Rating of
2.5/4
Revenge is a Dish Best Punched Repeatedly
Chris Kavan - wrote on 05/24/13
This is a straight-up action/revenge flick that really makes you feel the anger, and determination, from the main character - it doesn't so much leap off the screen as sucker-punch you upside the head. We open on a the scene of the London riots - a group of young men go on their own personal looting/stealing spree. Later, when visiting a case worker, she watches the televised riots and realizes they are responsible for the crimes. Before she can say anything, she is badly beaten, which leads to miscarriage, which leads to her leaving her boyfriend. Said boyfriend has lost pretty much everything he cared about in life, and so gets himself locked up in the same institution as these punks and goes on a personal vendetta.
For the most part the film takes place within the confines to the youth institute. You have certain factions, of course, there are the Muslims for instance - as well as a crooked guard (a common plot point for this type of film, but utilized well) and our fish-out-of-water will have to learn to navigate this new minefield or he will become the victim before he can enact his revenge. But he soon learns the ropes and begins his quest to beat and/or stab anyone he knows is responsible. While things don't get too deep - there is enough development amongst the characters that you start to feel bad for the guy as he relentlessly pursues a course of action that can only lead to destruction.
The music is a key element - the heavy sound matches the rather heavy themes going on. While I don't have first-hand knowledge of the youth detention system in Britain, something tells me certain liberties were taken with the portrayal of the facility. Not to mention the somewhat over-the-top attitude going on during the entire film. Still, if you can get past the swagger - for an action film, this has plenty to like and the revenge story, while having been done before, is still a nice angle to take here. If you like violent revenge-type films, this will do the trick.
