I don't think anyone can deny that 'Avengement (2019)' was made purely as a vehicle for its violent action scenes. It's lucky, then, that the action is as spectacular as you'd hope. It's brutal, ferocious and visible, shot surprisingly well considering the clearly low-budget nature of the overall affair. The narrative that surrounds it isn't devoid of merit, either. The picture plays out almost exclusively in flashback, with the present essentially being a framing device. The flick has a strong sense of escalating tension, which inevitably explodes in a protracted and fulfilling finale. The central character is also more interesting than his raged-out, always-shouting introduction would have you believe. His transformation from man who made a mistake to near-psychopathic killer is convincing and tragic. Of course, the movie does play almost exclusively in London gangster tropes. It works about as well as can be expected but there's no real subversion or, even, self-awareness. The thing also shoehorns in some 'good intentions' at the last minute to prevent the piece from being entirely, selfishly revenge-based. It's a nice idea but isn't given enough time to breathe. In the end, though, the affair is undeniably entertaining. It starts out a little rough but it soon finds its groove. It isn't great, but it's much better than it should have been. I really enjoyed it. 7/10
Review of Avengement
