Avenged (2013 U.S. film)

Last updated
Avenged (Savaged)
SavagedMichaelOjedaposter.jpg
Directed byMichael S. Ojeda
Produced byJason Gurvitz
Lezlie Wheeler
Written byMichael S. Ojeda
Deon van Rooyen (additional dialogue)
StarringAmanda Adrienne
Tom Ardavany
Ronnie Gene Blevins
Music by César Benito
CinematographyMichael S. Ojeda
Edited byMichael S. Ojeda
Production
company
Cart Before The Horse Productions, Green Dog Films
Distributed byRaven Banner Entertainment
Release date
  • October 15, 2013 (2013-10-15)
Running time
95 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish

Avenged (also known as Savaged) is a 2013 Redsploitation [1] film directed by Michael S. Ojeda. The film premiered on October 15, 2013 and stars Amanda Adrienne as a young woman who seeks revenge on her rapists. [2]

Contents

Synopsis

When Zoe (Amanda Adrienne) tells her mother that she wants to move in with her long-distance boyfriend, her mother is reluctant to let her drive by herself since her daughter is deaf and would be unable to call for assistance. Despite her reservations, Zoe's mother allows her to go alone. This proves to have disastrous consequences when, in the course of bravely helping an injured reservation Indian, Zoe is abducted and brutally raped by several members of a degenerate local redneck family, descendants of the people who wiped out the Apache tribe inhabiting these lands over two hundred years ago. The preserved skull of the Apache chief (Rick Mora) is kept by them as a spoil of war.

The Apache are a group of culturally related Native American tribes in the Southwestern United States, which include the Chiricahua, Jicarilla, Lipan, Mescalero, Salinero, Plains and Western Apache. Distant cousins of the Apache are the Navajo, with which they share the Southern Athabaskan languages. There are Apache communities in Oklahoma, Texas, and reservations in Arizona and New Mexico. Apache people have moved throughout the United States and elsewhere, including urban centers. The Apache Nations are politically autonomous, speak several different languages and have distinct cultures.

Once they have finished abusing her, the rednecks kill and bury Zoe, only for an elderly Native American man, graveyard keeper West (Tom Ardavany), to attempt to bring her back through a ritual. However, the resurrection ceremony also brings back the spirit of the Apache Warchief Mangas Coloradas, who was killed by an ancestor of one of the rednecks that raped Zoe. The chief, possessing Zoe's body, starts to hunt down her murderers. West finds Zoe and explains what has happened to her, warning the possessed woman that her flesh will continue to rapidly decay, and for both Zoe and the chief to know peace, they must be avenged quickly.

Mangas Coloradas Native American tribal chief

Mangas Coloradas or Mangus-Colorado, or Dasoda-hae was an Apache tribal chief and a member of the Mimbreño (Tchihende) division of the Central Apaches, whose homeland stretched west from the Rio Grande to include most of what is present-day southwestern New Mexico. He was the father-in-law of the Chiricahua (Tsokanende) Chief Cochise, the Mimbreño Chief Victorio and the Mescalero (Sehende) Chief Kutu-hala or Kutbhalla, and is regarded by many historians to be one of the most important Native American leaders of the 19th century due to his fighting achievements against the Mexicans and Americans.

After a number of rednecks are killed (disemboweled, shot with arrows and scalped), the remaining ones decide to abduct Zoe's boyfriend, Dane, who has followed Zoe's trail in search of her. They succeed, loading-up on weaponry and barricading themselves in an improvised fortress which they surround with myriad traps. Zoe, in return, is gifted with a long-buried tomahawk and a knife, which once belonged to the murdered Warchief. She eventually hunts down all of the rednecks except for Trey (Rodney Rowland), who is the direct descendant of the chief's own murderer. When she tells him to "walk in hell" (the last words spoken to the chief before he was decapitated), Trey realizes what has been happening, and flees to the graveyard, torturing West for information on how to put Apache ghosts to rest. Zoe, meanwhile, murders the rest of Trey's family, while Dane, learning that she is alive, heads to the sacred Apache grounds as well.

Trey desperately tries to bury the skull in order to pacify the spirit, but fails to finish before Zoe appears. After fighting her off with a chainsaw, he is defeated and beheaded, completing the Warchief's revenge, but leaving Zoe's body broken and ruined. Dane finds her upper half trying to bury itself. After the tragic pair express their love one final time, Dane, in an act of mercy, cremates Zoe's remains, liberating both souls into the Afterlife.

Cast

Rodney G. Rowland is an American actor. He is credited as Rod Rowland in more recent productions, given his predilection to being called Rod. Rowland's most noted appearances to date were as 1st Lieutenant Cooper Hawkes in 1995's Space: Above and Beyond and P. Wiley in The 6th Day, starring Arnold Schwarzenegger.

Ronnie Gene Blevins is an American actor. He is best known for his role as small-time criminal Willie Russell in the 2013 film Joe, directed by David Gordon Green. Joe premiered at the Venice Film Festival in 2013 to positive reviews. Blevins' other notable works include The Dark Knight Rises, Seven Psychopaths, Avenged and the 2017 remake of Death Wish. His TV credits include NCIS, True Detective, Kingdom and Twin Peaks.

Brionne Davis is an American actor, director and producer of theater, film and TV. Davis grew up in Paris, Texas and has developed his career in theater, TV and indie films in Austin, New York City and currently in Los Angeles.

Production

While writing the script for Savaged, director Ojeda pulled from an earlier script he'd written for a film that never came to fruition, which had been inspired by a motel in Superior, Arizona. [3] The motel had given Ojeda a room that had been the site of a death a year prior to his stay, which prompted him to check into the motel for a two-week stay, during which time he wrote the initial script. [3] Savage was created on a limited budget, as Ojeda and the film's producer Jason Gurvitz "[called] in a lot of favors [due to] the quality of work that Michael was able to deliver". [3] Amanda Adrienne's headshot was the first one that Ojeda saw. [3] Adrienne (a natural brunette) had blonde hair when she auditioned for the role. "[Ojeda] wanted a blonde because the blood would look better on the hair and [Adrienne would] look more angelic". [4] Production took place in 2012 and filming took place at an abandoned gold mine outside of Los Angeles. [5]

Superior, Arizona Town in Arizona, United States

Superior is a town in Pinal County, Arizona, United States. According to the 2010 census, the population of the town is 2,837. Superior was founded as a mining town for the Silver Queen and the later Magma mines.

Los Angeles City in California

Los Angeles, officially the City of Los Angeles and often known by its initials L.A., is the most populous city in California and the second most populous city in the United States, after New York City. With an estimated population of four million, Los Angeles is the cultural, financial, and commercial center of Southern California. The city is known for its Mediterranean climate, ethnic diversity, Hollywood and the entertainment industry, and its sprawling metropolis.

Reception

Critical reception for Savaged has been positive, and HorrorNews.net rated it at five out of five stars. [6] Fearnet's Scott Weinberg commented that "even at the peak of its gruesomeness, there's still a small sense of restraint", which he felt "helps Savaged go from a potential "rape flick" to a broad yet brutal action/horror flick that, believe it or not, comes off feeling a whole lot like a suitably entertaining gender-reversal on The Crow ". [7] Ain't It Cool News also commented on the film's similarity to The Crow, as they felt that this was indicative of the film "[following] the revenge film path a bit too closely" but ultimately viewed the film as "a revenge flick worth checking out". [8] Bloody Disgusting praised the movie's retribution scenes, which they called "Satisfying and absolutely glorious". [9]

Fearnet

Fearnet was an American digital cable television network, website and video on demand service owned by Comcast. The network specialized in horror entertainment programming through a mix of acquired and original series, and feature films.

<i>The Crow</i> (1994 film) 1994 film by Alex Proyas

The Crow is a 1994 American supernatural superhero film directed by Alex Proyas, written by David J. Schow and John Shirley. The film stars Brandon Lee in his final film appearance. The film is based on James O'Barr's 1989 comic book The Crow, and tells the story of Eric Draven (Lee), a rock musician who is revived from the dead to avenge his own death as well as the rape and murder of his fiancée.

Aint It Cool News

Ain't It Cool News (AICN) is a website founded by Harry Knowles and run by Dannie Knowles, dedicated to news, rumors and reviews of upcoming and current films, television and comic book projects, with an emphasis on science fiction, superhero, fantasy, horror and action genres.

Release

The film premiered on October 11, 2013 at the Busan Film Festival [10] and was renamed Avenged for the home release on 21 April 2015. [11]

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References

  1. ↑ "Savaged a Redsploitation (Native American revenge)". BD. Retrieved 26 January 2014.
  2. ↑ "The Rape-Revenge Formula Gets a Supernatural Twist in Savaged, Watch the Trailer". Shock Till You Drop. Retrieved 26 January 2014.
  3. 1 2 3 4 "Talking Supernatural Revenge With 'Savaged' Director Michael S. Ojeda And Producer Jason Gurvitz". BD. Retrieved 26 January 2014.
  4. ↑ "Screamfest 2013: Amanda Adrienne & Michael S. Ojeda on Savaged". Crave. Retrieved 26 January 2014.
  5. ↑ "Production begins on supernatural revenge flick Savaged". JoBlo. Retrieved 26 January 2014.
  6. ↑ "Film Review: Savaged (2013)". HN.n. Retrieved 26 January 2014.
  7. ↑ Weinberg, Scott. "Savaged (review)". Fearnet. Retrieved 26 January 2014.
  8. ↑ "AICN HORROR looks at THE SACRAMENT! SAVAGED! THE GODSEND! JUG FACE! EMBRACE OF THE VAMPIRE! THE COLONY! & LAUREN IS MISSING!". AICN. Retrieved 26 January 2014.
  9. ↑ "'Savaged' Is a Gleefully Brutal Revenge Thriller!". Bloody Disgusting. Retrieved 26 January 2014.
  10. ↑ Busan International Film Festival (BIFF) - Savaged
  11. ↑ "'Savaged' renamed Avengend". Bloody Disgusting. Retrieved 26 January 2014.
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