Vendetta (2015)

A detective pushed beyond his limits will stop at nothing for vengeance. When his wife is killed by a criminal that he put away, Mason, a hard-nosed detective, deliberately gets arrested in order to get revenge. While inside, Mason discovers a new criminal enterprise that those behind it would kill to protect. Vendetta showcases a very different and quite awesome side of Dean Cain but also Big Show made for a compelling and great villain. Lot's of suspense, action and cool and respectable characters make for a great prison action flick for sure. (A+)

Co-directors Jen and Sylvia Soska making an action film? It definitely sounded interesting. This duet of Canadian filmmakers earned fame in the horror genre thanks to the twisted aesthetic and sardonic sense of humor displayed in films like the excellent American Mary and the mediocre, but moderately entertaining See No Evil 2. Therefore, it was natural that they decided to expand their horizons venturing into different types of stories; and a revenge tale sounded like a good option, because it offers wide opportunity for them to exploit their affinity for the gore. Besides, under the auspice from World Wrestling Entertainment, there won't be missing any fighters to fill the screen with imposing villains. What could go wrong? Unfortunately, many things. Practically everything, in fact. To start with, Vendetta doesn't display even a pinch of the rich and distinctive visual style which characterizes the Soska sisters. On the opposite, everything looks... I don't know... small and lifeless, from the bland locations in the most austere imaginable "prison" to the fights which integrate an important part of the hollow screenplay. The edition also looks amateur, hindering the action and diluting even the slightest suspense. And let's not forget the atrocious performances from the whole cast, with the exception of Dean Cain. Like many other people, I have a "geek" affection for Cain, whose likable work as Superman/Clark Kent in the TV series Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman made him a cult figure and the main actor in an uncountable number of "B" movies. He isn't a great actor, but he isn't bad either, and his expression of rage and determination in Vendetta makes him credible in his role. I truly hope the fact that Vendetta was a mere mercenary project for the Soska sisters, and that it doesn't reflect a decline of their talent or the dramatic apathy they will display from now on. Hopefully, this was just a contractual duty or an economical maneuver to finance their next project, which will be essential to determine whether there's vision left in the duet, or if we have to discard them and seek somewhere else for the redeemers of the horror and the action genres. Fortunately, there are other female candidates, such as Jennifer Kent (The Babadook) and Ana Lily Amirpour (A Girl Walks Home Alone At Night), so we can be calm. But I wouldn't like missing the Soska sisters. The co- directors of American Mary deserve another chance.

I haven't watched pro/fake wrestling since I was a child, so this movie was blah at best. It was completely unbelievable in almost every aspect.I must say that Dean Cain actually did a good job acting though. Too bad there was nothing else worthy. This review requires no spoiler alert because you already know everything that is going to happen :] If you like to make a drinking game out of scrutinizing movies for their errors, make sure you have plenty to drink! But watch out because there are actually some very gory scenes for a B action movie.I did give it a 5 because it was kind of entertaining - I didn't feel the need to stop watching. To sum it up... If you really like WWE you will really like this. You'll probably like it if your IQ is below 100 as well.

I've not seen any of the WWE Studios films, so I don't know how much of an impact WWE has have on the film and creative license, but, I'm sure there is some. The casting and acting was great. Dean Cain was really believable. Michael Eklund as Warden Snyder really irritated the hell out of me but that's how the warden was supposed to be portrayed, so job well done.Some of the dialogue was a little too proper but the fighting scenes were well choreographed. The soundtrack was almost non-stop and silence would have helped built up tension and or shock in some of the scenes.It wasn't a perfect flick which, IMO, would have been too boring and forgettable, maybe even cliché, but, gave it a modern day "grind house" feel to the picture. I would really like to see The Soska Twins do a b/w film noir piece.