Vendetta (2015)

Powerful

Good , But It Is Overrated By Some

Don't listen to the negative reviews

Fun premise, good actors, bad writing. This film seemed to have potential at the beginning but it quickly devolves into a trite action film. Ultimately it's very boring.

A detective pushed beyond his limits will stop at nothing for vengeance. When his wife is killed by a criminal that he put away, Mason, a hard-nosed detective, deliberately gets arrested in order to get revenge. While inside, Mason discovers a new criminal enterprise that those behind it would kill to protect. Vendetta showcases a very different and quite awesome side of Dean Cain but also Big Show made for a compelling and great villain. Lot's of suspense, action and cool and respectable characters make for a great prison action flick for sure. (A+)

This story was written by two 13 year old boys at a sleepover after too many e-numbers. The pitch went like this: This man comes in and shoots the other man, then another man, then the other man, then they fight then they go to prison then they hit each other, then another man is there and he hits the man, then the man stabs the man then he kills the man, then they go to sleep and the next day the man fights the man and the man kills the other man then, then, then... You get the idea.But Will! WIIIIIIILLLLLLL! So, Will has been working hard for Warden Snyder, you see, and Warden Snyder has noticed his efforts. Some time before the story begins, Warden Snyder has offered Will a part in his dastardly dealings, a small part at first, until Warden Snyder feels like he can trust him with the bigger picture. Will's got a family to support and welcomes the extra work, but as the extent of the Wardens wicked ways reveals itself he becomes disillusioned with his new position. Unable to find a way out without incurring the wrath of the Warden, Will reluctantly continues to play his part. Poor Will. His undeserved and untimely demise was truly, truly shocking. We should mourn this fine man, God rest his soul. And what of his family? Such a shame.BUT IT WAS THE FUNNIEST PART OF THE FILM! It was so quick and unexpected that I screamed out loud. This spectacular couple of seconds of cinematic marvel is the reason I've given this four stars instead of three.

A cop and his partner manage to infiltrate a crime boss's warehouse; he isn't taken down right away and he attempts to up the ante; only to have several laser scopes pointed at him. Case done and closed right? Wrong! They don't have enough evidence and he gets to walk. That doesn't stop him from deciding to get some revenge by taking out the main character's wife – incidentally she is pregnant. The cop suddenly gets a vigilante streak and points his gun at the criminal; but finally stands down at the words of his partner. This doesn't stop him from turning around and deciding to take matters into his own hands and kill the antagonist's brother. This sets him up on a one way trip to a state correctional facility. Incidentally it's the same location as the antagonist.The overseer of the state correctional facility is pretty straight forward in wanting to be this ex-cop's best friend. He wants to go so far as helping him pull strings around the facility. The cop keeps an open mind on it, but has other plans as he starts to kill off the antagonist's minions and the antagonist himself.The movie plays heavily on the fact that this cop is out for revenge and will go through whatever punishment and beatings are necessary to get the job done. He is beaten several times over, and it still doesn't get the message through that he should know his place. Instead he comes back for more revenge until the whole prison finally erupts into a riot due to his meddling. The movie does wrap things up nicely and that is that.Is the movie worth a watch? Absolutely. The RedBox DVD which I watched, included two special commentaries of note. The first goes into detail about the film location being haunted. The second goes into detail about the behind the scenes moments of "Vendetta". Interesting to note that the main director was female and her focus was the numerous killings in this movie; there were well over forty-seven deaths before the movie ends. Not only is this a strange change of pace for this gender role, but the movie also takes a strange turn when the antagonist's actor is actually seen as quite friendly and humorous. The behind the scenes makes this DVD all the more enjoyable.Originally posted to Orion Age (http://www.orionphysics.com/? p=9863).

I have this unexplainable soft spot for Dean Cain. I idolized him growing up because of four seasons playing the Man of Steel in Lois and Clark. Since then, his career has been a downward spiral of cheesy straight to video flicks. Still every time he is in something, I feel compelled to watch it although I try to avoid that compulsion. I saw this listed and decided...you know what...why not? Well, here lies Cain's redemption. No I'm not saying its some masterpiece of cinema. But it is inherently reminiscent of Stallone's Lock Up, or The Last Castle or Prison Break and its simply entertaining. It is visceral and violent to a fault, ridiculous as it is dark and twisted. WWE Films might have an unusual reputation but they tend to know how to entertain their core audience. Sometimes that means their script isn't exactly brilliant but it is watchable and fun and the production values are very good and even in the most implausible plot, you tend to believe it and that's what makes Vendetta works. As a writer I saw things in the script I would have done differently that would have improved on it. Dean Cain's character wasn't strong enough physically. I wanted him to be even more of an unstoppable bad ass blinded by rage. But then again it also made him more human and believable to watch him getting his revenge while still getting his licks too.I really don't think Dean Cain could pull this off. He is anything but visceral and violent and guess what? This might be the best role I have ever seen him. He is believable and wicked and messed up and he fits the cast extremely well. His fight scenes are solid and his high intensity emotions work very well. WWE Superstar Paul Wight (The Big Show as he's known) is no Dwayne Johnson but he is pretty good at this role. He is massive and larger than life and definitely makes a killer villain. I'd love to see him in a mainstream film playing something like Doomsday or a massive physical villain like that. Him and Cain have surprisingly good chemistry and their fights are well choreographed. I feel like Michael Eklund is a little underplayed as the evil Warden. He had the opportunity to really play this role well and he's just a little too laid back however its a decent role and he doesn't get in the way of the main characters or story because this is really all about Dean Cain and Paul Wight's intense rivalry. Supporting cast is good and everyone serves their purpose well.Vendetta is actually filmed extremely well. Yes certain aspects of it are a little cheesy but entertainment wins out. Anyone who loves a violent action flick with a decent little thriller of a story will be entertained by this. Again, this isn't "amazing" and I would not rush out to buy it or see it more than once but I also wouldn't groan to see it again either. You have to go in with mediocre expectations given the cast, production team and history of both of those things. The Soska Sisters who direct this film are carving a niche for themselves in the indie horror genre and are known for their bloody style but perhaps they can add action thriller to their repertoire. Enjoy this one and while it might be forgettable you'll have fun with it while it lasts. 7/10