Love and Revenge...With a Meat Cleaver (1992)

Egyptian director Mohammad Shebl had a short but unique career, before his untimely passing. His first film was Anyab, a bizarre remake of The Rocky Horror Picture Show, that replaced the transvestitism and sex with unsubtle satire on the economy. His next film, The Talisman, was a more conventional horror film, but still with satirical elements. Third was Al-Kabus, a straight horror, and one in the vein of A Nightmare on Elm Street (but very much doing its own thing with the idea). And finally we come to the last entry in his filmography-Love and Revenge...with a Meat Cleaver...

Fatig is an unscrupulous man always on the prowl for money and women. Fatiyeh is a cheery and somewhat homely local woman, working honestly to support her and her father. In ill health, he passes away, but not before telling his daughter about a treasure he has hidden away in the house. Fatih hears about this and instantly sets to work, clumsily wooing Fatiyeh, and marrying her. Once he's found the treasure, he intends to dispose of his wife...

The amazingly titled Love and Revenge...with a Meat Cleaver is a fitting coda to Mohammed Shebl's filmography. my first reaction as it went on was one of confusion, and then annoyance. I didn't really know what I was in for. But as the film progressed I got more into it, and understood.

What I expected from Love and Revenge (based on slightly misleading summaries), was that a man murders his wife, and is haunted by her ghost. I knew this was a comedy, but I figured it'd be a pretty black one. But it's actually very light in tone. I wouldn't call this a horror at all. It's purely a comedy. Definitely with a foot in the other genre's door, but never genuinely scary. I was wondering how a film with a protagonist this cute and a tone this cheery would have her murdered! Well it turns out that summary was only half right. She does 'haunt' him, she's just alive when doing so.

When Fatih finally finds the treasure and gets himself a new woman on the side, he attempts to strangle his wife, and promptly buries her. But unfortunately for him he is a moron and a weakling, and Fatiyeh is very much alive, and decidedly pissed off. Her first destination is a friend's house, who comforts her. Then her playful son and special effects enthusiast husband give Fatiyeh some inspiration. Now things are bound to get fun!

The climax is pretty good, with some amusing scares from Fatiyeh, to drive Fatih out of his mind. It's ultimately a little unsatisfying though. I understand she's not actually going to chop his head off, or anything serious like that, but it'd be nice seeing at least a little punishment beyond going "Rahhh!" with a scary mask. The ending is pretty abrupt, and while everything is wrapped up, I would've liked a nice epilogue with our heroine.

Love and Revenge is a fairly long movie, at almost two hours. It's not boring, but really coulda been trimmed down to size! It's especially annoying given how long it takes before Fatih 'kills' his wife. It's well past the hour mark! I am glad the movie takes its time setting up the characters and scenario, but it could have really benefited from a tightened up pace.

The comedy in Love and Revenge is pretty mixed. Sometimes it gets a chuckle, while other bits are a bit lame or corny. As I said, there aren't really any scary scenes, save for the fake haunting in the last act. The movie does balance tones well though. Part of what made me dislike it on my first viewing is that everything was so cheery and the lead was such a cutiepie, that I couldn't imagine it becoming dark and violent. The movie would have felt at odds with itself. It was definitely a relief once I knew the adorable lead wasn't going to be butchered with a meat cleaver.

Fatiyeh is a good lead. She's never a doormat, but a bit naive and trusting. This makes it all the more satisfying when she realises what's going on, and takes justice in her own hands. Fatih meanwhile is a pathetic little dope. A weed of a man, it's stunning to think his attempts as seducing Fatiyeh actually worked! One can only hope he was so so focused searching for treasure that they never actually slept together.

The film is full of pop-culture references, from a strange 007 themed fantasy sequence, a fantastically designed and choreographed Bollywood number, a Rocky inspired training sequence (you've gotta get good cardio in when you're plotting your revenge!), and more. Not all of these references hit the mark, but the ones that do are real winners. And as cringy as they can sometimes get, it's only slightly.

The music here is pretty good. It seems Shebl and the composer slipped back into old habits in a couple of scenes, playing sincerely spooky music, despite the movie's irreverent and goofy tone. Some of the goofier tracks are decent, while others annoyed me.

The film has its fair share of licensed music, used for parody purposes most of the time. What I found most neat of all is how the movie uses the James Bond theme in very much a spooky context, and it actually kinda works!

The direction in Love and Revenge is quite good! Many shots are framed well, we get some good angles in the occasional atmospheric scene. The choreography is neat as well, if a little goofy at times. The film also has some stylistic quirks, with use of title cards.

Whether or not Love and Revenge...with a Meat Cleaver lives up to its fantastic title is up for debate. But as far as movies go, it's watchable, and is a pretty fun foreign picture.

Mohammad Shebl may not have been the best director out there, not even the best in his own country, but he had a unique style and imagination, not only for an Egyptian but for any director! And the man appreciated horror, so what's not to respect about that? His movies aren't for everyone, but they are all neat curios in one way or another, and his career certainly ended on a high...