Like Blue Ruin, the short synopsis for Austrian movie Revanche makes it sound like a run-of-the-mill genre picture - a Viennesse ex-con teams up with a Ukranian prostitute to carry out a bank robbery. Like Blue Ruin, Revanche transcends this simplistic reading and delivers something far more original than you might expect. Writer-director Götz Spielmann uses the familiar-sounding premise as a vehicle for exploring a number of themes - from guilt and redemption through to revenge - but presents them without indulging in excessive melodrama, often lulling the audience into a false sense of security with moments of calm which only seem to accentuate the moments of suspense. While the title literally translates as "revenge" this is as much a character study as it is a thriller, and one which leaves a lasting impression on the viewer. Revanche was in competition for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film but lost out to the more sentimental, Oscar-friendly Departures. What other excellent films on Netflix would you recommend which people probably haven't seen? Why not let us know about them in the comments?
