Review by
Eric Hillis
Directed by: BJ Novak
Starring: BJ Novak, Boyd Holbrook, Ashton Kutcher, Issa Rae,
Dove Cameron, J Smith-Cameron
Imagine if Cameron Crowe decided to remake Get Carter and
you'll have some idea of what to expect from actor turned
writer/director BJ Novak's feature debut Vengeance. The title might suggest the sort of straight to VOD fare that the
likes of Bruce Willis and Mel Gibson have made their recent living from,
but Novak's debut is no action movie. Rather it's a look at the current
divisions in American society and whether such divisions are
justified.
Novak casts himself in the lead role of Ben, a narcissistic New York
based writer whose editor (Issa Rae) is trying to steer him into
the world of podcasts. One night Ben is awoken by a phone call from Ty
(Boyd Holbrook), a rural Texan whose sister Abilene (Lio Tipton) has died from an overdose. Ben had gone a couple of dates with
Abilene before ghosting her, but Ty mistakenly believes that the two are
a genuine couple and invites Ben to the funeral. Figuring it might make
for a good story, Ben decides to head to rural Texas, where he is
immediately embraced by Abilene's family.
After the funeral, Ty reveals his belief that Abilene was murdered by a
Mexican drug dealer, and with the aid of Ben, plans to avenge his
sister. Ben is taken aback, but figures if he can expose a cover-up it
will make for one hell of a podcast debut. Moving in with Ty's family,
Ben begins his investigation, warming to his hosts in the process. The
more he learns about Abilene the more he becomes consumed with guilt,
motivating him further to bring her killer to justice, if she was indeed
murdered.
Novak wants his film to tell us that Americans have more in common than
not, but I'm not sure he pulls it off. The movie criticises Ben for his
clichéd views of rural America, but they're views that Novak the
filmmaker also seems to hold. Ben and Abilene's family are deliberately
written as broad stereotypes – the Jewish East Coast intellectual and
the rednecks who enjoy football, rodeo and fast food – so from the off
it's clear that they're not very alike. Ben learns to enjoy football,
rodeo and fast food, but it's a little disingenuous to suggest that it's
such cultural quirks that divide Americans. What really separates
America's coasts from its centre are politics and religion, two subjects
Novak shies away from. None of the issues that really divide Americans
today – race, homosexuality, immigration etc – are broached, which makes
Ben's embracing of his rural hosts a little hard to swallow. The closest
we get to such topics are an awkward moment when a Confederate flag is
unfurled at a rodeo and a throwaway comment about how Ben looks like an
extra from Schindler's List. By portraying the film's only Mexican character as a drug dealer,
Novak is guilty of some of the thinking he would likely criticise.
But if there's one area that unites Americans it's the belief in common
decency and standing up for your loved ones. This is ultimately what
draws Ben to joining Ty's quest for justice. In the figure of sleazy
record producer/drug baron Quinten (Ashton Kutcher) we have a
representation of Americans' real enemy, the sort of sociopathic
capitalist who will happily ruin lives to fill his wallet. Kutcher is a
revelation, playing the part with a raw menace I never would have
thought him capable of. I don’t think it's a stretch to suggest Novak
has mined a career best performance from the former
Two and a Half Men star.
At times Novak's lack of directorial experience is telling, with some
bits of info communicated in a sloppy manner and editing that suggests a
lack of foresight, though as the film was shot under COVID conditions
this may be unfair to Novak. As a writer however he does a better job of
developing interesting characters. Even if they do conform to
stereotypes, the people here feel alive and real. There's a genuine
sympathy for the trials of everyday Americans on display here. That may
be a little patronising, but it's refreshing to see nonetheless.
