Vengeance

Vengeance

Ben Manalowitz, a journalist and podcaster, travels from New York City to West Texas to investigate the death of a girl he was hooking up with.

  • Released:
  • Runtime: 120 minutes
  • Genre: Comedy, Drama, Thrillers
  • Stars: B. J. Novak, Issa Rae, Ashton Kutcher, Boyd Holbrook, Dove Cameron, Isabella Amara, J. Smith-Cameron, Lio Tipton
  • Director: B. J. Novak
 Comments
  • bk753 - 15 January 2024
    Surprisingly good...
    Very briefly, this is a well-told, dark comedy of tragedy and opportunism. It begins as one man's ill-fated journey to find success, morphs into a surprising tale of self-discovery, friendship, and family, and spins a clever, sometimes awkward, narrative about the life choices we make. I thought it was very good.

    Some negative reviews here cite Hollywood politics and the unflattering portrayal of West Texans. Surely the film isn't implying that all Texans act as such, any more than a movie about "stereotypical" Brooklynites would reflect all New Yorkers. I've spent considerable time in West Texas and yeah, there's enough fodder there to allow for this fictional narrative. At the same time, the film also depicts a rural lifestyle filled with love, family, and loyalty, and in the end, "Ben" comes to appreciate and even envy the culture he has visited. We should all just judge the movie on it's merits, and not on perceived slights based on make-believe characters. And on merit, it's a good watch.
  • spotboyfilms - 7 July 2023
    Very Enjoyable Film
    I never thought I would call Ashton Kutcher a great actor but he is actually pretty great in this film. The film is a very well written story with a cast that perfectly inhabits the characters they are portraying. It's a very intricately written story and honors the medium of podcasts and the phenomenon of human recording in this day and age in a very succinct way. It starts funny and turns thriller in the last act. Had a great time watching the movie. 7/10 plus to 8 for originality, plus to 9 for fast pace and not very long runtime.

    Just repeating the words above to meet IMDbs requirements for 600 characters-

    I never thought I would call Ashton Kutcher a great actor but he is actually pretty great in this film. The film is a very well written story with a cast that perfectly inhabits the characters they are portraying. It's a very intricately written story and honors the medium of podcasts and the phenomenon of human recording in this day and age in a very succinct way. It starts funny and turns thriller in the last act. Had a great time watching the movie. 7/10 plus to 8 for originality, plus to 9 for fast pace and not very long runtime.
  • thesar-2 - 29 May 2023
    Daylight in the Desert of Good and Evil
    Revenge requires two graves and sometimes more than one writer.

    This movie began as a Texan Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil and luckily progressed to its own thing. While I prefer Midnight to Vengeance, I do like how this transitioned from Act One into half of Act Three. Unfortunately, I'm not so sure I believe the ending. At least it's shocking and you'll probably never see it coming. There's that.

    Ryan left his job in Scranton for the Big Apple Podcast life. Incredibly easily, he gets manipulated into attending a Texan funeral for a fling he barely remembered. Once there, the onion gets peeled back and he's obsessed with finding out how his prior 3-night stand died other than the official "drug overdose" ruling. Will his fascination with a story end up with him in one of those two graves to get to the Texan Truth?

    This is definitely one part "comedy" and two-parts mystery/self-discovery. Comedy is always subjective, so you might find this way funnier that I did. Truthfully, I did laugh a few times and believe a ton of the dialogue was clever. Though, for the most part, I recognized the humor, the jokes and fish-out-of-water story and didn't laugh.

    I liked this film much more when it evolved into the mystery. It's almost like it became an adult and I could understand and cheer on the lead's "quest for justice." However, as mentioned, that ending.

    I did have to rewind it because I just didn't believe what had happened. Personally, I didn't buy it. It was so far and above what was established. I mean, it could happen, but there was a large gap from the character we grew with and their actions.

    Yep. Being as vague as possible to avoid spoilers. Maybe you can see it and enjoy the conclusion. Maybe this'll linger in my head for a few days - telling me I liked this movie more than my initial reaction, and I suddenly get it. I actually hope for the both to happen.

    It's definitely not perfect and really felt like a passion project for the ex-Office star, B. J. Novak. I mean he did Write, Direct, Produce and Lead the entire cast for practically every frame of the movie. Good for him. It wasn't bad and I would certainly recommend it...even when how adult and unbelievable it becomes.

    ***

    Final Thoughts: Still, I loved Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil more. THAT movie made Savannah into a character. This one was right there, at the border. It ALMOST pulled the trigger.
  • toseale - 2 December 2022
    A New Take on Mysteries
    At first, I was finding the concept of Vengeance to just be a fun, new concept that wasn't worth exploring more of, but now I'm invested. B. J. Novak did an amazing job not only directing, but playing Ben's part so well. The story itself was intriguing and something worth paying attention to, especially the mystery and suspense, but what really sold me was the dialogue. It's rich in thought-provoking talk between the characters, and something that shouldn't be taken for granted. Not to mention the character arc by the end. I'd say while the story itself has a bit of a drag to it, the end is well worth the wait, and I loved it.
  • House_of_Games - 7 November 2022
    A mystery and the western reimagined in modern day Texas
    First time Director B. J. Novak comes out of the gates with a gem in the full length feature Vengeance as well as another mature production from Jason Blum and Blumhouse Productions which gave us Get Out (2017) and The Black Phone (2022).

    Vengeance packs a lot of heat in Texas with not just guns and laughter but an existential presence that was surprisingly welcomed. Ashton Kutcher who delivered some clever writing from Novak did not disappoint. The cinematography and all the characters were engaging throughout. There was a tiny dull transition into the third act but nothing that could warrant a bad review.
  • rosemaryweinberger - 24 October 2022
    What a great movie!
    I watched this movie on Saturday night and loved it so much, I forced my husband to watch it with me the following night. He loves it too.

    So many "popular" movies rely on trendy actors and special effects but lack a good story. This is a really good story. But not only is it a good story, it is very well acted and the timing of story developments were PERFECT. I can't wait to see more from B. J. Novak!

    NOTE: I just closed this review box to go back and find out the name of the main actor. And when I did, I discovered that he not only starred in this movie, he wrote and directed it! Wow. I am just floored. Well done B. J.!