''The Revenant'' is a 2009

dark comedy Black comedy, also known as dark comedy, morbid humor, or gallows humor, is a style of comedy that makes light of subject matter that is generally considered taboo, particularly subjects that are normally considered serious or painful to discus ...

horror film Horror is a film genre that seeks to elicit fear or disgust in its audience for entertainment purposes. Horror films often explore dark subject matter and may deal with transgressive topics or themes. Broad elements include monsters, apoca ...

written and directed by Kerry Prior and starring

David Anders David Anders Holt (born March 11, 1981), known professionally as David Anders, is an American television and stage actor. He is best known for his roles as Julian Sark on ''Alias'', as Adam Monroe on ''Heroes'', as John Gilbert in the TV series '' ...

and

Chris Wylde Chris Wylde (born Chris Noll, August 22, 1976) is an American actor from New Jersey. Wylde is best known for his roles in the films ''The DUFF'', ''Space Cowboys'', the 2009 horror film '' The Revenant'', the 2017 horror comedy '' The Babysitte ...

. The film was shot in Los Angeles, California.

Plot

The film focuses on Second Lieutenant Bart Gregory (David Anders) who has been killed under mysterious circumstances in

Iraq Iraq,; ku, عێراق, translit=Êraq officially the Republic of Iraq, '; ku, کۆماری عێراق, translit=Komarî Êraq is a country in Western Asia. It is bordered by Turkey to Iraq–Turkey border, the north, Iran to Iran–Iraq ...

. After his friends and girlfriend Janet (Louise Griffiths) attend his funeral, Bart awakens in his grave. Enlisting the help of his best friend, Joey Leubner (Chris Wylde), Bart begins to understand and learn how to deal with his new undead state; mainly, the fact that Bart needs blood to hold back decomposition and that he returns to a state of in-animation during daylight hours. Joey does research online to find out what Bart is and seems to be stuck between a

Zombie A zombie (Haitian French: , ht, zonbi) is a mythological undead corporeal revenant created through the reanimation of a corpse. Zombies are most commonly found in horror and fantasy genre works. The term comes from Haitian folklore, in whic ...

and

Vampire A vampire is a mythical creature that subsists by feeding on the Vitalism, vital essence (generally in the form of blood) of the living. In European folklore, vampires are undead, undead creatures that often visited loved ones and caused mi ...

, finally stating that Bart is a

Revenant In folklore, a revenant is an animated corpse that is believed to have been revived from death to haunt the living. The word ''revenant'' is derived from the Old French word, ''revenant'', the "returning" (see also the related French language, F ...

. While buying beer from a small store in Koreatown, Bart and Joey become

vigilantes Vigilantism () is the act of preventing, investigating and punishing perceived offenses and crimes without legal authority. A vigilante (from Spanish, Italian and Portuguese “vigilante”, which means "sentinel" or "watcher") is a person who ...

when Bart both kills and feeds off of a gangster who is holding up the store. They enjoy the media coverage of the incident, and Joey asks Bart to bestow him with the "dark gift". Bart refuses to do so and laughs the idea off. However, after a subsequent attempt at vigilantism goes wrong and Joey is fatally wounded, Bart is forced to drink Joey's blood in order to save him. The two continue their vigilante killing spree for a while, until Mathilda (Jacy King), a friend of Janet who dislikes both Bart and Joey, follows them and threatens to reveal their activities to the world, especially Janet. Joey shoots Mathilda through the chest, but before she dies, she is able to send the information to Janet. Fearing they will be caught, Joey tells Bart to meet him back at the apartment with a packed bag in half an hour, then drives away mysteriously. Bart meets a teary Janet at the apartment, who forces him to explain the fact that he requires blood to stay stable. She then begs him to feed off of her instead, so that he will no longer need to kill. Bart loses control and drains her until she dies. Joey returns to the apartment with a "pimped out"

hearse A hearse is a large vehicle, originally a horse carriage but later with the introduction of motor vehicles, a car, used to carry the body of a deceased person in a coffin at a funeral, wake, or memorial service. They range from deliberately ano ...

for the two to use, and suggests that they go to

Las Vegas Las Vegas (; Spanish for "The Meadows"), often known simply as Vegas, is the 25th-most populous city in the United States, the most populous city in the state of Nevada, and the county seat of Clark County. The city anchors the Las Vegas ...

to continue their reign. However, after Bart shows him Janet's corpse, the two begin to fight, and proceed to shoot each other repeatedly, although this is insufficient to kill either of them. Joey storms out and states that he will continue on to Vegas alone. Bart decapitates Janet in order to ensure her death, then drops her remains over the bridge where he and Joey usually disposed of their corpses. Bart is captured by

SWAT In the United States, a SWAT team (special weapons and tactics, originally special weapons assault team) is a police tactical unit that uses specialized or military equipment and tactics. Although they were first created in the 1960s to ...

teams and taken to jail, where, come dawn, he collapses in his cell. Upon nightfall, Bart reawakens in the morgue and escapes, returning to the apartment. Inside is a package containing Joey's severed head. Since he was decapitated at night, Joey is still "alive", and Bart uses a vibrating

dildo A dildo is a sex toy, often explicitly phallic in appearance, intended for sexual penetration or other sexual activity during masturbation or with sex partners. Dildos can be made from a number of materials and shaped like an erect human penis ...

to enable Joey's head to talk. Joey warns Bart that a

gang A gang is a group or society of associates, friends or members of a family with a defined leadership and internal organization that identifies with or claims control over territory in a community and engages, either individually or collectivel ...

banger who was their first kill is after him for revenge, and then requests that Bart kill him for good. Bart crushes Joey's head underneath a bulldozer, and then tries to find a way to kill himself. Against normal convention, a bullet through the brain does not have the desired effect, and neither does hanging himself with Christmas lights. He even throws himself in front of the subway train, but only succeeds in severing his arm. Bart then boards a train, where he finds and reads a letter that Janet left in his uniform's pocket at his funeral. He breaks down and attacks the only other passenger. He is caught and flees into the station where more SWAT teams attempt to catch him. He finally escapes to a hilltop and at dawn collapses once more, while he is being surrounded by men in

hazmat suit A hazmat suit (hazardous materials suit) is a piece of personal protective equipment that consists of an impermeable whole-body garment worn as protection against hazardous materials. Such suits are often combined with self-contained breathing ...

s. The film then cuts to a tour of sorts, where various military personnel are being shown revenants in glass containers, including Bart. A General asks Bart if he was a soldier, and then states that this fact may give him an advantage. Bart is then shown in a large canister being airdropped into

Khūzestān Province Khuzestan Province (also spelled Xuzestan; fa, استان خوزستان ''Ostān-e Xūzestān'') is one of the 31 provinces of Iran. It is in the southwest of the country, bordering Iraq and the Persian Gulf. Its capital is Ahvaz and it covers ...

Iran Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran, and also called Persia, is a country located in Western Asia. It is bordered by Iraq and Turkey to the west, by Azerbaijan and Armenia to the northwest, by the Caspian Sea and Turkmeni ...

, along with the other revenants, where the canister opens upon landing, releasing him on the country.

Cast

as Barthenoy (Bart) Gregory: Having come back from death as a

revenant In folklore, a revenant is an animated corpse that is believed to have been revived from death to haunt the living. The word ''revenant'' is derived from the Old French word, ''revenant'', the "returning" (see also the related French language, F ...

, Bart must deal with his new condition, a potential for a second chance on life, and trying to come to terms with the girlfriend that he had left behind. *

as Joey Leubner: As Bart's best friend, Joey acts as a partner and sidekick to Bart, providing him background of Bart's deteriorating condition, and encouraging him to act on his darker impulses in order to survive. *

Louise Griffiths Louise Griffiths (born 31 July 1978) is an English singer, songwriter, model and actress. Early life Griffiths was born in Hertfordshire, England. She is the daughter of a London taxicab driver. She plays the saxophone, and was a contestant in ...

as Janet: Bart's love interest who is devastated after Bart's unexpected death. *Jacy King as Mathilda (Matty): A

Wicca Wicca () is a modern Pagan religion. Scholars of religion categorise it as both a new religious movement and as part of the occultist stream of Western esotericism. It was developed in England during the first half of the 20th century and was ...

n nurse who is close friend to Janet, Matty acts as the voice of reason. *

Emiliano Torres Emiliano Torres (born December 5, 1971, in Buenos Aires) is an Argentine film director, screenplay writer and producer. In 1991 he graduated from the Fundación Universidad del Cine of Buenos Aires and completed his degree in filmmaking, orien ...

- Miguel *Senyo Amoaku – liquor store robber *Cathy Shim – Sophia Chang *

David Ury David Brian Ury (born September 30, 1973) is an American actor, stand-up comedian, YouTuber, and Japanese translation specialist. Early life and education Ury was born and raised in Sonoma, California. He graduated from Sonoma Valley High Sch ...

– ATM robber *Wally White – The Minister *Zana Zefi – Ms. Rahmanov *Clint Jung - Marty

Development

''The Revenant'' was written, directed, and produced by Kerry Prior, who also supervised the visual effects on the film.

Liam Finn Liam Mullane Finn (born 24 September 1983) is a New Zealand singer and musician. Born in Melbourne, Australia, he moved to New Zealand as a child. He is the son of musicians Sharon and Neil Finn. In 2020, he joined his father's band, Crowded ...

and

Jacques Thelemaque Jacques Thelemaque ( ) is an American screenwriter and director best known as the president of the Los Angeles film collective Filmmakers Alliance. Biography Thelemaque studied briefly at the USC School of Cinematic Arts, but his film career beg ...

were co-producers. The film was edited by Kerry Prior, though the opening credits state "image juxtaposition designer Walter Montague Urch". "Walter Montague Urch" could be a reference to

Walter Map Walter Map ( la, Gualterius Mappus; 1130 – 1210) was a medieval writer. He wrote ''De nugis curialium'', which takes the form of a series of anecdotes of people and places, offering insights on the history of his time. Map was a courti ...

and

Montague Summers Augustus Montague Summers (10 April 1880 – 10 August 1948) was an English author, clergyman, and teacher. He initially prepared for a career in the Church of England at Oxford and Lichfield, and was ordained as an Anglican deacon in 1908. He ...

, who have written about revenants and men who have returned from the dead.

Filming

Filming for ''The Revenant'' began in April 2008 in

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

, California. The film is presented in 4K

digital cinema Digital cinema refers to adoption of digital technology within the film industry to distribute or project motion pictures as opposed to the historical use of reels of motion picture film, such as 35 mm film. Whereas film reels have to b ...

with an aspect ratio of 2.35:1 spherical.

Reception

''The Revenant'' has received positive feedback from several film reviewers and the horror film community. A post-screening review from DreadCentral.com declared it is "sure to become a cult classic." The film won the Audience Award for "Best Narrative Feature" at the 2009 CineVegas Film Festival, in Las Vegas.

Harry Knowles Harry Jay Knowles (born December 11, 1971) is an American film critic and writer known for his website called Ain't It Cool News. Knowles was a member of the Austin Film Critics Association until he was removed in September 2017 "by a substanti ...

Ain't It Cool News Ain't It Cool News (AICN) is an entertainment news website founded by Harry Knowles and run by his sister Dannie Knowles since September 2017, dedicated to news, rumors, and reviews of upcoming and current films, television, and comic book proje ...

wrote an early review, calling it "a great little genre film that gets exactly as nuts as one would hope a violent buddy flick can get with the undead." Chris Alexander of ''

Fangoria ''Fangoria'' is an internationally distributed American horror film fan magazine, in publication since 1979. It is published four times a year by Fangoria Publishing, LLC and is edited by Phil Nobile Jr. The magazine was originally released i ...

'' stated: "Forget ''

Shaun of the Dead ''Shaun of the Dead'' is a 2004 zombie comedy film directed by Edgar Wright and written by Wright and Simon Pegg. Pegg stars as Shaun, a downtrodden salesman in London who is caught in a zombie apocalypse with his friend Ed (Nick Frost). The fi ...

''; this is the best dark fantasy/comedy I’ve seen since classic stuff I hold so dear to my heart, masterworks like ''

Return of the Living Dead ''The Return of the Living Dead'' is a 1985 American comedy horror film written and directed by Dan O'Bannon in his directorial debut, and starring Clu Gulager, James Karen, Thom Matthews and Don Calfa. The film tells the story of how a wa ...

'', ''

Re-Animator ''Re-Animator'' (also known as ''H. P. Lovecraft's Re-Animator'') is a 1985 American comedy horror film loosely based on the 1922 H. P. Lovecraft serial novelette "Herbert West–Reanimator". Directed by Stuart Gordon and produced by Brian Yuzn ...

'', ''

RoboCop ''RoboCop'' is a 1987 American science fiction action film directed by Paul Verhoeven and written by Edward Neumeier and Michael Miner. The film stars Peter Weller, Nancy Allen, Daniel O'Herlihy, Ronny Cox, Kurtwood Smith, and Miguel Ferre ...

'' and ''

Fright Night ''Fright Night'' is a 1985 American supernatural horror film written and directed by Tom Holland (in his directorial debut) and produced by Herb Jaffe. It stars Chris Sarandon, William Ragsdale, Roddy McDowall, Amanda Bearse, Jonathan Stark, D ...

''." Aaron Morgan from Fantastic Fest commented that "Overall this movie is a real gem and deserves a wide release here in the states to shake us out of this remake/retread horror trend." Toronto After Dark listed ''The Revenant'' as one of the "10 Movies To See Before You Die".

Awards

Since its debut on the film festival circuit, The Revenant has won the following awards: *Xanadu Sci Fi and Horror Convention 2009: "Best Feature Film" *Zompire, The Undead Film Festival 2009: "Best Feature," "Best Director" Kerry Prior; "Audience Award" *CineVegas 2009: "Audience Award, Best Narrative Feature" *Toronto After Dark Film Festival 2009: "Feature Film, Silver" *Fantastic Fest 2009: "Best Director," Kerry Prior; "Audience Award (4th Place)" *ScreamFest, Los Angeles 2009: "Best Make Up," "Best Special FX" *Vampire Film Festival, New Orleans 2009: "Outstanding Vampire Film" (1st Place) *Falstaff International Film Festival 2009: "Best of the Festival Award" *

New York City Horror Film Festival The New York City Horror Film Festival is an international film festival based in New York City that screens films from the horror genre. It was founded by Michael J. Hein in 2001. It takes place each year in New York City for a week in November ...

2009: "Best Picture," Kerry Prior; "Best Director," "Best Actor" (Tie: Chris Wylde, and David Anders), "Audience Choice" *Omaha Film Festival 2010: "Best Off the Edge Film" *A Night of Horror International Film Festival 2010: "Best Film", Best Director" (Kerry Prior) * Celluloid Screams: Sheffield Horror Film Festival 2010 "Audience Award: Best Feature Film" The film was also an "Official Selection" of the following film festivals: *Sitges 42nd International Film Festival 2009: Official Selection (10/09) *Chicago International Film Festival 2009: Official Selection (10/09) *Grimm Up North- UK 2009: Official Selection: (10/09) *Mar del Plata International Film Festival 2009: Official Selection (11/09) *Leeds International Film Festival- UK 2009: Official Selection (11/09) *Starz Denver International Film Festival 2009: Official Selection (11/09) *Stockholm International Film Festival 2009: Official Selection (11/09)

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Revenant, The 2009 films American comedy horror films American vampire films American vigilante films American zombie comedy films Films set in Los Angeles 2000s English-language films 2000s American films