Io sono vendetta

I saw Travolta on the poster and without knowing much all I could think of is Charles Bronson in Death Wish. I was close. The movie reminds me of a cross between John Wick and The Punisher (of which Travolta played the villain in the 2004 movie version).

Travolta plays what looks like your average Joe, who watches his wife get murdered right in front of him by what looks like an average car jacking in a city that's been boiling over with violence lately, but it turns out Travolta has a past that was beyond average and goes Liam Neeson on the bad guys.

Though he does not look as good as Neeson lashing out those particular set of skills on his wife's killers (but who does?),Travolta was still fun to watch as he hunted down his foes one by one, and just when he thought he was finish, turned out we have more villains to kill. It was like he was leveling up in a video game, that's how far up it goes.

Travolta himself was more convincing as average Joe wanting vengeance for his wife's death then he was at the dude who could seek this vengeance flawlessly, which is why they kept it light. Helping with this tone is Christopher Meloni who plays the dude Travolta has to call when he gets back in the game. I'm a huge fan of Meloni and he gives a great performance as the guy who has one hand still in the pot while pretending to be a barber. The chemistry of Meloni and Travolta as two old soldiers so jaded by it all that they joke back and forth as they stomp out evil. It's good banter.

This action movie was a great safety net for Travolta, I can't remember the last time I seen him in something decent, and that's what this was, very decent, very watchable from the very beginning all the way to the very end.

Some of reviews about this movie is just as bad as they say this movie is. It's an action movie.! It's not supposed to be art. It's made to entertain and I was entertained. It's an ok movie and Travolta is great as a badass vigilante. So if you're in the moo for action, this is ok.

So, the worst thing about this movie is John Travoltas wig. Other than that, this is an OK little action thriller.

Nothing new here, nothing special, but it's well directed, the acting is mostly good, the action is pretty decent, all in all OK. Could have done with a tad more character build up from the start, but hey, I just wanted the action.

With just a few tweaks here and there it could have been a lot better. It feels a little bland, a little by the numbers, and like I said, Travoltas wig is not fooling anyone. For Gods sake, just accept that your bald, man! Travolta is a good actor, he always does a decent job, a shame with those horrible wigs.

This is not to be confused with a million other low budget action movies, by crappy directors, starring actors past their prime, like Wesley Snipes, Cuba Gooding, Dolph Lundgren etc, I Am Wrath is a lot better than those. Chuck Russell (The Mask) knows what he's doing.

With a little more flair to the action (although I liked the slo-mo) and without that awful wig, this could have been awesome, instead it's just alright.

When the manager of Honda vehicles Stanley Hill (John Travolta) returns to Columbus, Ohio, he is welcomed by his beloved wife Vivian (Rebecca De Mornay) at the airport. Vivian is an advisor of Governor Merserve (Patrick St. Esprit), who has reduced the crime rate in Ohio, and now she is analyzing the environmental effect of a duct of oil in Columbus. When they are at the parking lot, they are approached by three scumbags that kill Vivian. Stan identifies one of the thugs to Det. Gibson (Sam Trammell) and Det. Walker (Asante Jones), but they release the criminal telling that they do not have enough evidence to keep him locked up. But Stan is a former CIA operative and he seeks out his former partner Dennis (Christopher Melon) to find justice to Vivian. Soon they find a network of corruption in very high level and Stan decides to eliminate the problem.

"I Am Wrath" is a film of revenge in the style of the franchise "Death Wish", with John Travolta in the lead role with Christopher "SVU" Meloni as his partner. The result is a highly entertaining film that professional critics will certainly hate. But fans of a good action movie will enjoy and have a goodtime watching this film. Last but not the least, it is impressive how Rebecca De Mornay is still a very beautiful woman. My vote is seven.

Title (Brazil): "Eu Sou a Fúria" ("I Am the Wrath")

Note: On 02 July 2022, I saw this movie again.

The movie begins with news montages about the unprecedented crime wave in Columbus, Ohio. Contrarily, Governor John Meserve (Patrick St. Esprit) gives a press conference and says the opposite: crime is down. When questioned by protestors about a proposed pipeline, Meserve promises that he has commissioned an independent study of the pipeline.

Vivian (Rebecca De Mornay), who has something to say about the proposed pipeline, picks up her unemployed husband Stanley (John Travolta), who has returned from a positive job interview to manage a factory in California. At the diffusely lit and practically unoccupied airport parking garage, a man with a fly tattoo on his face (Charley = Luis Da Silva Jr.) approaches and asks them for money. Stanley politely refuses, but two other men mysteriously sneak up on Stanley and stun him with a blow to the head. The first man fatally stabs Vivian and takes her wallet. Although dazed, Stanley watches the men flee.

With Stanley's description of Charley, the police are able to apprehend him. But even though Stanley picks him out the lineup, the police detectives (Gibson = Sam Trammell / Walker = Asante Jones) let him go. They say that his descriptions changed too much (they didn't). Stanley, despondent and enraged, yearns for revenge. While tracking down the men, Stanley realizes that the fatal mugging was no random attack. There were political forces behind his wife's murder. Now he has bigger fish to fry.

Stanley, with his mercenary past, is well-equipped to get his revenge. He also has an ally in a barber, Dennis (Christopher Meloni). Together these guys are dynamite. But you've seen it all before. The flic borrows from other films, such as "Goldfinger" (car-crush scene) and "Taken" (hostage part). The ending with the last shootout doesn't ring true. And there are questions: for instance, why is Stanley's life spared as he is the only witness to the crime in the garage (and the bad guys lack empathy)? But some may like the fact that the film does not require much brainpower to figure out. Also, both Travolta and Meloni are good and rise above their material, which is not strong despite the plot twists. Christopher Meloni at age 55 is in excellent physical condition; Travolta's hair (including the hairline) is peculiar. The movie was filmed on location in Columbus, Ohio.