Revenge - 1990

New World Pictures, Rastar Films

Directed by Tony Scott

Cast:

• Michael “Jay” Cochran – Kevin Costner
• Tiberon “Tibey” Mendez – Anthony Quinn
• Miryea Mendez – Madeline Stowe
• Caesar - Tomas Milian
• ”Texan” - James Gammon
• Rock Star – Sally Kirkland
• Amador – Miguel Ferrer
• Ignacio – John Leguizamo

Story: “Jay” Cochran has come to the end of the line with the Navy. The F-14 pilot has turned in his papers and is ready to take a vacation to his cabin in Mexico to try to discover what he wants to do with the rest of his life. His friend and tennis partner, Tiberon (spanish for Shark) Mendez has invited him to his estate, to play tennis and go hunting. “Tibey” is a powerful man in his district and is heavily involved in the local politics. At home, he has a beautiful young wife named Miryea. She wants children, he does not. They have an arranged marriage and she is a trophy wife for Tiberon, but she is his wife. Cochran soon realizes two things: She is very bored in her marriage, and he is falling in love with her. Despite the danger of being with another man's wife in a Latino culture, Cochran and Miryea begin an affair that can only have one ending. When they are caught together at his cabin, Tiberon has Cochran beaten, his cabin burned, and his wife given to a brothel. Left for dead, Cochran is determined to find Miryea, at any cost.

Review: So much for Shakespeare being the only true writer of tragedy, or was that the Greeks? No matter, this film is a true tragedy with the roles being portrayed with an air of believability rarely witnessed in today's films. Set in the Latino culture where men of wealth are expected to have female “friends” but their women are to remain faithful, the real drama her lies in the danger of violating this taboo. Kevin Costner's portrayal of the Navy pilot and Vietnam veteran who has spent the last twelve years of his life piloting fighter jets is remarkable. He is the man without a vision of his future, a man seeking meaning in the world and hoping to find the reality of his life. But with no purpose in his life, he quickly becomes enamored of the beautiful Madeline Stowe, the bored and unhappy wife of his “best friend”, played by Anthony Quinn. Quinn is the wealthy and dangerous maker of politicians, and an associate of many people in power, but he is also both hated and feared by the common people. Around these three principles are Miguel Ferrer, John Leguizamo, and Sally Kirkland, an impressive trio of character actors who lend a hand to Costner in his search for Stowe. This is not a film with a happy ending, and the question you must ask yourself at the end is who is responsible? Rated R for violence, nudity, language, and sexual situations, this is definitely not for the teens or the children, and while I have a copy, I will leave it to you to decide to include it in your collection.

A Walk In The Clouds - 1995

Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation, Zucker Brothers Productions

Directed by Alfonso Arau

Cast:

• Paul Sutton – Keanu Reeves
• Victoria Aragon – Aitana Sanchez-Gijon
• Don Pedro Aragon – Anthony Quinn
• Alberto Aragon – Giancarlo Giannini
• Marie Jose Aragon – Angelica Aragon
• Guadelupe Aragon – Evangelina Elizondo
• Pedro Aragon, Jr. - Freddy Rodriguez
• Betty Sutton – Debra Messing

Story: World War II is over, and men are returning to their wives and lovers from overseas. Paul Sutton returns to find his bride less than enthusiastic about his return, or even about him. She has not read the letters he has sent, and barely ever wrote to him. Disenchanted, he takes his old job as a door-to-door chocolates salesman back and heads out by train to Sacramento to take up his new district. On the way, he meets a young lady who is heading to her home. She is obviously distraught and through a series of events he discovers she is a soon to be a mother, but she is a catholic returning to her home without a husband. Her family has a vineyard in the Napa valley, and her father is a very traditional man who has said many times he would disown anyone who dishonored his family, including her. Paul proposes a solution, that he pose as her husband for a day, then leave a note abandoning her to protect her honor for her family. But one day turns into several, and Paul finds himself falling in love with Victoria. Paul must choose a new life for himself, and must fight for the woman he loves.

Review: Romance without the comedy....well, almost. There are a few scenes in this love story which will bring out a few chuckles, but all in all this is a film about family, love, and joy. Keanu Reeves portrays the orphan Paul Sutton, a man who has fought to be acknowledged all his life and has returned a decorated war hero and a young man in search of himself. He has had a lot of time to think about who he is and what he wants to be. He and Debra Messing portray an often ignored segment of the American post war population, the ones who got married on the spur of the moment and were separated for four years during the war. They grew apart, and hardly know one another. So when Paul meets Victoria, he is pursuing a path unknown, a path beyond the dreams he made in his mind while separated from Betty. Aitana Sanchez-Gijon portrays the woman “in trouble”, which at that time being pregnant out of wedlock was nearly cause for public stoning, and especially in a strict Roman Catholic family. Her performance, along with the stellar performances of Anthony Quinn as Victoria's grandfather and Giancarlo Giannini as Victoria's father, make this romance a stunning piece of true romance. Every scene, every nuance of the film presses you deeper and deeper into the feelings of the characters, and the scenery and photography are incredibly breathtaking. Rated PG-13 for sexual themes and war scenes, this is a film for Date Night with your significant other. Collectible, absolutely, if for no other reason than to have evidence of Keanu's occasional good sense in accepting a role.