Revenge is one of those films that grabs you from the start and doesn’t let go until the very last shot. Coralie Fargeat makes her debut with a brutal revenge story, without needing too much dialogue or unnecessary frills, letting the images —gory, shocking, almost hypnotic— do all the talking. It’s easy to see now where that strong visual style in The Substance comes from.
The evolution of the main character is one of those things that slowly sinks in without making a fuss. She starts off as a walking cliché and ends up becoming something wild and empowering. The feminist angle is there, but it doesn’t feel forced; it just flows naturally as you watch every blow and every wound shape someone who refuses to stay a victim.
The pace gets a bit over the top at times, and a few moments stretch credibility, but Fargeat’s raw energy makes you not care. What matters is the rage pulsing through every scene and how it pulls you in. Revenge is dirty, violent, cathartic, and, most of all, seriously entertaining.