Vengeance Is Mine

I discovered this movie while clicking around on IMDb. I watched the trailer and was instantly drawn in, watched it on Apple TV, best few $Dollars I have spent in a long, long time. I will keep this review brief, as I believe the less you know going into this movie the more impact it will have. This is a movie about loss, revenge, and the lengths one will go to when pushed past their breaking point. Violent, slow burning, and dripping with tension. This is a movie that will stick with you past the end credits. Shot and edited beautifully, the movie stars an excellent Con o'Neill, an actor I had not previously had the pleasure of watching. He is brilliant in this movie. I expect and hope we will be seeing more of him, as well as more from director Hadi Hajaig, who paces it with a quiet intensity. Bravo, quiet film, loud impact.

The person with the better weapon and the element of surprise, gets to tell the truth. Because they have the power, and the truth hurts like a broken bone. In the underworld of London, only the possibility of revenge and the telling of such truths stir an impoverished loner named Harry. It likewise motivates his intended target. In a brutal spree, Harry struggles to gain the upper hand over his adversary. In this insightful, vicious and unconventional tale, there are surprising twists and turns. Harry learns some uncommon and profound good sense. Capable acting, an enthralling story and intriguing sights and sounds, kept me at the edge of my seat.

Vengeance is Mine makes it look so simple and effortless. Maybe it's because it is in fact simple and effortless. Con O'Neill the lead looks like a blend of a lawyer and an accountant and he is an inept protagonist that the film explores in all its consequences that other movies skip with an archetype that's usually hugely muscled and wielding machine guns on both arms. It's subversive and the ending pays off with a gorgeous finale. While some would get tired of the spare and simple plot, it allows the stakes to rise in a true way and the only thing that is missing is a little more juice on all the cast of characters as the film chooses to not speak unless it really has to which I actually liked. However, the authentic leads acting wins you over where the writing is deliberately minimal. Vengeance is Mine reminds me why I have always loved looking for more obscure and smart indie cinema.

I was very pleasantly surprised by this film, it took what could have been an obvious story-line, shook it up and re-vitalised the traditional mode to bring something very new to the genre. For me there were glimpses of Neil Jordan's 'Angel' in the sense of the character unfolding and being carried along by the lyrical surreal ride that is this film. Gritty, strong and sometimes dark performances draw you into the film as the story unfolds. You can feel the suspense and fear portrayed wonderfully, especially from the main character. I loved the way this film backed away from tradition, and also kept me guessing. A veritable British feast of a film.