Vendetta

Bless Danny Dyer – he tries his best. After a string of box office flops which make his good films like 'The Football Factory' and 'The Business' seem like they were set in some weird, parallel reality, he's going for a tried and tested formula – namely the 'revenge' film.

Danny's his usual cockney self. Only this time he's an ex marine returning home from jail (I did briefly recall why he was locked up, but it doesn't really matter) to find a gang of local hooligans have only gone and roasted his mum and dad alive. And, to make matters worse, the police seem powerless to arrest anyone. Therefore, Danny must take matters into his own hands (or 'ands as he would call them) and deliver his own unique brand of justice.

Unfortunately, watching unlikeable characters getting brutally murdered may be mildly entertaining (as we've all see some little thugs defacing a bus stop and wished extreme punishment upon them), but it's hardly unique any more. Ever since Charles Bronson took the law into his own hands there have been countless imitations. Some work okay, others don't. But they all have the same message – namely about how the law doesn't always work and sometimes you have to root for the 'antihero' to get the job done himself. Recently, Michael Caine released 'Harry Brown' and Jodie Foster did 'The Brave One' a few years before that. Both were equally unoriginal, but at least they had more of a budget than Vendetta.

It's an okay enough film, but it just doesn't really have anything new contained within. Danny Dyer does his best (as he normally does) to portray a tortured soul, living on the outskirts of society, but, unfortunately, he doesn't quite pull it off. There's a sub-plot about the various police officers assigned to the case (and the area in general), but many of them come across as too uncaring and inept to be believable.

If you're a die-hard Dyer fan, you'll probably enjoy this more. However, if you're just a casual fan of revenge movies, you'll have probably seen better than this. It may not be Dyer's finest work, or up to The Football Factory or The Business, but at least it's a step in the right direction.

http://thewrongtreemoviereviews.blogspot.co.uk/

I managed to catch Vendetta at the premier showing at the Genesis cinema in East London. The atmosphere was great and everyone was in good spirits, it was a Friday night and the cinema was packed with Danny Dyer fans. But even with the generous atmosphere it really failed to deliver. I wasn't expecting a Brando performance and I enjoyed watching Dyer in the likes of The Business and The Football Factory, but playing Jimmy Vickers felt like it was a lot out of his depth. Maybe if Danny would have taken this role in his latter years, it would have suited him much more. Saying that, if you enjoy a revenge plot and you love Brit flicks, well then this is possibly for you. Some splendid shots of Canary Wharf and East London make up for a very lack-lustre performance all round. The likes of the brilliant, late Mr Winner needn't worry one iota. Death Wish, it ain't.

When I checked this film it only had a 5.6 rating. My ONLY reason for writing this review is to RIGHT that WRONG.

There is NOTHING so wrong with this film as to rate it so low. 5.6, to me, means 'boring, predictable, cookie-cutter, Hollywood action films with no 'substance' to them....And even some of those can rate a 6 or so just for pure action fun-entertainment value...But THIS film is MUCH better than those dime-a-dozen action/revenge films and "Vendetta" is so well executed. If I HAD to criticize anything it would only be that I don't think the way Alistair Petrie's character, 'Spencer Holland', was written was realistic. It's just my humble opinion that any ranking detective that is next in line for super, would NOT be as dumb as 'Spencer Holland' is written to be. If you like this genre, I don't think you will be disappointed and I'm sure you'd rate it higher than 5.6! ;)

CAVEAT: Most of the negative reviews of this movie seem to be comparing it to 'GREAT FILMS'...or classics... When I review or recommend a film, I review/recommend it based on the genre and what the movie is INTENDED to be. E.g.You don't compare a Steven Seagal film to a Ridley Scott movie! So what I'm, saying (badly, I admit), is that, for what it's MEANT to BE, "Vendetta" is a solid 7-8. (It's not MEANT to be a classic guys!)

Obviously the story seems and is pretty thin. The revenge theme has been done before and it's more than understandable if many won't like this (some even for reasons such as Danny Dyer). But if you can try to enjoy this there are a few thing here that are nicely done. One of them being the fact, this is not binding itself to any conventional list. Something that can obviously also be seen as a negative straying away from the formula, but can also be seen as a bit of fun (see first revenge "victim"), if you let it.

Also keep in mind there is another one coming out. So the end is not as closing and some things in the movie make more sense. But those things seem a bit out of touch with the rest of the movie. As single movie it's tough to decide what the thinking behind some things was. Still I liked the fact that it's trying to be different

If your a fan of a good raw Brit flick then this one does not disappoint… the first 15 minutes of the film will leave you switched on or switched off. (Violent, cuts no corners and shows you what your in for, certainly sets the mood for the whole movie) hard hitting, raw to the core violent gritty Brit flick that packs a punch. I have been waiting for a new good Brit flick to come along for a while now… If your a fan of British flicks then you'll recognise a few actors along side Dyer and I'm sure you'll enjoy this movie. Solid 9 for me.

Always feel that Brit flicks get tough reviews these days but i see this one picking up the pace a bit more with regards to ratings.