I can't seem to make up my mind. One minute, I've completely lost the will and passion for writing reviews and decide to end my time as writer and then the next minute, I'm writing like a lunatic. So I guess here's a new review for all you wonderful readers of film reviews. I take a look at Action flick Avengement. Check out my words after the jump...
What do you get when you put action director and stunt coordinator Jesse V. Johnson and Brit kicker extraordinaire, Scott Adkins together?...One of the best damn director/star duo's of the current Action era. Having worked together since 2005's Pit Fighter, Johnson and Adkins have gone from strength to strength, releasing hit after hit for the Action elite. Films such as Savage Dog (2017), Accident Man (2017) The Debt Collector (2018), the Martial arts team-up of the century, Triple Threat (2019) and his latest and in my humble opinion, his best film so far, Avengement. Avengement is unlike the Johnson/Adkins flicks that have come before, it's a tale of revenge set on the mean streets of London that feels more at home sitting next to films such as Scum (1979) and McVicar (1980). I mention these films because these are brutal prison dramas which seem to clearly influence Avengement's tone during the prison set segments of the film. Obviously being a Jesse V. Johnson/ Scott Adkins film, there's the obligatory fight scenes which if you've seen the previous two films I mentioned, you would know they do not involve martial arts beat downs. But the beat downs play an integral part to the plot of Avengement. Now these fight scenes aren't like the prison fights we've seen in Adkin's previous prison fight films, the Undisputed series, these are close quarters, 4 on one corridor fights, more akin to the corridor fights from The Raid (2011) or to some extent, OldBoy (2003), brutal un-choreographed fights in confined spaces. This really shows Adkins' ability as fighter to adapt to his surroundings.
The plot is as follows;
Cain Burgess finds himself in the employ of his older brother, vicious gangster Lincoln, when Cain needs money to open a Gym. But Cain just caused some of Lincoln's associates to lose money on a fighter Cain was in. To get the money Cain agrees to do a simple job, but the job goes wrong and Cain ends up with blood on his hands and seven stretch in the nick. While in prison, Cain gets attacked and over the course of 7 years has to re-invent himself as a brutal, cold blooded killer in order to survive his time in lock-up. He entes prison as a bit of pretty boy and changes into a shaven headed, silver grilled killer. While on a furlough to see his dying mother, Cain sees the opportunity to make a break for it, leaving two guards out cold in a hospital elevators and escaping via a back door. Determined to track down his brother, Cain winds up in a pub, a pub run by his brother and finds a small crew of his men having a pint and being all "laddy". Things start getting a bit heated and Cain pulls out a shotgun, essentially holding the crew, the barmaid and Lincoln's right hand man Hyde hostage. Over the course of the film, Cain tells them his story while he waits for Lincoln to arrive to seek revenge for his life being ruined.
While Avengement is heavy on action, it does seem to focus a lot more on the actual characterisation of Cain. Adkin's performance, to me probably his best so-far, actually makes us side with his character even if we know deep down he's now become the one thing he didn't want to be. There's a definite empathy as well as sympathy with Cain. We feel his pain at losing his mother, his brother turning on him, traits that alot of people will empathise with and we have Sympathy for him, he was forced into becoming someone he didn't want to be, he just wanted to open a gym, start a business and he becomes this brutal, cold hearted version of him self. Adkins portrays these emotions perfectly through-out the film and it's commendable to the writers, Jesse V. Johnson and Stu Small for writing a script that does deal more with a human drama than a straight up empty revenge film. I think this is one of the reasons why Avengement stands out more in Johnson and Adkins' partnership, the focus more on character than on who's going to get punched out first.
I know what you're thinking, who watches a Scott Adkins film for its deep characterisation and dramatic story telling? Well let me indulge you. Avengement has some of the best, most brutal fight scenes to come out of the DTV landscape. Expertly choreographed to look like they're not choreographed, which gives them a more gritty realistic look. Cain gets his ass handed to him multiple times which is what prompts Cain to evolve into "the most complete fighter in Prison". From stairway fights, prison yard fights, hallway fights and even a disco scuffle to the big finale bar dust up, every fight serves a purpose and Johnson doesn't skip on violence, blood is spilled in majestic style. But like I previously stated, every fight in the film seem's integral to push the narrative along. You see a lot of films where there'll be a fight scene just to pad out the run time that doesn't really need to be there, but at run time of 90 minutes, every broken bone, busted face, shattered tooth and snapped appendage, means something. This is what true action film making is about. Violence for violence sake never makes a good film, but violence as a consequence does, it doesn't have to be needless, it can have meaning, it can be used as a plot device instead of a reason just to make a scene look cool. Avengement is one of the prime examples of violence as a means and it works perfectly.
A special nod must be made to composer Sean Murray who actually wrote a pretty great score for Avengement. It's main theme "Me Mum" is clearly influenced by Ennio Morricone's early 80s Belmondo films such as 1981s Le Professionel with it's strings and electric piano over a low-fi trap beat. This track lifts the film to a higher level than some of the other non Hollywood action films by giving the film it's own sense of style. Avengement could very well fit into the Italian crime genre of the 70s and early 80s and Murray, clearly a fan of Morricone, pays excellent tribute to the maestro with his work on Avengement.
Unlike a lot of lower budgeted indie Action films, Avengement has stayed with me, I saw the film about 3 months ago for the first time and ever since, the film is there, stuck in my mind, I can remember whole scenes, maybe not so much the dialogue but the actions, the fights, and the performances and for me, for a film to do that, that is something special. I always love seeing Adkin's on screen and his partnership with Jesse is getting better and better with each film. Avengement is a stonking addition to the career's of both Johnson and Adkins and I cannot wait to see where we go from here. Avengement is a 5 star flick all the way from this Action aficionado. Catch it ASAP.
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