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Revenge (film)
Encyclopedia
Revenge is a 1990
crime
-drama
-thriller directed by Tony Scott
, starring Kevin Costner
, Anthony Quinn
, Madeleine Stowe
, Miguel Ferrer
and Sally Kirkland
. Some scenes were filmed in Mexico
. The movie is a production of New World Pictures and Rastar Films and released by Columbia Pictures
. Revenge also features one of John Leguizamo
's earliest movie roles.
The film is based on a novel by Jim Harrison
, who co-wrote the script.
, accepting a matched pair of Beretta
shotguns and an invitation from his wealthy friend Tiburon "Tibby" Mendez to spend time at his hacienda in Mexico. Tibby is a powerful crime boss, constantly surrounded by bodyguards.
While trying to find the hacienda, Cochran meets a beautiful young woman riding a horse. She is Tibby's wife, Miryea, who lives in lavish surroundings but is unhappy because her much-older husband does not want children, feeling pregnancy would spoil her looks.
Jay is a welcome guest and presents his friend with a Navy G-1 leather flight jacket. But he rubs Tibby's suspicious right-hand man Cesar the wrong way by behaving independently and not acting like an employee. After a dinner Tibby conducts a private meeting with business associates while Miryea gets acquainted with Jay. She becomes attracted to him. The next day they share a private walk on the beach.
During a party, with Tibby and his men nearby, Jay and Miryea secretly make love. Tension grows, as Jay is worried that Tibby will become aware of the situation. Miryea begs Jay not to leave. They arrange a secret rendezvous, Miryea pretending that she will be visiting a friend in Miami when she actually is going to accompany Jay to a remote cabin.
Cesar overhears a conversation in which Miryea asks her Miami friend to lie for her. Tibby visits Jay and invites him on a trip to the Beretta factory to custom-fit his new guns, but Jay declines. Tibby tells his friend goodbye. At the airport, Tibby also gives Miryea one last kiss. Jay is secretly waiting to drive her to the cabin.
At their hideaway, they are surprised by Tibby and his men. Jay's beloved dog is shot dead. Calling Miryea a "faithless whore," Tibby strikes her and cuts her face with a knife, as Tibby's henchmen viciously beat and kick Jay. After setting fire to the cabin, they dump Jay in the desert, and leave him to die.
Miryea is placed in a whorehouse, where she is drugged, abused, and relegated to "common use." The young man responsible for keeping her drugged has AIDS
. As Miryea no longer wishes to live the life of a common prostitute, she persuades him to share a needle with her, thus infecting her.
Jay's unconscious body is discovered by a Mexican Good Samaritan, who slowly nurses him back to health. He returns to the burnt cabin and retrieves some money he had stashed away. His rescuer drives Jay to town and gives him a knife to "cut the balls off your enemy." He encounters a Texan delivering a horse, who offers Jay a ride in his car. Inside a cantina
, Jay notices one of the thugs who had thrashed him; he follows him into the men's room and cuts his throat.
After a day on the road, the Texan, clearly ill, trades his horse to a wealthy man, who recognizes Jay from an afternoon at Tibby's estate. The friendly Texan dies in his car, apparently of tuberculosis
.
At a motel, Jay runs across Amador, the cousin of the Mexican Good Samaritan who had saved his life. Amador and his quiet friend, Ignacio, have their own issues with Tibby Mendez and are willing to help. They capture another of Tibby's henchmen, who tells them where Miryea can be found. Jay barges into the brothel to rescue her, only to find that she has been moved. No one but Tibby knows where she is.
Jay, Amador, and Ignacio ambush Tibby and his bodyguard on a trail. Jay is here for revenge, but first Tibby requests that Jay ask forgiveness for having stolen his wife.
Miryea is in a convent hospice
, dying of AIDS. By the time Jay arrives, it is too late. He carries her outside, where she dies in his arms.
and Blu-ray releases is Tony Scott's shorter director's cut, running 104 minutes. The original 124-minute version is due to Kevin Costner and Ray Stark
.
The director's cut includes several re-edits, and in general deletes many scenes in the original cut:
1990 in film
The year 1990 in film involved some significant events.-Events:* CGI technique is expanded with motion capture for CGI characters, used in Total Recall .* The first digitally-manipulated matte painting is used, in Die Hard 2....
crime
Crime film
Crime films are films which focus on the lives of criminals. The stylistic approach to a crime film varies from realistic portrayals of real-life criminal figures, to the far-fetched evil doings of imaginary arch-villains. Criminal acts are almost always glorified in these movies.- Plays and films...
-drama
Drama film
A drama film is a film genre that depends mostly on in-depth development of realistic characters dealing with emotional themes. Dramatic themes such as alcoholism, drug addiction, infidelity, moral dilemmas, racial prejudice, religious intolerance, poverty, class divisions, violence against women...
-thriller directed by Tony Scott
Tony Scott
Anthony D. L. "Tony" Scott is an English film director. His films include Top Gun, Beverly Hills Cop II, The Last Boy Scout, True Romance, Crimson Tide, Enemy of the State, Spy Game, Man on Fire, Déjà Vu, The Taking of Pelham 123, and Unstoppable...
, starring Kevin Costner
Kevin Costner
Kevin Michael Costner is an American actor, singer, musician, producer, director, and businessman. He has been nominated for three BAFTA Awards, won two Academy Awards, and two Golden Globe Awards. Costner's roles include Lt. John J...
, Anthony Quinn
Anthony Quinn
Antonio Rodolfo Quinn-Oaxaca , more commonly known as Anthony Quinn, was a Mexican American actor, as well as a painter and writer...
, Madeleine Stowe
Madeleine Stowe
Madeleine Mora Stowe is an American actress. She rose to prominence appearing in films such as Stakeout, Revenge, Unlawful Entry, The Last of the Mohicans, Blink, China Moon, 12 Monkeys, and We Were Soldiers...
, Miguel Ferrer
Miguel Ferrer
Miguel José Ferrer is an American actor and voice actor who is often cast as a villain. His notable roles include Bob Morton, a supporting character in RoboCop , the short tempered FBI agent Albert Rosenfield in Twin Peaks, and Dr...
and Sally Kirkland
Sally Kirkland
Sally Kirkland is an American film and television actress.-Early life:Kirkland was named after her mother, fashion editor Sally Kirkland, who was a fashion editor at Vogue and LIFE magazines, and was raised in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Her father, Frederic McMichael Kirkland, worked in the scrap...
. Some scenes were filmed in Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
. The movie is a production of New World Pictures and Rastar Films and released by Columbia Pictures
Columbia Pictures
Columbia Pictures Industries, Inc. is an American film production and distribution company. Columbia Pictures now forms part of the Columbia TriStar Motion Picture Group, owned by Sony Pictures Entertainment, a subsidiary of the Japanese conglomerate Sony. It is one of the leading film companies...
. Revenge also features one of John Leguizamo
John Leguizamo
Jonathan Alberto "John" Leguizamo is an Colombian-American actor, producer, voice artist, and comedian.-Early life:...
's earliest movie roles.
The film is based on a novel by Jim Harrison
Jim Harrison
James "Jim" Harrison is an American author known for his poetry, fiction, essays, reviews, and writings about food. He has been called "a force of nature", and his work has been compared to that of William Faulkner and Ernest Hemingway...
, who co-wrote the script.
Plot
Michael J. "Jay" Cochran is a retiring U.S. Navy aviator who, after 12 years in the service, wants to relax and live one day at a time. He goes to MexicoMexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
, accepting a matched pair of Beretta
Beretta
Fabbrica d'Armi Pietro Beretta is an Italian firearms manufacturer. Their firearms are used worldwide for a variety of civilian, law enforcement, and military purposes. It is also known for manufacturing shooting clothes and accessories. Beretta is the oldest active firearms manufacturer in the...
shotguns and an invitation from his wealthy friend Tiburon "Tibby" Mendez to spend time at his hacienda in Mexico. Tibby is a powerful crime boss, constantly surrounded by bodyguards.
While trying to find the hacienda, Cochran meets a beautiful young woman riding a horse. She is Tibby's wife, Miryea, who lives in lavish surroundings but is unhappy because her much-older husband does not want children, feeling pregnancy would spoil her looks.
Jay is a welcome guest and presents his friend with a Navy G-1 leather flight jacket. But he rubs Tibby's suspicious right-hand man Cesar the wrong way by behaving independently and not acting like an employee. After a dinner Tibby conducts a private meeting with business associates while Miryea gets acquainted with Jay. She becomes attracted to him. The next day they share a private walk on the beach.
During a party, with Tibby and his men nearby, Jay and Miryea secretly make love. Tension grows, as Jay is worried that Tibby will become aware of the situation. Miryea begs Jay not to leave. They arrange a secret rendezvous, Miryea pretending that she will be visiting a friend in Miami when she actually is going to accompany Jay to a remote cabin.
Cesar overhears a conversation in which Miryea asks her Miami friend to lie for her. Tibby visits Jay and invites him on a trip to the Beretta factory to custom-fit his new guns, but Jay declines. Tibby tells his friend goodbye. At the airport, Tibby also gives Miryea one last kiss. Jay is secretly waiting to drive her to the cabin.
At their hideaway, they are surprised by Tibby and his men. Jay's beloved dog is shot dead. Calling Miryea a "faithless whore," Tibby strikes her and cuts her face with a knife, as Tibby's henchmen viciously beat and kick Jay. After setting fire to the cabin, they dump Jay in the desert, and leave him to die.
Miryea is placed in a whorehouse, where she is drugged, abused, and relegated to "common use." The young man responsible for keeping her drugged has AIDS
AIDS
Acquired immune deficiency syndrome or acquired immunodeficiency syndrome is a disease of the human immune system caused by the human immunodeficiency virus...
. As Miryea no longer wishes to live the life of a common prostitute, she persuades him to share a needle with her, thus infecting her.
Jay's unconscious body is discovered by a Mexican Good Samaritan, who slowly nurses him back to health. He returns to the burnt cabin and retrieves some money he had stashed away. His rescuer drives Jay to town and gives him a knife to "cut the balls off your enemy." He encounters a Texan delivering a horse, who offers Jay a ride in his car. Inside a cantina
Cantina
Cantina is a word that can refer to various places and establishments. It is similar in etymology to "canteen", and is derived from the Italian word for a cellar, winery, or vault.Cantinas are found in many towns of Italy...
, Jay notices one of the thugs who had thrashed him; he follows him into the men's room and cuts his throat.
After a day on the road, the Texan, clearly ill, trades his horse to a wealthy man, who recognizes Jay from an afternoon at Tibby's estate. The friendly Texan dies in his car, apparently of tuberculosis
Tuberculosis
Tuberculosis, MTB, or TB is a common, and in many cases lethal, infectious disease caused by various strains of mycobacteria, usually Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Tuberculosis usually attacks the lungs but can also affect other parts of the body...
.
At a motel, Jay runs across Amador, the cousin of the Mexican Good Samaritan who had saved his life. Amador and his quiet friend, Ignacio, have their own issues with Tibby Mendez and are willing to help. They capture another of Tibby's henchmen, who tells them where Miryea can be found. Jay barges into the brothel to rescue her, only to find that she has been moved. No one but Tibby knows where she is.
Jay, Amador, and Ignacio ambush Tibby and his bodyguard on a trail. Jay is here for revenge, but first Tibby requests that Jay ask forgiveness for having stolen his wife.
Miryea is in a convent hospice
Hospice
Hospice is a type of care and a philosophy of care which focuses on the palliation of a terminally ill patient's symptoms.In the United States and Canada:*Gentiva Health Services, national provider of hospice and home health services...
, dying of AIDS. By the time Jay arrives, it is too late. He carries her outside, where she dies in his arms.
Cast
- Kevin CostnerKevin CostnerKevin Michael Costner is an American actor, singer, musician, producer, director, and businessman. He has been nominated for three BAFTA Awards, won two Academy Awards, and two Golden Globe Awards. Costner's roles include Lt. John J...
as Michael J. "Jay" Cochran - Anthony QuinnAnthony QuinnAntonio Rodolfo Quinn-Oaxaca , more commonly known as Anthony Quinn, was a Mexican American actor, as well as a painter and writer...
as Tiburon "Tibby" Mendez - Madeleine StoweMadeleine StoweMadeleine Mora Stowe is an American actress. She rose to prominence appearing in films such as Stakeout, Revenge, Unlawful Entry, The Last of the Mohicans, Blink, China Moon, 12 Monkeys, and We Were Soldiers...
as Miryea Mendez - Tomas MilianTomas MilianTomás Milián is a Cuban-American actor best known for having worked extensively in Italian films from the late 1950s to the 1980s.-Career in Italy:...
as Cesar - James GammonJames GammonJames Richard Gammon was an American actor, known for playing grizzled "good ol' boy" types in numerous films and television series.-Early life:...
as The Texan - Jesse CortiJesse CortiJesse Corti is an American voice actor, perhaps best known as Lefou in the 1991 Disney animated film Beauty and the Beast. He has appeared on several popular TV shows such as 24, Heroes, Desperate Housewives, West Wing, Judging Amy, Law & Order and many more...
as Madero - Sally KirklandSally KirklandSally Kirkland is an American film and television actress.-Early life:Kirkland was named after her mother, fashion editor Sally Kirkland, who was a fashion editor at Vogue and LIFE magazines, and was raised in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Her father, Frederic McMichael Kirkland, worked in the scrap...
as The Rock Star - Miguel FerrerMiguel FerrerMiguel José Ferrer is an American actor and voice actor who is often cast as a villain. His notable roles include Bob Morton, a supporting character in RoboCop , the short tempered FBI agent Albert Rosenfield in Twin Peaks, and Dr...
as Amador - John LeguizamoJohn LeguizamoJonathan Alberto "John" Leguizamo is an Colombian-American actor, producer, voice artist, and comedian.-Early life:...
as Ignacio
Alternate versions
The version included on the 2007 DVDDVD
A DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....
and Blu-ray releases is Tony Scott's shorter director's cut, running 104 minutes. The original 124-minute version is due to Kevin Costner and Ray Stark
Ray Stark
Ray Stark was an American film producer and powerbroker known for his Machiavellian ways.While putting together the Broadway musical Funny Girl - the highly fictionalized account of the life of his mother-in-law, Fanny Brice - its producer David Merrick took Stark and his wife to see an unknown...
.
The director's cut includes several re-edits, and in general deletes many scenes in the original cut:
- During the scene where Jay is beaten, the main henchmen stomps on one of his hands, crushing several fingers; in the new cut, that scene is missing, replaced by that same thug kicking Jay a few times while he is on the floor.
- The Jeep-ride sequence is shown in a more explicit way; also we see Miryea and Jay stopping at a nearby lake to drink some beer and have sex. The original soundtrack sequence has been changed.
- Kirkland's role is shortened.
- In the opening flying sequence, while Jay's jet is in the sky, a beaten man can be seen crawling in the desert, as a premonition of future events.
- After Tibby's revenge, we can see him selecting a new young wife, but as if it was something more protocol-related.
- All the scenes that showed Jay's doubts and hesitations relating to the affair are gone in the new cut.