Revenge * (1990, Kevin Costner, Anthony Quinn, Madeleine Stowe, Tomas Milian) – Classic Movie Review 8925

Director Tony Scott’s flashy 1990 thriller Revenge stars Kevin Costner, Anthony Quinn and Madeleine Stowe, and is based on a novel by Jim Harrison, who co-writes his own screenplay (with Jeffrey Alan Fiskin).

The good news is it is Kevin Costner at his most handsome in a tough-toned romantic triangle thriller, then with a UK 18 certificate. The bad news is it is the oldest story in the business: a jaded American, just retired US Navy pilot Michael ‘Jay’ Cochran (Costner), is invited to Mexico by shady, powerful businessman Mr Big, Tiburon ‘Tibey’ Mendez (Anthony Quinn), where he falls in love with his host’s young and lovely wife Miryea (Madeleine Stowe). Tibey (Quinn) revenges himself on the couple; Cochran (Costner) revenges himself on Tibey (Quinn). There is a lot of revenge. Heck, the film is called Revenge, isn’t it?

This slim tale takes 124 minutes of screen time to tell, and as such is half an hour too long. Naturally it begins and ends, but it does not have a start or a finish, though the middle section has pace, atmosphere and a lot of gratuitous violence, picking up the interest. Costner does hold the attention, but Quinn is dully typecast, while Stowe is merely pretty in a non-role.

Scott’s showy, empty film-making engages the eye with his Mexican shooting, but not the brain with his obvious, predictable screenplay, with its overload of action thriller clichés. Revenge is all flash, bang and no wallop.

Also in the choice cast are Tomas Milian, Joaquin Martinez, James Gammon, Sally Kirkland, Jesse Corti, Miguel Ferrer, Joe Santos and John Leguizamo. That does not come much classier in 1990.

There are three versions: 124 minutes (release version, ie producer Ray Stark’s cut), 104 minutes (director Tony Scott’s cut, on the 2007 DVD and Blu-Ray releases) and 115 minutes (cut version).

Revenge is directed by Tony Scott, runs 124 minutes, is made by New World Pictures and Rastar Films, is released by Columbia Tri-Star, is written by Jim Harrison and Jeffrey Alan Fiskin, based on a novel by Jim Harrison, is shot by Jeffrey Kimball, is produced by Hunt Lowry and Stanley Rubin, is scored by Jack Nitzsche and is designed by Michael Seymour and Benjamin Fernandez.

© Derek Winnert 2019 Classic Movie Review 8925

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