Outrage (1993)

Expected more

A Masterpiece!

It's easily one of the freshest, sharpest and most enjoyable films of this year.

By the time the dramatic fireworks start popping off, each one feels earned.

This DVD, called "Outrage!", is the Spanish film "Dispara!", which means "Shoot!". I have the original Spanish language VHS, and no English language dubbing can do justice to the original Spanish version. Why even change the name? "Shoot!" has so much subtext. She's a sharpshooter to begin with. She goes after the men who raped her with her rifle... It makes sense to call it "Shoot!". Antonio Banderas - pre-movie star - is so good, here, as an earnest reporter. He is stuck in the predicament of falling in love with a circus performer who will move on. The real star is Francesca Neri, the Italian actress who seems to do her own riding and shooting. Everything about this movie looks authentic, including the brutal rape and murder scenes. If you are looking for a happy Hollywood ending, go elsewhere. These characters are doomed from the first "shot". -Sheshetta

Outrage is a good film with an excellent (as always) performance by Francesca Neri who is the main character in this movie. Warning: there is a rape scene that can be a bit hard to watch and graphic for some audiences. Overall it is a very interesting film which shows how the recklessness of 3 young men can affect the lives of others. It is a love story with a very young looking Antonio Banderas as a newspaper reporter who interviews and falls in love with a circus performer who after a brutal rape by a group of 3 young men, takes it upon herself to avenge the deed. It had an unexpected ending (at least for me )but I really enjoyed watching this film.

The story follows Ana (played wonderfully by the beautiful Francesca Neri) as a sharp shooter performing in the circus. She falls in love with a journalist named Marcos (Antonio Banderas). After a brutal rape and several murders later, she finds herself on the run with Marcos chasing after her.The DVD story would have you believe that this is a typical Rape/ Revenge flick where the rape occurs early on and the rest of the film is the woman seeking vengeance. But the rape doesn't occur until 40 minutes in giving the viewers plenty of time to get to know Ana and like her character. She looks like Rachel Weisz and is quite impulsive and quirky. Her character is very likable and you will find her emotionally honest even when she is lying. This will make watching her downfall a little difficult to bear.You watch Ana fall in love with Marcos, make love with him, and then you see the excitement in her eyes when she runs to her door one fateful night expecting Marcos on the other side. The gang rape is brutal, but most of the violence (outside of the rape) is implied. The revenge part takes place very soon after. The rest of the film is Ana and Marcos trying to reach each other one last time, making several mistakes along the way, and a very climactic reunion at the end.Where the story veers into stupidity, is when Marcos sees the news story of the rapists murders, assumes Ana is the killer without even speaking to her, and then proceeds to rat on her instantly. That amore'. Soon after, Ana visits a doctor for her excessive bleeding (ahem, vaginal, due to the "bottle assault"), the doctor immediately calls the police on her the moment Ana leaves the room. Rape Advocacy, yeah! And get this…the doctor then goes on the radio giving the victims name and detailing her vaginal wounds! Ethics? We don't need no stinking Ethics!Ultimately, this film is incredibly depressing and bleak. The ending will not make you feel any better about what transpired before hand. The victim gets no justice and she is punished for being victimized. A cop even refers to her as "the bitch."Favorite Quote: "I said I'd follow you to Hell, well, here I am," spoken by Marcos to Ana after he finally catches up to her at the end.DVD Extras: Scene Selection and brief Film Facts. There is an Italian and English dubbed version. The dubbed version is terrible and takes away from the atmosphere. Plus, I know what Antonio Banderas sounds like and I can assure you that was not it.Bottom Line: Very dreary film with not much to recommend here except Francesca Neri's great performance.Rating: 6/10Molly Celaschi www.HorrorYearbook.com MySpace.com/HorrorYearbook1980

It's hard to catch the nuances (that I hope are there) in a subtitled film. Francesca Neri is the star of this film, even though Antonio Banderas is featured on the U. S. release. It has an exotic (to me) location, a circus in Madrid. Neri's character suffers a brutal rape (Not an easy scene to watch) and the rest of the film deals with her method of dealing with the wrong done her, and its unintended consequences.