Today’s quick review: I Am Vengeance. John Gold (Stu Bennett), an elite soldier, travels to the small British town of Devotion to investigate the murder of Dan Mason (Kevin Leslie), an old Army buddy. With the help of Sandra (Anna Shaffer), a local drug addict, Gold soon pins the murder on Sgt. George Hatcher (Gary Daniels) and team of ex-special forces soldiers, who have taken over Devotion’s drug market and are terrorizing its citizens.
I Am Vengeance is a budget action movie about one soldier’s rampage through a crime-ridden British town. I Am Vengeance aims to be a dramatic confrontation between a lone hero and a team of highly trained foes. However, its low budget and lack of vision keep it from realizing its ambitions. Flimsy acting, a generic plot, and mediocre stunt work conspire to make I Am Vengeance an unsatisfying and forgettable watch.
I Am Vengeance struggles to make its plot feel worthwhile. The bulk of the movie is spent on Gold’s investigation into Hatcher, but there’s no actual mystery for him to investigate. Gold knows who the murderers are from almost the beginning, so it’s mainly an academic exercise for him to track down the details of Mason’s death. Yet that’s where the movie spends its time: having Gold hassle the locals rather than confront Hatcher’s men.
On the action side of things, I Am Vengeance is similarly disappointing. There are some fights to be had once Gold starts picking off enemies, and by budget standards they’re adequate. But there’s not that much to make them exciting, either in terms of fighting skill or creativity. The biggest issue is that Stu Bennett lacks presence; slight tweaks to the script and presentation could have made him into the imposing figure he should have been.
I Am Vengeance is only worth a watch for fans of the thinner side of the budget action genre. It manages to tell a story, and it offers some passable action, but there’s really not much to make it stand out. And in the few areas where it does try to carve out a niche for itself—Gold’s investigation, his fighting prowess, and his relationship with Sandra—the execution falls short. Most viewers would be better off skipping it.
For a budget action movie of similar caliber, try The Hard Way, Kill Ratio, or Silencer. For an action thriller with a similar crew of villains and much better execution, try The Rock. For an action movie with similar military trappings and better fights, try Killer Elite.
4.3 out of 10 on IMDB. I give it a 4.0 for poor execution all the way around.