Today’s quick review: Avengement. After seven years in one of the most brutal prisons in Britain, Cain Burgess (Scott Adkins) escapes and sets out for revenge. Taking a bar full of criminals hostage, Cain demands to see his older brother Lincoln (Craig Fairbrass), the leader of the gang. Over a few pints of beer and the barrel of a shotgun, Cain tells his hostages about the nightmarish time he spent in prison and how his own brother betrayed him.
Avengement is a budget action movie about an escaped prisoner and his quest for revenge. The bulk of the story is told through flashbacks to Cain’s time in prison and the circumstances leading up to his arrest. The nonlinear storytelling leads to a few mysteries that make the plot more interesting than the typical budget flick. Coupled with the film’s visceral action scenes, this makes Avengement a surprisingly viable choice for action fans.
Avengement puts its framing device to good use. By jumping between Cain’s hostage situation in the present and his struggles in the past, the movie gets to tell the story in the order it chooses, gradually filling in the reasons for Cain’s violent actions. The action scenes are serviceable, using a mixture of Scott Adkins’ martial arts skills and graphic violence to get the point across. As such, the movie has a solid foundation to work with.
Still, Avengement is missing the fine touch needed to live up to its full potential. The film’s nonlinear storytelling gives it a prime opportunity for plot twists, but nothing it reveals is all that shocking. Instead it tacks on new information that enriches the story but hasn’t been properly set up, underselling what could be fascinating mysteries. The end result is a movie that has the right idea but can’t quite see it all the way through.
Fans of the action genre, especially ones who are used to budget offerings, may want to give Avengement a shot. Limited scope and a story that’s mishandled in minor ways mean that it falls short of what it could have been. But even so, Avengement’s action is satisfying, its plot has some thought put into it, and it doesn’t overstay its welcome.
For an even more plot-centric movie set in the British criminal underworld, try Layer Cake. For another action movie starring Scott Adkins, try The Debt Collector or Savage Dog. For a budget crime thriller that tries something similar with worse results, try Checkmate or 4Got10.
6.5 out of 10 on IMDB. I give it a 6.0 for a decent mix of action and plot with some missed potential.