Ravenous (1999)

1999’s Ravenous is a strange little movie. It’s essentially a cannibal western that features character actors like Guy Pearce (Memento) and Robert Carlyle (The Full Monty.) It’s hard to believe it was released by a mainstream film company. Yet, here we are.

Pearce stars as Boyd, a U.S. Army soldier who was recently promoted to a remote California outpost called Fort Spencer. He finds himself third in command in the ragtag crew assembled at the fort. Commanded by Colonel Hart (Jeffrey Jones,) the regiment also includes Major Knox (Stephen Spinella), Private Reich (Neal McDonough), Private Cleaves (David Arquette), Private Toffler (Jeremy Davies), and Native American scout, George (Joseph Runningfox) and his sister, Martha (Sheila Tousey.) Col. Hart appears affable but the remainder of the crew are all over the place.

Boyd barely has time to acclimate himself to his new position when a man (Carlyle) is found nearly frozen to death outside the fort’s walls. Once warmed and conscious, he identifies himself as Colquhoun, a member of a band of settlers heading into California. Colquhoun tells the soldiers of a man named Colonel Ives, who led the party of travelers into a terrible situation that left them stranded for three months in the snow. With their supplies dwindling, the party had to resort to cannibalism to survive. According to Colquhoun, Ives and possibly others are still holed up in a cave nearby. Col. Hart assembles a rescue party including Pvt. Reich and Pvt. Toffler, and Capt. Boyd. Once the men find the cave, things take a decidedly gruesome turn.

Nothing in Ravenous is easy to classify. As with any film that challenges its audience with an unusual concept, there are bound to be elements that work better than others. What works here is the committed nature of the cast. Each performance — especially those of Pearce and Carlyle — shows that the actors have wholeheartedly bought in to the story.

Also immediately calling attention to itself is the quirky musical score by Michael Nyman and Damon Albarn. Combining traditional folk instruments like banjo and jaw harp with sound loops and electronics, it’s hard not to notice the jaunty music providing the backing to sometimes horrific visuals. It’s quite unlike any film score I’ve heard before.

Less successful, though, is the script’s desire to be more than the sum of its parts. When it’s focused on the Native American lore that provides the motivation for the characters, its darkly comic elements work well. When it tries to venture into commenting on manifest destiny and American exceptionalism, it feels clunky and obvious.

I’m torn on whether I enjoyed Ravenous or simply found it to be a curiosity. I was intrigued but I don’t know that I can recommended it without hesitation. It’s — pardon the pun — an acquired taste.