Antonio Banderas at 57 years-old can still scrap with the best of them, and for that reason alone the low-budget ‘Acts Of Vengeance’ is worth watching.
The film is your stereotypical 1980s action revenge plot, but the twist is Banderas’ character Frank Valera takes a vow of silence until justice is served. The silence led to a more intimate film as Banderas narrated the film. It also eliminated the possibility of over the top dialogue that you would traditional get in an action film of this type. Instead, you got the hard cold stare of Banderas.
Even though I described this film as an 80s action movie, filmmaker Isaac Florentine beats the pulp out Banderas’ character. The beatings had a purpose and drove the story to its next arc. Florentine has been directing martial arts films since 1992 and even has more than a few Power Rangers episodes under his directorial belt.
The limited budget led to poor set designs and weak police uniforms. On the opposite end, solid casting choices with Robert Forster, Karl Urban, and Paz Vega helped the film tremendously.
Banderas is part of three fight sequences in the film, and they are all distinctly different, which is a good thing because it gives the feel of a faster-paced movie. The best fight of ‘Acts of Vengence’ is when Banderas’ character takes on five Russians and a dog. The flow of the fight was quite impressive, and the end result creates a friend for life.
‘Acts Of Vengeance’ doesn’t change the action genre, but it does use enough creativity to warrant your attention. A double feature with Jackie Chan’s ‘The Foreigner’ would be the ultimate man-date in 2017.
Are you a fan of Antonio Banderas? Comment below with your favorite Banderas film.
