I'm not entirely sure why I decided to watch this. I think it was the idea of a revenge flick centering women, and a biker gang at that. If only a B-movie, 'Revenge ride' could have been a decent film. But the presentation is so inelegant and mildly stylized that from the very beginning it's more schlock than fun, and alternates between overbearing and underwhelming. More so than not, no sooner had I clicked "play" than I regretted doing it.
Every scene of the "Dark Moon" biker gang at their hideout is simply awkward for how staged and forced the revelry and proud cheering feels. The predatory behavior of the frat boy jocks is, naturally, far more repugnant. For whatever slight variations there may be in a handful of roles, mostly the characterizations are direly flat, if they're given any personality at all. I'd like to think that the cast are capable, and would prove it in a feature that allowed them to demonstrate their skills, but 'Revenge ride' isn't it. Between Timothy Durham's screenplay and perhaps more so Melanie Aitkenhead's direction, every actor present is either railroaded into chewing scenery, or seemingly coached into delivery that leads me to wonder if they hadn't just imbibed some camomile tea and were ready for a nap.
I do highly appreciate the wardrobe and costume design, makeup, and blood effects. I think the filming locations are swell. I like the core concept of the film, and I think all involved would have benefited had the narrative thrust been more tightly centered around that vengeful conflict. For that matter, it's notable that 'Revenge ride' is adapted from a short film, 'Blood ride,' likewise concocted between Durham and Aitkenhead a few years prior. That little movie doesn't seem as readily available to watch, but I'd be very curious to check it out as a point of comparison. It's also noteworthy that the feature broaches (however briefly and incompletely) all too common realities - the uselessness of police in matters of sexual assault, and college administrators, to say nothing of the way that other men may fail to repudiate predators, if not also enable or encourage them. In the face of injustice, the idea underpinning this movie is not just rational, but possibly even necessary.
It's too bad that these worthy elements are overwhelmed not just by the characterizations and unconvincing performances, but by the deeply uneven and even contradicting execution otherwise. The pivotal conflict of the story is substantially watered down by overemphasis on a "star-crossed" romantic B-plot. Even scenes focusing on the gang or the jocks, showing us more of their lives and who they truly are, are overwrought. I think the plot as written is complete and whole, but there's nonetheless excess and deficiencies in the screenplay, and 'Revenge ride' marks another instance where a more straightforward, plainspoken presentation (think 'Ms .45') would have been much more engaging and compelling. There's no real balance in the writing. Moreover, for a picture with "revenge" in the title, the fight scenes seem unsatisfyingly inauthentic, with generally sluggish choreography that greatly dampens the excitement.
And that brings us to some especially dire, glaring faults with the film as it is: despite mostly starring women, being directed by a woman, and ostensibly being about female empowerment, the feature we get nonetheless feels somewhat sexist. The very first thought I had as I began to watch was not an encouraging one - a film that focuses on women behaving with the same coarse boorishness more typically seen in men doesn't exactly do much to raise the glass ceiling. Without specifically counting, there are perhaps one to two dozen hardnosed, rough and tumble, "take no s---" women in Dark Moon, and a mere three arrogant jocks still manage to bloody them up pretty well. What happened to "girl power?"
The pointedly ruthless leader of the gang, Trigga - portrayed with every ounce of spite Pollyanna McIntosh can muster - is a pure embodiment of the "straw man" fallacy, a character defined almost entirely by the mythological misandry that the most toxic of men use as an excuse to rationalize their violent misogyny. Meanwhile, save for protagonist Maggie (Serinda Swan) and her cousin Mary (Vanessa Dubasso), the rest of the women in the gang are so bereft of individuality and reason that they follow Trigga's beck and call without question. At the same time that 'Revenge ride' would champion sisterhood, defying patriarchy, and claiming one's own justice in the face of rape, in my mind the end product also raises a massive red flag in other regards as a tent pole for "incel" and "men's rights" ignoramuses to rally around and justify their repellent worldviews.
And the ending, reasonable and appropriate as it may be, is shot and acted with such bluntness as to diminish its impact.
There are strong ideas here for what could have been a thrilling, visceral revenge flick. There are too many more ideas that negate that value, or dilute it. There are still other ideas that, in their realization, twist the whole into something else altogether, an abomination that undermines the original intent. 'Revenge ride' is only 73 minutes long, but in both written word and in light and sound, it would have been significantly enhanced with more severe consideration for editing.
The premise drew me in, and the movie itself almost immediately cast me out. It's not totally bereft of value, but what worth it possesses can also be found in far greater abundance elsewhere. Show me a cut that trims the fat, concretizes the vengeful core, and is substantially reduced in length, then we'll talk. Until then, I have a hard time recommending 'Revenge ride' to anyone at all.
Two disappointed thumbs down.
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