Tony Scott
Revenge

Tony Scott has always been somewhat overshadowed by his more acclaimed brother, Ridley. Yet in the substantial filmography of the younger brother, there are feature films that should not be overlooked: see the super glossy yet enjoyable Top Gun or The Fan. Among the two perhaps most well-known films of the director, this Revenge stands out, which in my view remains his most original and heartfelt work.

Jay (Kevin Costner) is an American pilot who, having completed his military life, decides to go to Mexico to enjoy a well-deserved vacation. He is welcomed into the villa of his old friend Tibey (Anthony Quinn), a local criminal and arms dealer living with his beautiful wife Miryea (Madeleine Stowe). Everything seems to go well until Jay and Miryea start seeing each other in secret...

Not quite an action film and not quite a gangster movie, Revenge - Vendetta from 1990 is a fascinating work primarily due to its transformation. If the beginning (a clear nod to Top Gun) suggests the staging of the usual American hero, the continuation of the film is a continuous escalation of sex and violence, set in that pulp style that would become so dear to Tarantino. In fact, Scott places two beautiful and healthy characters on the big screen, deluding the viewer: Costner is a handsome man with no problems who wants to have fun, while Stowe is a beautiful woman living in luxury. In this picture, there is perfection. It's unfortunate, though, that the beautiful Miryea is married to Tibey: a rich but now old, criminal, and violent man.

So when Jay and Miryea, now in love, decide to escape to find a place for themselves (with the sex scene on the jeep remaining the most beautiful thing in the film), Tibey can only track them down and take out his personal revenge on them: he is half dead, and his ex-wife forced to prostitute herself in a cheap Mexican brothel. This begins Jay's quest to find Miryea at all costs. It's here that the film can be divided into two parts: the first more sentimental and dramatic, the second more thriller, with some scenes bordering on slasher in a pulp setting. Indeed, the setting becomes that of the dirty Mexican streets, bars frequented by drifters, knives ready to come out even before being seen.

Needless to say, Jay will also have his revenge, but probably not as we would have expected it. Because if the ending is not the best cinematically speaking, the film is a small romantic and raw gem at the same time.

Highly recommended: entertaining, violent, dramatic, pulp. And then, how can one remain indifferent in front of Madeleine Stowe's performance? One of the most sensual and provocative roles in the history of cinema...