Starring
Antonio Banderas, Karl Urban, Paz Vega, Johnathon Schaech, Robert
Forster. Directed by Isaac Florentine. (2017, 87 min).
With
films like Acts of Vengeance, it helps to keep your
expectations in check.
Like
the once-mighty Nicholas Cage, John Travolta & Bruce Willis, Antonio
Banderas stays gainfully employed by cranking out low-wattage
action flicks that generally skip theaters to serve as Netflix
filler. And I'm pretty certain all of these guys now have at least one
Death Wish rip-off under their belts (Willis actually has an
oft-delayed remake of Death Wish in the
pipeline...God help us all).
Banderas jumps back into the revenge ring with Acts of Vengeance. He
plays Frank Valera, a slick-talking criminal defense lawyer whose
wife and daughter are murdered. The police, of course, have no leads
and Frank blames himself for not being there. For awhile, his penance-of-choice is allowing himself to be regularly pummeled at
underground fight competitions. Then he reads Marcus Aurelius'
Meditations, which
inspires him to bulk-up, learn martial arts and - most ironically,
since he makes his living with words - take a vow of silence until
he finds those who killed his family.
 |
| The service here sucks. Time for an act of vengeance. |
Aside
from an attempt to intellectualize the action with quotes from
ancient philosophical writings, Acts of Vengeance
is your standard revenge thriller. Implausibilities are abound, such
as Valera transforming into a lean, mean fighting machine in less
time than it takes to sing "Gonna Fly Now," Pax Vega as a
nurse who inexplicably decides to help him, and of course,
underground fight syndicates that are as easy to locate as your local
Starbucks. Still, Banderas delivers a dedicated, earnest performance.
Unlike Willis or Cage, he doesn't appear to be going through the motions for a paycheck. Considering his age and the physical demands
of the numerous close-quarters fight scenes, he's more-or-less
convincing, even when squaring up against guys twice his size.
At
the very least, Acts of Vengeance
is better than Banderas' recent budget bin bonanzas (such as Security
and the embarrassing Gun Shy).
The film isn't remotely original, but you probably knew that already,
and as these things go, it's a decent enough time killer.
EXTRA
KIBBLES
FEATURETTE:
"Speaking Out on Acts of Vengeance"
KITTY CONSENSUS:
NOT BAD...LIKE CAT CHOW
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