They
are the low-rent British Michael and Fredo Corleone, but they are considerably
more deadly. Cain Burgess (dig the subtlety of his name) blames his older
brother Lincoln for his incarceration and the 20,000 Pound prison bounty on his
head, so when he escapes from custody, he is eager for a family reunion.
However, he was bones to pick (break) with some other acquaintances as well, so
the younger Burgess Brother will have to be quite the busy beaver in Jesse V.
Johnson’s face-stomping Avengement,
which opens this Friday in Los Angeles.
Lincoln
Burgess is a slimy gangster, who preys on the financially desperate through his
predatory loan enterprise. Cain Burgess was not a bad bloke really, before he
got nicked. Old Cain was supposed to take a dive in the ring for Lincoln’s outfit,
but he knocked the other guy out instead. To make amends, he was supposed to
pull a snatch-and-dash job targeting one of Lincoln’s “clients,” but things go
tragically wrong. Condemned to the harshest prison in England, Cain essentially
has to fight every second he is not in solitary. It makes him hard and scary
looking. It also makes him rather disappointed in his brother Lincoln when he
finally learns why everyone is out to get him.
Alas,
Burgess and his police escort do not reach the hospital in time while his
beloved mother is on her death bed. However, the field trip offers an
opportunity for escape. Soon, Burgess finds his way to his older brother’s
social cub, where he takes the low life thugs present hostage, if such a term
can even be applied to such seedy rabble. As he waits for Lincoln to arrive,
Cain catches everyone up on his activities through a series of flashbacks.
Wow,
Avengement is about as brutal as an
action movie can get while still being entertaining. Martial arts star Scott
Adkins and director Johnson have worked together on a number of solid B-movies,
but they really kick it up several notches here. Frankly, you really have to
give Adkins credit for taking on this role. Technically, Cain is the good guy,
but he is also an absolutely ferocious animal, who will be on both ends of some
spectacularly bloody beatdowns. Of course, Adkins has the chops, but Johnson
never whitewashes the reality of prison combat. Guys like Schwarzenegger and Seagal
would never have the guts to play such a feral, blood-soaked part.
Adkins’
physical commitment is impressive. Consequently, just about everyone else
withers under his glare, but at least Craig Fairbrass is more than convincingly
thuggish as Lincoln. Unfortunately, Louis Mandylor, who was such a kick working
with Adkins and Johnson in Debt Collector,
is totally wasted as the honest Det. O’Hara.
Avengement definitely represents
Johnson’s best stint as a director and some of Adkins’ best acting work, so far.
Regardless, the fights are what are most important—and they are bracingly intense.
This is definitely a film that will scare punky kids straight. Highly
recommended for action fans, Avengement opens
this Friday (5/24) in LA, at the Monica Film Center.
