Kevin Costner’s Darkest Role Was In This Brutal Neo-Western Thriller

The big picture

• Kevin Costner played a major role in the revitalization of modern western cinema with his starring roles in violent neo-westerns such as
  revenge
• revenge,
  directed by Tony Scott, it showcases Costner's ability to portray a dark and primal anti-hero in a classic revenge thriller.
• revenge
  cleverly alludes to the western genre, with Costner's character playing a brooding gunslinger seeking justice in a lawless land.

In Hollywood's Golden Age, Western cinema was largely defined by powerful movie stars like John Wayne, James Stewart, Gary Cooper, i Steve McQueen which developed multiple entries within the genre. While there have been some great modern Westerns in recent years, the genre doesn't have many singular avatars that devote their efforts exclusively to gunfighter stories. Having said that, Kevin Costner he has contributed to the revitalization of Western cinema thanks to a series of leading roles that began in the early stages of his career. While he would earn accolades as a director for films like Dances with Wolves, Open Rangeand the next Horizon: An American Saga franchise, one of Costner's first neo-western starring roles was in the haunting 1990 thriller. revenge.

1990 was a big year for Costner, com Dances with Wolves it would be worth the Academy Awards for both Best Director and Best Picture. However, Costner was not creatively involved revenge behind the scenes, as it comes from the well-known action filmmaker Tony Scottwhich took away the success of Top Gun i Beverly Hills Cop II in the previous decade. Scott is a filmmaker known for ratcheting up the intensity with aggressive action sequences, though revenge it offered him the chance to go much darker than ever before. revenge remains one of the the most violent and disturbing film of Costner's career.

What is 'revenge'?

While the two films couldn't be more divergent in tone, revenge actually starts with a callback to Top Gun. Costner plays US Navy Airman Jay Cochran, who intends to leave the service after devoting more than a decade of his life to active duty. Although Jay is a character who can barely afford to live in any luxury, he agrees to join the wealthy businessman, Tibey Mendez (Anthony Quinn), for a long stay at his home in Mexico. During the holidays, Jay falls in love with the hand of Tibey's wife, Miryea (Madeleine Stowe). This kind of love triangle would be inherently problematic, but it becomes even more hostile when Jay learns that Tibey is a ruthless crime lord. After Tibey captures and tortures Miryea, Jay begins planning an ambitious revenge plot.

revenge it works as a revenge thriller because of how well developed the romance is. Any good revenge movie needs to establish a justifiable reason for the protagonist to commit blatant acts of violence, otherwise the viewer might be strained in their emotional connection. Costner has been in his fair share of romantic comedies, but the dynamic he shares with Stowe revenge it's actually quite deep. Both characters are at a turning point in their lives where they are looking to go in a new direction. Miryea realizes she doesn't want to spend the rest of her life trapped in the criminal underworld with Tibey, and Jay wants to escape the pressures placed on him in the service. It is bitterly ironic that, despite both disdaining violence, Jay and Miryea find themselves in a very hostile situation.

Scott ups the ante on the violence in a way not seen in most commercial action films revenge feeling closer in tone and style to the low-budget films produced by Cannon Films in the 1980s. A sequence in which Miryea is trapped in a house of sex workers after Tibey attacks is particularly disturbing; while it runs the risk of being too raunchy, the gritty tone makes it all the more rewarding to see Jay finally dispatch his enemies without mercy. It is clear that in this hostile environment, Jay cannot abide by the moral code to which he was bound in the Navy.

'Revenge' has allusions to the western genre

Although narratively the film is not particularly original, revenge it is a neo-Western that draws attention to its historical allusions. Jay is a wordless, brooding gunslinger who wanders through a strange environment without his own brand of justice; if that wasn't enough to indicate that he was a gunslinger, he is even referred to several times as a “cowboy”. Scott is able to infuse the influence of classic westerns by depicting the film's version of Mexico as a place beyond the law, where law enforcement cannot prevent the rise of criminal cartels. This adds a sense of constant danger and suspense that evokes comparisons to many of the greatest westerns of all time.

revenge it even concludes with a classic western showdownreminiscent of the iconic ending of The good, the bad and the ugly. Although Jay has faced several thugs and low-level enforcers in his attempt to rescue Miryea, he eventually comes down to a one-on-one exchange of bullets with Tibey. The primitive, almost chivalrous nature of his gunplay adds a distinctly Western flavor to a film that had made use of modern weapons.

'Revenge' allowed Kevin Costner to break through

revenge was a critical film in Costner's development as an action star. He had done a solid job though Brian De Palmathe classic gangster thriller The Untouchables, Sean Connery He was so obviously the scene-stealer of the film, which made it harder for Costner to stand out. revenge it showed that Costner was not only capable of physically demanding projects, but could bring an intimidating, almost sinister edge to his work. In the following decade, he took on more action-packed roles in films like Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves, Wyatt Earp, Waterworld, i The postman.

Although an actor often associated with characters of integrity, Costner got to show a darker side playing a violent anti-hero. Jay is primal, and even animalistic in the way he attacks his enemies, and contains none of the charisma that Costner is known for. It was a remarkable career pivot that undoubtedly allowed Costner to move on to more mature projects in the next stage of his career.

revenge is currently available to stream on Prime Video in the US

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