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The Gratuitous B-Movie Column: I Am Vengeance: Retaliation

February 25, 2021 | Posted by Bryan Kristopowitz

The Gratuitous B-Movie Column Issue #585: I Am Vengeance: Retaliation

Hello, everyone, and welcome once again to the internets movie review column that has never joined a team of badasses to help track down a criminal mastermind, The Gratuitous B-Movie Column, and I am your host Bryan Kristopowitz. In this issue, issue number five hundred and eighty-five, I take a look at the low budget action flick sequel I Am Vengeance: Retaliation, which was unleashed upon North America in mid-June 2020.

I Am Vengeance: Retaliation

I Am Vengeance: Retaliation, written and directed by Ross Boyask, is the first sequel to the awesome low budget action flick I Am Vengeance (aka Vengeance) that came out in 2018 (check out my review of that flick here) that starred pro wrestling superstar turned action movie star Stu Bennett (known in the WWE as Wade Barrett). Bennett is back in Retaliation as John Gold, the legendary badass British Special Forces operator who left the service to become a kind of vigilante-for-hire. In Retaliation, Gold is offered a job by the mysterious Frost (Mark Griffin, returning from I Am Vengeance) to take down and arrest Sean Teague (Vinnie Jones), Gold’s old Special Forces team member turned international criminal (Teague also betrayed Gold while on a mission in Eastern Europe). At first, Gold isn’t interested in going after Teague as he doesn’t want to work for the government anymore, even if it means getting a shot at Teague. Gold eventually agrees to take the job, though, after Frost tells him that if he can bring Teague in alive the government will stop looking for Gold (Gold will “get his life back.” Kind of a Snake Plissken in Escape from New York kind of deal).

Now, Gold isn’t doing this Teague job alone, as Frost has assembled a crackerjack team of operators to function as his backup. This team, which includes the well regarded duo of Kate Lynch (Phoebe Robinson-Galvin) and Shapiro (Sam Benjamin), will help Gold take out any resistance Teague may have around him at his bad guy headquarters (I don’t know what else you call it). Getting into Teague’s bad guy HQ is pretty easy, and while there is some resistance (Teague has surrounded himself with a small army of well-armed thugs), Gold and his team grab Teague and head for the airport where Teague is set to go to jail via private plane.

Well, shit, that was pretty simple. Taking down a guy like Teague shouldn’t be that simple or easy, at least not in a low budget action flick. Thankfully for the audience, Gold’s team’s transport is attacked by a mysterious sniper and suddenly everyone is in danger. At first, Gold assumes that the sniper attack is someone working for Teague, but when the sniper shoots at Teague Gold realizes that there’s a third player at work. But who is it? Who would attack a British Special Forces team led by the legendary John Gold while that team is taking down notorious criminal Sean Teague?

It turns out that the sniper is Jen Quaid (Katrina Durden), the daughter of one of Gold’s and Teague’s teammates who was killed when Teague decided to become a criminal. Quaid wants revenge, wants to kill Teague with her bare hands, and she has no qualms with killing anyone, good guy or bad guy, that gets in her way. When Gold realizes who Quaid is, he has a bit of a moral dilemma. Why not let Quaid kill the man who killed her father? It’s the end a scumbag like Teague deserves. But Gold made a commitment to complete one final mission for his government and gave Frost his word, so Gold will do whatever it takes to send Teague to prison. Will Gold and his team be able to complete the mission? Will Teague go to prison? Will Quaid get her revenge?

As all of that is going on, Teague’s henchmen, led by Pearl (Jessica-Jane Stafford) and Renner (Bentley Kalu), try to figure out how to rescue their boss. They like the old guy and, heck, keeping him safe and alive is kind of their job. So they follow after Gold and his team.

The rest of the movie is a series of gun battles and fight scenes. Most of the hand-to-hand battles are pretty good (the great Tim Man did the fight choreography on this movie) but there are times where it seems like the fighters are going at half speed. I get why John Gold would seem slower than the other fighters in the movie as he’s gigantic compared to everyone else (he even makes Vinnie Jones look small and Vinnie Jones is a beast), but even the smaller fighters, on occasion, look like they’re moving deliberately.

That occasional slowness is what hinders some of the action scenes in Retaliation. There are also instances where the gun battles should play louder/be more distinct. Instead, the gun shots all sound the same and sound weak. Even if the sounds depicted are “realistic,” they don’t register as all that exciting on screen. A shotgun should sound scary and impressive in an action movie. A shotgun shouldn’t sound like a party favor.

And then there’s the realization that you will likely come to about the movie in an overall sense: Retaliation really needed to be a “bigger” movie. Since it isn’t a movie about one guy looking for revenge and is instead a “team” movie, it needs to feel bigger than life. Retaliation never once feels like anything other than a low budget action flick. That’s cool and all, the low budget action movie is a true thing of beauty when done right, but a story like Retaliation needs that larger scope to be fully successful. That isn’t to say that Retaliation isn’t a good movie, but it’s held back by its budget.

Retaliation is also, in general, a much funnier movie that the first one. I liked that direction, but I wouldn’t be surprised if it annoyed some viewers who were expecting a straight up action flick. If you look at the DVD cover you don’t necessarily think “This movie is going to be funny.” So, if you’re not keen on humor in your action movies, just be aware that I Am Vengeance: Retaliation has some in it.

So what works in Retaliation? The movie doesn’t waste time getting from point A to point B. The movie wants to get in and get out as quickly as it can. I love it when any movie makes the effort to just get on with it. It also helps that the story is kept as simple as possible. Would it have been cool to see Gold and Teague on their final mission before Teague went rogue and became a criminal? Absolutely, but it also would have made the movie longer. Retaliation doesn’t need to be any longer than 90 minutes, and it’s a few minutes short of that. That’s awesome.

Retaliation also makes an effort to show different fighting styles among the various characters. Gold and Bennett are full on brawlers and guys that will maul you if they get their hands on you, and that all makes sense because of Stu Bennett’s fighting background (pro wrestling) and Jones’ fighting background (he was a big deal soccer player and, well, he’s gigantic). When it comes to Jen Quaid and Renner, they each have martial arts backgrounds so their fight scenes are more real deal martial arts based (Katrina Durden has been a fight choreographer and has done stunt stuff in her career, and Bentley Kalu has extensive stage combat training and is a dancer and kickboxer, so he’ll look great fighting in a movie). You don’t always see that attention to fighting detail in an action movie regardless of the budget.

Retaliation also has a killer cast. Stu Bennett is once again terrific as John Gold. Gold is a total badass and a guy you don’t want to mess with, but he’s also the kind of guy you need on your side when bad things happen. Bennett gets to show a slightly more humorous side here as Gold, especially when interacting with Vinnie Jones (pro wrestling fans know that Bennett can be a riot from his days as Bad News Barrett. I loved that gimmick). I really hope we get a few more John Gold adventures or, really, just more action movies starring Bennett because he has the necessary presence and charisma to be a big deal.

Vinnie Jones is awesome as Teague. Jones plays Teague as a raging asshole and the kind of guy you want to see arrested (you may have no idea what he’s done to deserve being arrested, but you know that he did, in fact, do it, and he deserves to be thrown in jail). At the same time, you like watching Jones be a bad guy. The movie could have used more of Teague swearing and just generally being a jerk.

Katrina Durden does an exceptional job as the revenge seeking Jan Quaid. Durden can do it all and comes off as a legitimate threat against everyone she fights in the movie, including Gold. Durden also knows how to rock a bulletproof hockey mask and be scary with that mask on (all she has to do is walk up the stairs with that mask on and she’s terrifying). Durden should have a nice career as a female action star if she decides to pursue it.

Phoebe Robinson-Galvin does a decent job as Kate Lynch, one of Gold’s team members. She’s a real deal martial artist and kicks ass, but she doesn’t look all that threatening, at least at first. That’s what makes her fascinating because, when she does start kicking ass, you don’t expect it. She could be an action star, too, and hopefully she does it. And Sam Benjamin does an okay job as Shapiro. His big accomplishment in the movie is losing his clothes and doing the last quarter or so of the movie in his underwear and not looking ridiculous. You’d think he’d have looked for a shirt or some pants or something before jumping head first into the final showdown, but he decides fighting is more important. You have to respect that kind of dedication to his job.

Bentley Kalu is awesome as Teague henchman Renner. He’s big and intimidating and he has the skills to back it all up. He’s exactly the kind of guy you want as one of your main henchmen in the event you become a big time criminal. And Jessica-Jane Stafford does a good job as Pearl, Teague’s other main henchman/main squeeze (presumably). She looks the part and, if and when there’s another I Am Vengeance movie and Teague is a part of it, I’d like to see what else she can do besides look gorgeous. I bet she can organize a team of shooters from prison without an issue. I bet she’s that resourceful when she needs to be.

Overall, I liked I Am Vengeance: Retaliation. The movie isn’t as successful as the first I Am Vengeance, it’s a bit undone by its lack of budget (it really needed a bigger scope), but it’s still entertaining and worth a look. The world needs as many low budget action movie franchises as it can get, and the world definitely needs more John Gold movies. And Stu Bennett should be the next big thing.

See I Am Vengeance: Retaliation. See it, see it, see it.

So what do we have here?

Dead bodies: At least 15.

Explosions: Several.

Nudity?: None.

Doobage: London at night, a satellite in space, surveillance hooey, a strip club brawl, shotgun attack, serious neck breaking, getting a team together hooey, face grabbing, silencer hooey, multiple shootouts, a human shield, attempted tea drinking, satellite phone hooey, sniper bait hooey, LAWS rocket attack, junkyard hooey, more shootouts, exploding wall, retractable night stick attack, more neck breaking, brick to the head, zip ties hooey, tracking device hooey, multiple hand-to-hand brawls, smoke bomb attack, sleeper hold, a nifty gas mask trick, truck stealing, car window punching, hot wiring, old car stealing, off screen clothes stealing, car attack, a wicked knee to the face, motorcycle hooey, exploding plane, even more shootouts, more hand-to-hand brawls, mega neck snap, a final fight, super kick city, drop kick, attempted stabbing, and the hope of a third movie.

Kim Richards?: None.

Gratuitous: Drone shots of London at night, Stu Bennett, Stu Bennett using a shotgun, Vinnie Jones, Vinnie Jones saying “lads,” a guard needing to pee, Stu Bennett fighting Vinnie Jones hand-to-hand, a bulletproof hockey mask, Stu Bennett beating up bad guys with a retractable night stick, multiple martial arts fight, off screen clothes stealing, Stu Bennett and Vinnie Jones riding a motorcycle together, Stu Bennett using multiple pro wrestling moves to take out bad guys, and the hope of a third movie.

Best lines: “Who the fuck are you? And what do you want?,” “You want me to bring Teague in alive?,” “Everybody. This is John Gold,” “What is all this?,” “As I live and breathe. John Gold,” “Hold on to your balls back there,” “Pleasure to meet you, Mr. Gold. Likewise,” “Maybe we should offer her a job,” “Any last words? Prepare to be deeply embarrassed,” “Stop dicking around and kill him!,” “You’re amazing but give it up,” “Is this what you want? Is this what you fucking want?,” “Hey John! John! You’re killing him!,” “Just some chick?,” “Who is that? The daughter of a man I killed a long time ago,” “I’ve gotta say, fighting you has been a bit of a thrill for me,” “Fuck me! You’re like herpes I can’t get rid of you!,” “But where are your trousers, though?,” “You know, you may be the most polite mercenary I’ve ever encountered,” “That was quite the entrance,” “Let’s go get these bastards!,” “It’s your choice,” “This ain’t over, John, believe me. This ain’t over,” and “So, how does it feel to be a free man again?”

Rating: 8.0 /10.0

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Things to Watch Out For

–Breach: This is a new low budget Bruce Willis flick, a sci-fi story that was originally called Anti-Life. Willis co-stars alongside Cody Kearsley, Johnny Messner, and Thomas Jane. I interviewed the director, John Suits, back when the movie was in theaters and on Video-On-Demand back at the end of December (you can find the link to the interview in the “interviews” section down below). It’s interesting how Suits also directed the recent “Die Hard” commercial with Willis. Breach isn’t the greatest movie ever made, but it’s worth checking out at least once. Very rentable.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OR_ce_9NRks

–Archenemy: I managed to catch this low budget sort of superhero flick last year, with star Joe Manganiello putting in a terrific performance as a homeless guy that thinks he’s a superhero from another dimension. It’s a little odd at times, but the cast is generally good (Skylan Brooks does a good job as an aimless young man that does a series of internet videos on Manganiello’s Max Fist as a freelance assignment for some website. And Zolee Griggs is excellent as his sister Indigo). The story drags a bit in the middle, but it has a worthwhile conclusion. There are also some nifty animated sequences to help with the backstory (it was cheaper than trying to film any of the stuff that’s in the animated sequences). Definitely worth checking out.

–Host: This is the low budget horror flick that was made during the pandemic last year and was a bit of a sensation among horror nerds when it debuted on Shudder. I still haven’t checked it out yet, but with the movie making its home video debut what better time to check it out? The plot sounds kind of wonky (a bunch of people do some sort of séance over Zoom and end up getting attacked or some bullshit) but, as long as you can accept the premise the movie is probably unnerving. I’m surprised we didn’t see more “horror stuff happens over a Zoom call” horror flicks last year. Maybe we’ll start seeing them this year?

Next Issue: We celebrate Debuary with the low budget slasher flick Bleed starring Debbie Rochon!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ydbo0xAUs_I

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Well, I think that’ll be about it for now. Don’t forget to sign up with disqus if you want to comment on this article and any other 411 article. You know you want to, so just go do it.

B-movies rule. Always remember that.

I Am Vengeance: Retaliation

Stu Bennett– John Gold
Vinnie Jones– Sean Teague
Katrina Durden– Jen Quaid
Phoebe Robinson-Galvin– Kate Lynch
Sam Benjamin– Shapiro
Bentley Kalu– Renner
Jessica-Jane Stafford– Pearl
Mark Griffin– Frost