Revenge - A dangerous affair

Movie
German title	Revenge - A dangerous affair
Original title	Revenge
Country of production	United States
original language	English
Publishing year	1990
length	124 minutes
Age rating	FSK 16
Rod
Director	Tony Scott
script	Jeffrey Alan Fiskin ; Jim Harrison
production	Kevin Costner ; Hunt Lowry ; Stanley Rubin
music	Jack Nitzsche
camera	Jeffrey L. Kimball
cut	Chris Lebenzon ; Michael Tronick
occupation
	Kevin Costner : Michael Jay Cochran; Anthony Quinn : Tiburon Mendez; Madeleine Stowe : Mireya Mendez; Miguel Ferrer : Amador; Tomás Milián : Cesar; James Gammon : Texan; Jesse Corti : Medero; Joaquín Martínez : Mauro; John Leguizamo : Ignacio; Sally Kirkland : rock star;

Revenge - A Dangerous Affair ( Revenge ) is a thriller with Kevin Costner , Anthony Quinn and Madeleine Stowe .

action

The US Navy aviator Michael "Jay" Cochran ( Kevin Costner ) is about to end his service life. After leaving, he plans to take an extended break in Mexico, where he owns a country hut. After his last F-14 flight, his comrades organized a surprise party for him, during which he was given various farewell gifts - including two valuable Beretta hunting rifles, which he received along with an invitation from his Mexican friend Tiburon "Tibey" Mendez ( Anthony Quinn ) were sent. His co-pilot and roommate Madero ( Jesse Corti ) later said goodbye to Cochran, with some sadness, when he and his dog set off for Mexico in his Toyota Land Cruiser .

Arriving in the outskirts of Puerto Vallarta , Cochran has to ask for directions and by chance meets Mendez's considerably younger wife, Mireya ( Madeleine Stowe ) for the first time .

When Cochran arrives at Mendez's luxurious hacienda, it becomes clear that the much older Mendez is an important underworld "godfather". Armed bodyguards and other protective measures dominate the picture, which Cochran does not concern himself with. When César ( Tomás Milián ), Mendez's right-hand man, unmistakably addresses Cochran's alleged “lack of punctuality”, he also makes it clear that he appears as Mendez's personal guest without any obligations (note: depending on the cut, this scene was played by a short dispute over Cochran's intention to rent his own accommodation on the beach) .

When Cochran finally visits Mendez on his tennis court, both Mendez's great joy about the visit and the mutual respect for one another become evident. After the match, Cochran Mendez gives a souvenir - a G1 flight jacket with various patches . The enthusiastic Mendez immediately - in vain - calls for his wife and ironically makes it clear, with obvious reference to the age difference, that it would have been more sensible to marry Mireya's mother in her place.

The next morning, Cochran and Mendez meet for a hunting party, which Mendez has to cancel immediately due to urgent business. He asks Cochran to come back for dinner. Even an obviously bored Mireya wishes this and Cochran agrees. The dinner turns tense, however, when Cochran does not react positively to the bragging of Mendez's business partner Ibarra ( Joe Santos ), who is also invited . Soon Mendez orders Ibarra and his stupid companion to a private meeting, while Cochran and Mireya talk alone for the rest of the evening. Mireya answers Cochran's question about her and Mendez's story in a playful way, using the cliché of a typically Mexican, arranged marriage of convenience, but immediately makes it clear that she actually married out of love.

Mendez 'simultaneous meeting with Ibarra reveals that he tried to betray Mendez. Mendez shows himself to be a brutal mafia boss, has Ibarra's companion shot on the spot as a warning and once again obliges the shocked Ibarra to be unconditionally loyalty. All of this happens without Cochran or Mireya being aware of it.

The next morning, Mireya visits Cochran in his beach house and apologizes for the unsuccessful evening. In Cochran's inept attempt to make lemonade for the two of them, the attraction between the two becomes apparent. Cochran distracts himself from his dog, resolves the situation in favor of a walk on the beach together and tells Mireya about himself - but when the situation again threatens to become too precarious, Mireya leaves.

They meet again on an evening when a big celebration takes place at the Hacienda on the occasion of the election victory of the candidate supported by Mendez. César, who has the nervous-looking Cochran under observation, provocatively asks him if he is looking for someone in particular. Cochran clarifies that their apparent dislike is mutual and that it is none of his business whether he is looking for someone. César accepts this in silence, but his distrust cannot be overlooked (note: depending on the cut, the confrontation is less clearly shown) . Shortly afterwards, Cochran retreats to an adjoining room in search of distance, where Mireya finds him.

Cochran locks the door wordlessly and he and Mireya have sex on the spot. The suddenly locked door does not remain hidden from César.

The next day, Cochran Mendez noticed that he was extremely irritated when another business partner of Mendez's tennis was obviously being pushed. He calms Cochran down, but shortly afterwards surprises him by asking if he thinks Mireya is beautiful. Cochran reacts embarrassed and is caught when asked, which Mendez only asked against the background of his own marital quarrels. He makes it clear that a man would probably do anything to keep a woman like Mireya to himself.

Cochran is now aware of the scope of his situation. He calls his friend Madero at home and confesses the affair to him. Madero implores Cochran to come back home immediately, otherwise his life could be in danger, but Cochran hangs up without a word. Instead, he plans a longer meeting with Mireya in his country hut. To this end, Mireya asks her sister on the phone to give her an alleged visit to Miami as an alibi. But Mendez, obviously infected by César's suspicion, has listened to the call. He visits Cochran and notices his already packed travel bag. In an almost touching attempt to dissuade Cochran from his plans, he urgently asks him to accompany him on a business trip, but Cochran refuses with an unconvincing gesture. Mendez leaves him with undisguised regret and personally brings Mireya to the airport, where Cochran picks her up after a while. Together they drive to his country hut and indulge in your romance there.

But Mendez has meanwhile sent his thugs and joins them personally as they storm the hut. Cochran, with no chance of resistance, is badly beaten up and thrown out of the car in the steppe; his dog is killed and the hut burned down in front of Mendez's eyes. Mireya is confronted by Mendez and severely disfigured with a knife in the face. She is hidden in a brothel, where she pounds drugged and is raped several times by one of Mendez's thugs.

Meanwhile, Cochran is discovered more dead than alive by the farmer Mauro ( Joaquín Martínez ) and treated in his house by an old woman ( Trini Rodriguez ). With their help, his condition slowly improves and he asks Mauro to take him back to the hut. There he takes a hidden "wad of money for emergencies". Soon Mauro warns the almost fully restored Cochran that his presence is no longer a secret and that he'd better get out of here. When he parted, he gave him a knife that he made himself.

In town, shortly after Mauro's departure, Cochran meets a Texan horse dealer ( James Gammon ) and accompanies him for a drink. When Cochran accidentally runs into one of Mendez's thugs in the bar and unceremoniously kills him in the toilet with Mauro's knife, the Texan, who is obviously seriously ill, doesn't ask any questions and takes him in the car. Together they first deliver a horse, and Cochran is recognized by the dishonest tennis player from Mendez 'Hacienda. On the way back, the rapidly weakening Texan dies in the car. Cochran buries him in the steppe, takes the car, cash and a revolver and hides in a motel. There he is found very quickly by a man named Amador ( Miguel Ferrer ) who identifies himself as Mauro's brother-in-law. He informs Cochran that Mireya is still alive and for personal reasons offers him to take revenge on Mendez and free Mireya. Together with Amador's new cousin Ignacio ( John Leguizamo ), they kidnap and torture another of Mendez's thugs and find the brothel, but Mireya is no longer there: Mendez had already brought her to a monastery and had her treated there. At the same time Mendez has the thug who abused Mireya and threatened with death executed. It becomes clear that Mendez has by no means lost his feelings for Mireya, regardless of your behavior and his own.

Since Cochran, Amador and Ignacio did not get any further research, they only had a direct confrontation with Mendez. Since Cochran knows his favorite riding trail, they lie in wait for him and his bodyguard early in the morning. Cochran confronts the only moderately surprised Mendez after Amador and Ignacio have shot the bodyguard without further ado. While holding guns at each other, Cochran demands to find out Mireya's whereabouts. Mendez, however, asks Cochran to ask his forgiveness in all form “as a man and as a former friend” for having stolen his wife. Cochran apparently honestly complies with this request. The broken-looking Mendez then reveals Mireya's whereabouts.

Arriving at the monastery, Cochran finds Mireya, injured, severely poisoned with drugs and terminally ill. Despite a doctor's best efforts, it becomes clear that she will not survive. Cochran carries her out of the sickroom outside; they assure each other of their mutual love and Mireya dies in Cochran's arms.

Reviews

Roger Ebert wrote in the Chicago Sun-Times on February 16, 1990 that the film was stylistically modern. The plot is well known and contains stereotypical ideas about gender roles. Ebert criticized the characters.

Hal Hinson wrote in the Washington Post on February 16, 1990 that the film was being directed by Costner as a megastar. The direction of Tony Scott makes the world shown unrealistic.