Set during the Mexican-American war of the mid 1800s, Guy Pearce plays Captain Boyd, who disgraced himself somewhat by surviving a massacre pretending to be dead. He is carted off to a remote, icy Sierra Nevada posting to join some of the more eccentric and in some cases drug-addled misfit army officers, led by Hart (Jeffrey Jones). Others include space cadet cook Cleaves (David Arquette), resident preacher Toffler (Jeremy Davies), and gung-ho, humourless (and frequently bare-chested for some reason) soldier Reich (Neal McDonough). But the fun really begins when a dishevelled Scotsman named Colquohon arrives at the fort, to tell them his story of his snowbound party, of which he is the only survivor after a wagon train disaster left them without much hope. How did he survive? Reluctant cannibalism…or was it not so reluctant at all? John Spencer plays a General who sends Boyd to his new post.
Released in 1999, this extraordinarily dark black comedy/horror from director Antonia Bird (“Priest”, “Mad Love”) and writer Ted Griffin (“Matchstick Men”, “Tower Heist”) seemed to miss a lot of peoples’ funny bone on initial release. Most of the reviews were pretty mediocre and still seem to be pretty underwhelming online. That’s a shame because my seriously black heart found it to be not only sadistically amusing, but it works as one of the better films made about cannibalism, as well.
It’s extremely underrated (it’s a shame Bird hasn’t distinguished herself much outside of this effort), and played mostly in deadpan fashion by a terrific cast of character actors. Robert Carlyle definitely steals the show, however, chewing more than just human flesh here. You know you’re in for something sinister and offbeat when Jeffrey Jones plays the commanding officer on hand and Jeremy Freakin’ Davies is the resident preacher. Alarm bells much? Jones is terrific, whilst the wildly hit-and-miss Davies hits this time (Weird that Carlyle looks so much like Charles Manson in this, and Davies would later go on to portray the notorious cult leader of murderous intentions in a TV movie). Guy Pearce is really good as the war veteran of dubious distinction and constitution on the battlefield, whilst David Arquette is pitch-perfectly cast as a drug-addicted man-child. Or perhaps he just randomly showed up on set. Fun casting, one and all, with the late John Spencer looking more ghoulish than anyone else in the film despite playing one of the straightest parts in the film. He’s a much missed character actor, one of the best.
The tone is pitched just a touch towards the absurd so that you can’t help but smile, even in a grisly story about cannibalism. Nice use of rocky, dirty locations, too, and although a LONG way from Britpop, the music score by Blur front man Damon Albarn (Woo-hoo!- Sorry, had to do it) and Michael Nyman (“Drowning By Numbers”, “The Piano”) is perfect for this eccentric story, mixing all kinds of instruments from banjo to an orchestral arrangement. I love the film’s nods to history with the Mexican-American war, Benjamin Franklin, etc. It’ll definitely irritate ignorant, humourless-types no end, but it tickled my sadistic funny bone.
I was surprised at how much more I enjoyed it this time, this being my second helping as it were. As an unabashed meat-eater of some almost 34 years, I was also surprised at how I was able to stomach its obviously ghoulish and disgusting depiction on flesh by the vegetarian director. But then I’m clearly a sick freak.
OVERALL SUMMARY
Not for everyone (people seemed to expect either a serious film about cannibalism, a comedy, or a horror film. It’s none and all three at once!), but if you saw this on original release and don’t remember a whole lot about it as was the case for me, give it another look.
