Rating summary

Movie		2.5
Video		4.0
Audio		3.0
Extras		0.5
Overall		2.5

Vengeance: A Love Story Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman April 25, 2020

It might be tempting to say that Vengeance: A Love Story made rather strange bedfellows out of Nicolas Cage and Joyce Carol Oates, but considering the fact that the source novella by Oates upon which this film is based in actually rather provocatively titled Rape: A Love Story, perhaps that specific terminology is also on the iffy side. That said, Vengeance: A Love Story offers a somewhat sordid tale of a single mother named Teena Maguire (Anna Hutchinson) who, along with her young daugher Bethie (Talitha Bateman), is assaulted by a gang of toughs one evening, something that leaves Teena near death and Bethie severely traumatized. This film in a way might make for an interesting double feature with the long ago and now little remembered Hammer outing Never Take Candy from a Stranger, in that both films feature a plot based at least in part on sexual predation where the resulting court case depends on the testimony of a child, in this case Bethie. The first two thirds or so of Vengeance: A Love Story chart the course of both the attack and the resulting trial, both of which involve Niagara Falls policeman John Dromoor (Nicolas Cage, sporting some really unfortunate dark black hair dye). The last third or so of the film tips over into pure revenge film territory, as Dromoor springs into action, disgusted at how a slimy attorney named Jay Kirkpatrick (Don Johnson), perhaps in cahoots with a crooked judge, is able to navigate the legal system and cast doubt on Bethie (and Teena). Dromoor decides to take things into his own hands, leading to a series of deaths of the perpetrators.

While there is a certain rote feeling to some aspects of Vengeance: A Love Story, the film does offer some peculiar sidebars along the way. The first of these is its setting in Niagara Falls (though according to the closing credits, the film was actually shot at least mostly in Georgia). An opening montage beneath the credits suggests that this seemingly picturesque tourist mecca is actually a hotbed of meth activity, and the goons who assault Teena early in the film could easily have been “supporting thugs” in Breaking Bad: The Complete Series. The whole drug element would seem to provide at least a bit of subtext for the film, but scenarist John Mankiewicz tends to use it only as the basis for horrifying behavior, rather than as a way to peek into socioeconomic issues.

The screenplay is also perhaps a bit discursive in detailing Dromoor’s emotional anguish due to various personal and professional issues. And in fact Cage is something of a cipher in this role, showing very little emotion save for a brief closing coda with a rather impressive Bateman as Bethie. That probably gives the “vengeance” angle appropriate stone faced power, but it also tends to make the film feel almost automated at times. Perhaps understandably, the most emotion in the film is wrung out of the relationship between Teena and Bethie as they attempt to forge their way through the wake of the attack, which has obviously left both of them not just with physical injuries, but also severe cases of post traumatic stress disorder.

Some of the convolutions involving the trial are probably overly contrived, something that in turn seems overtly designed to make Dromoor’s rampant quest for revenge seem “honorable” in some way. A brief conversation with the oily Kirkpatrick late in the film where “Constitutional rights” are raised seems like an almost silly afterthought, especially considering how vicious Dromoor becomes to set things “right”.

Kind of interestingly, director Johnny Martin seems to have more of a background in stunts (at least as evidenced by his IMDb credits listing), but he keeps things moving along at a brisk pace and does get generally good performances from his troupe. The film arguably lingers a bit too lengthily on the actual attack, a choice that seems churlish at best and exploitative at worst.

Vengeance: A Love Story Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Vengeance: A Love Story is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of MVD Visual and FilmRise with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 1.85:1. The closing credits feature a "captured by Alexa" logo, and I'm assuming that things were finished at a 2K DI. This is a perfectly competent looking presentation aside from some passing issues of banding, but the dour content and ostensible "realism" mean that there's not a lot of "wow" to the visuals. Outdoor material pops best, at least in the daytime sequence, while a couple of nighttime moments, including a big showdown at Niagara Falls, can look just slightly murky without much in the way of fine detail. The palette looks natural throughout, and there are absolutely no signs of any damage or age related wear and tear.

Vengeance: A Love Story Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

This is yet another Blu-ray release from MVD Visual and FilmRise which offers only lossy audio options, with Dolby Digital tracks in either 5.1 or 2.0 available. As I've repeatedly mentioned in other reviews of discs with only lossy audio, while there may be nothing inherently "wrong" with what's offered, I am still of the firm and unwavering belief that this far into this format discs should have at least one lossless audio option available. That said, the surround track on this disc does offer some nicely placed ambient environmental sounds, especially in a couple of sequences that take place next to Niagara Falls. All dialogue is presented cleanly and clearly throughout. A rather nice and at times surprisingly evocative score by Frederik Wiedmann wafts through the surround channels as well, but my hunch is it would have sounded even better given a lossless rendering.

Vengeance: A Love Story Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Trailer (1080p; 2:26)

Vengeance: A Love Story Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Vengeance: A Love Story has some interesting elements, but it may ultimately be too smarmy for its own good, discarding some of Oates' perceived literary reputation in favor of more exploitative and even manipulative elements. Cage kind of coasts through the film almost zombie-like, but Hutchison and Bateman are quite good as the victimized mother and daughter. The "bad guys" are often cartoonish, which may remove some of the hoped for "realism" the film seems to be aiming for. Technical merits are okay in the video department, but this is another disc with only lossy audio, for those who are considering a purchase.