Vendetta (2022)

Vendetta is the kind of lean, hard-edged revenge thriller that doesn’t pretend vengeance is glamorous—it just lets you feel the weight of it, punch by punch, choice by choice. Jared Cohn keeps the pacing brisk and the mood grimy and tense, while Clive Standen brings a grounded, blue-collar fury that makes the spiral feel personal rather than comic-book. With Theo Rossi and Thomas Jane adding grit and menace to the other side of the equation, the film plays like a bruising back-and-forth where every “win” comes with a cost. It’s not for viewers looking for subtlety or a gentler ride—this is R-rated, blunt-force catharsis—but if you’re in the mood for a tough, street-level action-crime tale that actually acknowledges the emptiness at the end of revenge, it delivers.

Vendetta wants to be a gritty, morally cautionary revenge thriller where every act of violence sparks another, and on paper that’s a solid, pulpy setup. In practice, it plays like a familiar bargain-bin Death Wish riff: the choices characters make can feel implausible, the pacing drifts into stretches of boredom, and the action is more routine than tense. There are a few watchable moments and a couple of performers (including an unexpectedly memorable supporting turn) who bring some energy, but it’s not enough to make the film feel distinctive or urgent. If you’re craving a sharp, believable crime story or inventive action, skip it; if you just want a blunt, R-rated vengeance loop and don’t mind clichés, it might pass for a one-time watch.