You have to be in a particular mood to watch this kind of movie, and probably you need a few pints to watch it to the end as the brutality is over the edge. At the end of the movie, I felt like my testosterone level had gone up and I was ready to go and have a few rounds with a bag.
The Avengement movie is the fifth and the most violent collaboration between director Jesse V. Johnson and actor Scott Adkins after Savage Dog, Accident Man, The Debt Collector, and Triple Threat. And it looks like it works out perfectly the same way as it worked with Isaac Florentine who has made seven movies with Mr. Adkins already.
The most of the film story divided between a small British pub and a jail where Cain Burgess polishes his killer’s instincts and skills trying to stay alive with a £20,000 mark on his head.
The film tells the story of Cain Burgess, a mean convict outfitted with metal teeth who escapes custody and dole out long overdue revenge on the people turned him from a good guy into a grizzled beast passed through brutal attacks, the smashed jaw and homemade napalm.
I loved the fur-coat look of Scott, it reminded the one Vin Diesel worn in his Xander Cage movie. Here is the interesting article uncovering everything you need to know about famous fur coat.
The film loses its drive after 60 minutes but only when bottles, bats, and knives come into play at the pub, it turns into a great action giving Adkins a carte-blanche to shine with his fists and legs.
On my opinion, the fight choreography is executed in not the best fashion and only bone-breaking violence saves the action sequences where Adkins does what he does best.
The fight choreographer Dan Styles done a good job and I like that Avengement has no acrobatic tricks that Tim Man likes to use. Mr. Styles worked as a stunt coordinator on Accident Man and Eliminators and clearly knows how to demonstrate Scott’s skills from the best side. From the look at Dan’s IMDB profile you can see how busy the guy is with already 9 movies in post-production.
Can’t say a lot about the cast as all actors are lost in the scenes and only Cain’s shark brother played by Craig Fairbrass can stand out in some small scenes, as well as Louis Mandylor who is playing a cop trying to convince Cain to betray his brother. (Sorry Mike Fury, I know you were there, but I couldn’t find you among other stuntmen).
Mr. Adkins is not likely to be up for any acting awards for this movie, but he proved here that he’s more just a fighter and can play complex characters and nail the acting perfectly.
The Avengement has no chance to standout after The Debt Collector and Accident Man where Scott delivered his best performance, but it is definitely a promo-reel of what duo is capable of to deliver with only one thing – the bigger budget.
If you want bloody action, Avengement is the movie for you and you should watch it out sooner rather than later.
