VENGEANCE IS MINE – Review

I wonder what percentage of action movies rely on our innate human desire to avenge a wrong? That premise serves many genres – Westerns, martial arts, period and contemporary crime, etc. They range from low-key Everyman protagonists to hardcore splatterfests. This quiet little offering is a fine example of the former.

VENGEANCE IS MINE opens with an armed robbery and escape by four masked thugs in an SUV. Cut to Harry (Con O’Neill), a severely depressed man living on a cot in a church basement, in exchange for menial services. He considers suicide. We gradually learn that his state is the result of helplessly witnessing his wife and daughter being killed by those thugs’ vehicle during their escape. Harry has spent years waiting for a hired detective to discover who they were, since he’d only briefly glimpsed their faces and they were never caught. The real story kicks in when he finally gets a lead from his investigator.

Harry was obviously never a man of action. He’d surely never even seen a Charles Bronson movie, since he commits so many rookie mistakes that result in various unpleasant consequences. O’Neill makes it work with a splendid performance, showing us Harry’s overwhelming grief and his inner conflicts when the opportunity for payback finally arises. Despite his years of searching and suffering, that opening doesn’t turn him into a Billy Jack (you were expecting me to cite Rambo, weren’t you?). His pain continues even in moments of gratification. That makes him more relatable than many such leads who already have, or train hard to acquire, the kill skills for their missions. Writer/director Hadi Hajaig tells the tale efficiently in only 79 minutes, which is still enough time for showing all the character traits, moods and story arc needed for a satisfying package. The gritty London locations support the realistic, human-scale action while presumably minimizing the budget.

Finally, here’s a nod to stunt coordinator Peter Pedrero. In 30 years, he’s amassed 335 stunt credits while only getting a score of roles to call his own. He looks and acts the part of a low-level thug like one who’s done a lot more on camera than take some other guy’s punches and falls.

That path reminds me of Red West, who spent much of his career in stunts, often playing unnamed henchmen, before landing some featured roles later in his career, including a lead in another fine indie film, GOODBYE SOLO. It’s nice to see hard work in the trenches rewarded.

VENGEANCE IS MINE opens Oct. 8 in select theaters and on demand.

RATING: 2.5 out of 4 stars