant to the actual sense of emotion being portrayed on screen. the varied landscapes and 3 act formula are used with precision, and the characters are written so well that they each have a chance to reveal their multiple dimensions. an emotional film, but at the same time an appropriately simple one with a surprise ending that squares with reality in a refreshing way. a powerful film.

• Dean M

  
  Revanche is a tight thriller that is at a the same time a mood piece and a human moral drama. Austrian's official submission for the foreign language category in the 2009 Academy Awards is likely to this reviewer to get the nomination. Following the lives of two couples, a… More
  Revanche is a tight thriller that is at a the same time a mood piece and a human moral drama. Austrian's official submission for the foreign language category in the 2009 Academy Awards is likely to this reviewer to get the nomination. Following the lives of two couples, a prostitute and a thug, a cop and his wife; tragic circumstances converge their lives when a bank robbery goes awry. Featuring a stand out performance by Tommy Lee Jones look-alike Johannes Krisch as the thug Alex, the man creates tension when out of frame, in the nick of shadows and in front of the camera. Andreas Lust, Irina Potapenko and Johannes Thanheiser are amazing as well. Ursula Strauss has some brilliant dialogue in particular and she is just so interesting. I found her to be very real with flaws and temptations that we can all relate to (even if we won't admit it).

• Stella D

  
  a simple story, well-told. i couldn't guess where it was going and i love that. lovely cinematography

• Walter M

  
  [font=Century Gothic]In "Revanche," Tamara(Irina Potapenko) is the best thing that has ever happened to Alex(Johannes Krisch), an ex-con. The fact that she is a prostitute from the Ukraine at the bordello where he works odd jobs matters little to him. What does is coming… More
  [font=Century Gothic]In "Revanche," Tamara(Irina Potapenko) is the best thing that has ever happened to Alex(Johannes Krisch), an ex-con. The fact that she is a prostitute from the Ukraine at the bordello where he works odd jobs matters little to him. What does is coming up with the 30,000 euros she owes their boss Konecny(Hanno Poschl), plus enough for them to buy into a business in Ibiza. Alex's clever plan is to rob a bank which he says is foolproof. He had better hurry since Konecny is pressuring Tamara to take a more upscale job away from the bordello and Alex.[/font] [font=Century Gothic][/font] [font=Century Gothic]"Revanche" is a low-key and straight-forward movie that is straight out of the Claude Chabrol school of filmmaking. On the one hand, the movie makes a very good case for how nothing good can come from carrying a gun. However, even with the setting of a small city, the movie goes out of its way to contrive to have the characters' lives collide with each other. Yes, it is likely the characters would interact but not as much as they do here nor communicate important information in such a convenient way. [/font]

• Jeff T

  
  Absolutely smashing thriller that is able to keep your heart pounding with tension, pace and not a drop of blood. An endlessly surprising story and first-rate acting (with enough nudity to keep you going), this is one of my favorite movies of the year so far. Go go go.

• John B

  
  An absolutely fabulous thriller that unfortunately is not readily available. Gritty, real and full of emotion.

• Gevvy S

  
  Excellent film, the only thing out place is the amount of breasts shown. It wasn't off-putting, but I question if it was there for shock value or if it had some symbolic/expositional purpose. Other than that, everything else is truly well done. The script is great and halfway… More
  Excellent film, the only thing out place is the amount of breasts shown. It wasn't off-putting, but I question if it was there for shock value or if it had some symbolic/expositional purpose. Other than that, everything else is truly well done. The script is great and halfway through the film I wondered if it was too theatrical/outlandish. But Spielmann's execution and pacing makes it all work amazingly well. The performances are also great in the film, Krisch is phenomenal as Alex. This is one of the best recently released films that I've seen.

• Alex M

  
  This film starts out with a pretty interesting story and then just takes such a sharp turn. Every character has a problem, every character is well developed. This movie had me caring deeply for three people at once, which is something I can say I rarely feel in movies. In fact, by the… More
  This film starts out with a pretty interesting story and then just takes such a sharp turn. Every character has a problem, every character is well developed. This movie had me caring deeply for three people at once, which is something I can say I rarely feel in movies. In fact, by the end of the movie I felt that I went on the same emotional journey that Alex did. That's how good of a story Revanche tells.

• Chris B

  
  Artfully directed and brilliantly acted, this is an amazing debut for Spielmann! Revanche shows people in realistic problems and circumstances and how they deal with and overcome them. The countryside is beautiful and has a stark contrast to that of the city. It's as if the… More
  Artfully directed and brilliantly acted, this is an amazing debut for Spielmann! Revanche shows people in realistic problems and circumstances and how they deal with and overcome them. The countryside is beautiful and has a stark contrast to that of the city. It's as if the nature and beauty observed represents the peace that Alex finally gains when he comes to terms with everything that has happened. We are left hopeful at the end of such a painful and hard journey. Highly Recommended!

• Nicolas K

  
  With beautiful art direction, a story unravelling in an utterly engaging and suspenseful way, this film is one that discerning film buffs would enjoy. If you happen to come across it, watch it.

• Daisy M

  
  Revanche was an Austrian crime drama romance. I simply loved the story and the characters and all the events seemed to follow so natural. There was not so much dialog, no music score only simple nature sounds like birds and raindrops. One man's revenge thoughts, who lost his… More
  Revanche was an Austrian crime drama romance. I simply loved the story and the characters and all the events seemed to follow so natural. There was not so much dialog, no music score only simple nature sounds like birds and raindrops. One man's revenge thoughts, who lost his girlfriend by a policemen on duty, after robbing a bank. Both men, the policeman and the robber grieved and felt guilty for this woman death.It was not a movie for every taste, due to some heavy scenes and some were repeating like Alex chopping wood or his dad playing the accordion which can test your patience to watch.I guess this was typical of European movies, the end was left for the audience's imagination. Good movie.

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