Man of Vendetta – Review

Man of Vendetta tells the story about a 5 years old girl, a daughter of a  faithful pastor, who  has been kidnapped by a madman. Remember the part about him being a pastor, as this is what sets this film apart from others in the genre.  After being kidnapped, the child is held for ransom. Time is ticking. Police are clueless. I know, Man of Vendetta sounds too cliche for a kidnap thriller, but the religion aspect elevates the story from the ranks of the genre by infusing it with a close-up of a man who, under extreme ordeals, abandons his faith and descends into self-destruction.

Firstly, this film is still in theaters and aside from some serious plot weaknesses, this film has crazy word-of-mouth and features some compelling acting. Out the gate, this movie is exciting, fast pace and truly a hair raising thriller. In one scene, Ju goes to the hospital to see his wife, who has been in a car accident and is now in a coma. When he gets to her room, he tells her that their daughter is alive and that he is going to find her. Then, he turns off her life support system. It was a scene that brbought great emotion to me and made me decide that I was watching a powerful film indeed.

Joo Young Soo is convinced that his daughter is dead, but eight years later he is contacted again by Rudolf, who still has Joo’s daughter with him. Joo Young Soo is determined to find his daughter. Kim Myeong-min, as Joo Young Soo, is expected to capture the audience again with his signature charisma.  It’s hard to go wrong with movies that feature a father searching for his kidnapped child, especially when there’s a revenge element thrown in for good measure. Man of Vendetta carries a high rating due to strong language and violent content. There are plenty of scenes of violence and should satisfy anyone looking to see a film about bloody revenge.

This film reminded me a lot of Denzel Washington’s character in Man on Fire. Where a character starts out fairly content, after the kidnapping the actor must go through a convincing and poignant transformation in his acting. Luckily, all the actors hit the mark. However, it’s expected that the Teenage-restricted rating will cause damage to visitor-numbers on the long run, I hope that this film finds its audience on video. The actresses in the film have an equally tough shoe to fill as a particular actress is expected to express painful, motherly love of a woman who loses her child to a criminal. Man of Vendetta is a gritty revenge film that I really enjoyed, seek it out if this sounds like your cup of tea.