La giustizia privata di un cittadino onesto

'Vengeance is Mine' - also known as 'Sunday in the Country' - the plot of this Canadian thriller revolves around three deranged criminals who plan to force their way into a rural property to evade police pursuit. The film takes a while to warm up with over 40 minutes before farmer Ernest Borgnine and his granddaughter encounter the criminals at their home, but from the moment they meet, tension simmers. The film impressively avoids going in expected directions; this is not the typical home invasion film that one might anticipate, and without revealing too much, it can be said that the film questions whether we should sympathise with Borgnine, who overreacts to the home invaders. In fact, as the film wears on, he seems less and less mentally stable, with this gradual progression a testament to Borgnine's acting ability (by comparison, Michael J. Pollard is irritating throughout, even as he grows easier to relate to in the film's second half). Shot on location in rural Ontario, the film benefits from its isolated setting, which at first makes Borgnine seem all the more vulnerable until we realise just how hard it is for absolutely anyone to get help there given how far away the nearest neighbours are. 'Vengeance is Mine' might not have big shocks as in films like 'Straw Dogs' and 'Death Wish', to which it is often compared, but it comes with a quiet power and lingers in the mind long after it is over.

Ernest Borgnine shines in this movie, gracefully acts the part of a simple but sincere back country grandfather with values acquired over a life time of experience. This movie should convince anyone that he is underrated as an actor. Michael J. Pollard, also underrated, portrays a degenerate criminal type very convincingly. The two play roles which bring out the character of the other, and neither actor overplays his part. A movie which should appeal to fans of Charles Bronson's Death Wish movies. Wish it would appear on tv once in awhile.

After robbing a local bank and killing an innocent couple three dangerous thugs with Michael J.Pollard as the leading psychopath seek a hiding place at a secluded farm.Unfortunately for them a devoted,hard working farmer played by Ernest Borgnine defies the criminals holding them at gunpoint and leading to a tense and emotionally charged stand-off..."Venegance is Mine" is another great Canadian rural revenge thriller in the tradition of "Death Weekend","Rituals","Sudden Fury","Trapped","Shoot","The Clown Murders" and "Deadly Harvest".The scenes of violence are uncompromising,the cast is solid and the ominous country score provides eerie mood.Such outbursts of violence as Lucy's assault or the two innocent bystanders getting gunned down by the hoodlums have a raw and sudden brutality.The film is obviously influenced by "Straw Dogs",but it works on its own.8 out of 10.

Really great performances by Ernest Borgnine and Michael J. Pollard, but ultimately, I was disappointed. I usually appreciate these mid 1970s movies for stylistic and nostalgia reasons and this movie is definitely pretty to look at (nice cinematography) but the plot sort just kind of goes flat.

Basically, the story revolves around the conflict between a God fearing farmer and three desperate and ruthless bank robbers. But it takes almost 40 minutes before the bank robbers first encounter the farmer.

Then, the conflict sets up all sorts of potentials, none of which are truly realized.

I suspect the theme of this movie is "Who is the real bad guy?" (Anti-hero) which is typical of the morally nebulous movies of the 1970s. ('Death Wish' and 'Dirty Harry' being two of the classic examples of this theme.)

The great acting of Borgnine and Pollard carry the movie despite the unsatisfying plot. But its just a 5/10 overall.

Sunday in the Country is another one of those downbeat seventies thrillers, although it doesn't seem to take influence from the likes of The Last House on the Left despite its sadistic nature and torture-themed plot. The film takes in ideas of justice and whether or not a normal man can be justified in taking the law into his own hands as we follow three bank robbers who wind up at a country home where a man has plans not to let the police deal with them and instead decides to lock them in his basement and deal out justice himself, much to the dismay of his granddaughter who doesn't take kindly to his sadistic intent. The film builds tension by way of constantly putting the idea of whether or not the man will kill the robbers himself. This might not sound too interesting, but director John Trent does a good job of ensuring that the vigilante themes work well. Ernest Borgnine doesn't exactly show off his full talent in the lead role, but still brings credence and believability to a man who wants justice on his own terms. The rest of the cast aren't too good, but nobody performs below the standard of a B-movie picture like this. The country atmosphere is well shown, and even though the locations aren't stunning, they bode well with the feel of the movie. Overall, I can't say that this is a great film; but it's certainly a good one and comes recommended to fans of seventies cult cinema.