Movie review: Revenge

 A romantic weekend away with her wealthy boyfriend changes course when two of his slimy friends arrive for a hunting trip. Things escalate, eventually ending with Jen being left for dead. But far from dead, Jen sets out to exact revenge with extreme prejudice.

Matilda Lutz (Jen), Kevin Janssens (Richard), Vincent Colombe (Stan), Guillaume Bouchede (Dimitri), Jean-Louis Tribes (Roberto).

Revenge begins well enough as Jen and Richard enjoy their weekend getaway. But when two of Richard's slimy friends arrive, the tone of the weekend changes. Things escalate and Jen is left for dead, but instead saves herself and makes a miraculous recovery. Now, she is out for revenge and nothing less will do. From there the film is a cat-and-mouse action thriller as the roles of hunter and prey begin to switch regularly with Jen finally reaching her goal.

Acting was decent with Lutz delivering a fairly solid performance. Janssens was decent and seemed to work well with Lutz. Colombe and Bouchede were both well cast as scum and both delivered well.

Camera work, sets, and backgrounds were okay if a bit bland. Background and natural scenery are nice, but can be overdone when there is quite literally nothing to see. Dialogue was mediocre and could have used more depth and detail. Sound and soundtrack are okay. Blood and gore however were nicely done with plenty of both.

In the end, Revenge felt like it had little of the depth or intensity of actual revenge. Lutz seemed to be trying to portray determination, but instead felt a bit unrealistic. For example; she was able to walk for miles on dirt roads with no shoes and no apparent issues. And while Colombe sold it as a jerk, Janssens didn't quite sell it as an emotional boyfriend or as one of the guys ready to cover things up. Those who enjoy a less intense action thriller should enjoy this one.

Released: 2018
Reviewed: 6.6.21
Star rating: 3 out of 5
Genre: Action, Thriller, Horror, indie Action

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