362. Vengeance; movie review

VENGEANCE
Cert 15
93 mins
BBFC advice: Contains strong violence, drugs misuse, language, nudity

I have praised recent British indie movies such as Winter Ridge because they have shown what is possible on a low budget.
Unfortunately, Ross Boyask's Vengeance demonstrates what happens at the other end of the spectrum.
Boyask makes a typical error in trying to eke out too many scenes and thrown in too many ideas. This results in a movie which is disjointed and has glaring plot holes.
If only he had concentrated on fewer quality scenes and dialogue with fewer cliches.
Vengeance sets its violent stall out in the opening scenes when an off-duty army officer is chased, beaten and killed after confronting those who murdered his parents.
Stu Bennett plays a growling army veteran who sets about tracking down those responsible for the triple murder and, thereafter, seeks to take out retribution.
Keith Allen is one of the victims who had gathered dirt on a rogue special forces unit which are running the town's drug deals.
The film starts promisingly but goes rapidly downhill when Bennett's character goes into the local pub and loudly demands information on the killings.
What does he expect? The frightened locals to point to the trio in the corner and say: "It was them!"
The stilted reaction to his appearance sets the tone for the rest of the film in which Bennett throws his weight around while seeming to be indestructible.
Meanwhile, he is both helped and hindered by a drug addict (Anna Shaffer) who adds lines of comedy at the most inappropriate moments. Genuinely, I could not work out if this was deliberate (my pun was!).
It all builds, with help of unsubtle music, to a denouement which is utterly predictable with martial arts-style fights, slashing of knives and good old-fashioned guns to the head.
I don't enjoy knocking independent film-makers because their hearts are firmly in the right place but I would suggest that they might look down different avenues to revenge thrillers and zombie movies.
They have both been overdone and, consequently, cliches abound.

Reasons to watch: Gritty British thriller
Reasons to avoid: Stilted dialogue and clumsy storyline

Laughs: None
Jumps: None
Vomit: None
Nudity: Yes - in a photograph
Overall rating: 2.5/10

Director quote - Ross Boyask "I learned to speak and read from superhero comics and that is still my passion today."

The big question - Doesn't anyone connected with a film like this point out the mistakes?

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