Avengement (I) (2019) User Reviews (251)

SCOTT ADKINS SHOULD BE THE PUNISHER

[lukem-52760 · 7/10 · 8 October 2020]

Scott Adkins is the absolute best of the DTV action genre stars, he puts out extremely violent & bone-crunching action Thriller's that often feel like the old skool raw action films of the past such as the types of flicks Van Damme & Steven Seagal would've made back in like 1991 or something. Adkins is the New Van Damme of today, i don't know why he isn't a huge action star? I mean he should be as big a star as Jason Statham but for some reason isn't there? There's definitely something old skool about Adkins & i love it, he's the greatest fighter out there in films today & nearly every film I've seen him in he's Awesome!!!

I absolutely love his Ninja films & his Debt Collector films & many more, he's genuinely a good actor & an incredible fighter on screen & has a Cool charm.

Here in this Very violent & gritty British Thriller our Adkins plays Cain, a guy who is down on his luck & gets mixed up with his older Gangsta brother that gets him put in the toughest prison in England & here he becomes a warrior as he is hunted every day by other Criminals who want him dead & we get some outstanding fight scenes that are truly savage & extremely brutal & Adkins is superb as he becomes a hardened warrior.

This is a revenge Thriller & once Cain escapes his prison life he sets out on a violent quest of revenge against the one's who set him up & put a price on his head in prison, his own big brother!!! Adkins basically becomes The Punisher & it's Awesome!!! Adkins really gives it his all here with his extraordinary performance & shows he's as good as any of the other big British actors such as Tom Hardy & Jason Statham. The fights are Amazing to watch & full of blood splatter & broken bones, Adkins is a killing machine here but it's his situation that made him that way & we root for him to kill them all. This has some of the greatest fight sequences I've seen in a long time & especially for a DTV film, they're Amazing.

Scott Adkins makes quality films & puts his everything into them so it doesn't matter at all that alot of his films are "Cheap" low-budget flicks because he makes better stuff more often than what's at the cinema with mega-budgets!!!

I so wish someone would cast him in a new Punisher movie as he's perfect.

Avengement is a quality revenge Thriller that's full of violent action & some very funny humour scattered throughout & a great performance from the underrated Adkins.

The greatest Bar Fight ever is featured in this kick-ass brutal Action crime drama.

Better than expected

[kme-194-438558 · 7/10 · 31 May 2019]

A better than average fight movie. I was pleasantly surprised to find that it has a decent story and is played out nicely being interspersed by brutal but realistic fight scenes. The tension is kept up by some good storytelling without you having to think too hard. Definitely worth a watch and will have me curious to see if Mr. Adkins and co can reproduce it again, maybe next time with a few more twists.

Avengement is a dish ...

[kosmasp · 8/10 · 27 October 2019]

Actually it is not really a dish. It may be a beverage though and therefor it is not a surprise it is served cold. Analogies aside, this movie is quite something with a lot of action, but also a lot of story to back the whole thing up. More than your regular action B-movie that is.

Now all that is nicely packed in flashbacks and "current" happenings. And the editing and the way it is pieced together works in favor of the movie and the suspense. You don't have to be a fan of Scott Adkins, but this movie surely does show his range.

Scott Adkins re-teams with director Jesse V. Johnson for Fast, Crazy Action Packed Good Time!

[canike07 · 7/10 · 25 May 2019]

I look forward to every Scott Adkins movie, I grew up watching anything that had Van Damme's name attached to it. Adkins is today's Van Damme! His movies are pure entertainment and everything I love about action films. Avengement is another win for him. It wastes no time getting down to the action and the story had me totally hooked in his transformation from regular guy to a man with nothing to lose out for revenge. The fighting choreography in the film is not the same style as in undisputed, triple threat etc. it's quick, brutal and a damn good time.

Guaranteed good action movie

[juzer03 · 7/10 · 28 May 2019]

Talk about a great action movie.. This one is just awesome. Scott Adkins was amazing.. I want to see him taken on more bad ass person action role. The story is new.. not predictable so very much likable

Adkins finds his groove (and accent)

[CountJonnie · 6/10 · 18 September 2019]

Adkins plays a man who escapes from prison, only to hunt the people who betrayed him. Story-wise, there is zero surprise here. But the biggest plus from this movie is the pacing, the gritty atmosphere and a convincing Scott Adkins who after some pretty bad and repetitive movies finally found his rhytm. Acting, facial expressions, voice (accent) etc. fall neatly in place and the action scenes are plenty, without acrobatics, but decent, hard and entertaining. This makes me wanna see more from Scott Adkins and Jesse Johnson.

Slow paced revenge movie

[danielcereto · 7/10 · 27 May 2019]

This is a slow paced revenge movie. I like Scott Adkins movies because from time to time are quite original and brutal. Best one was Boyka, and this movie mixed the best of Boyka with a kind of Lock&stock two smoking barrels ambiance. The action is brutal and the main character characterization pretty well done. Overall a solid action movie.

Definitely should break out but probably won't

[studleymoore2027-177-110186 · 9/10 · 30 May 2019]

Both Jesse V Johnson and Scott Adkins should be making bigger budgeted films than this by now. Their body of work together alone deserves it. That said, if they continue to make such polished B movie fare as this then long may their reign continue!! This is how you take a small budget and make a big statement!! Adkins has turned in his best performance to date by far!! Johnson has created a genre piece for the ages although alot of credit goes to Lorentz in the editing. The fight scenes in this absolutely nailed the tone of the story, they weren't flash spin kicks or any over the top Tae Kwon Do, Luke Lafontaine was spot on in this respect, just brutal on screen carnage!! I like Tim Man's choreography in previous Johnson/Adkins efforts but it would have been unrealistic in this. All the actors involved were solid, Fairbrass included, which I never thought I would say. In summary this film both cracks bones and should allow Adkins and Johnson to crack on to bigger and better things

Savage Crime Film

[Pairic · 7/10 · 30 March 2020]

Avengement: Not horror as such but certainly horrific. Cain (Scott Adkins) feels that he has been betrayed/abandoned by his crime boss brother after he is imprisoned. On compassionate release he beats up his guards and escapes. He holds his brothers gang at'gunpoint in a pub and the back story unfolds. A truly savage tale, non-stop fights and attacks in prison leave Cain scarred mentally and physically but he's a MMA and survives but continuously has his sentence extended. The prison violence is the least of the horrors in this film though as hands are chopped off with an axe and a foot shot off etc. Not for the squeamish or faint of heart. A crime/revenge story with some intriguing twists written and Directed by Jesse V. Johnson. 7/10. On Netflix.

One of Scott Adkins best and most gripping performances yet - Avengement is full of blood, beers and banter

[TheMelancholySpirit · 14 November 2020]

Scott Adkins has probably just showcased his best role since the inception of Boyka, for me anyway. I wasn't going to put this one off too long, and with it being only around eighty + minutes in runtime I thought it would be a great albeit blood soaked flick for a Saturday night. I was right. For me this was a great eighty + minutes spent, with Adkins giving his most enjoyable overall role since Undisputed III (yet to see Boyka: Undisputed in its entirety). The film wasn't overdone and it didn't rely on extreme choreography to make it exhilarating or memorable, but rather a gripping, sad, and violent backstory and a solid lead. The cast, make no exception because of its small spread, makes it all the more good with their smug comments and disrespect, and it's quite funny how unbeknownst they are to it until Adkins gives a very vivid description on past events. The film divulges into his past, why he's doing what he's doing, who's behind this and that, and to add to it further brings in a lot of sadness/melancholy (his mother passing because of cancer, everything he's gone through to get to here). Maybe not the most enthralling action crime film to have existed, but this was a fully enjoyable, well-executed, well-paced film with enough gore, guts, and giggles to keep you watching.

You can add Cain Burgess to the list of Toughest SOBs in films. Adkins was an absolute monster in this film in regards to some scenes. Some scenes especially display a level of violence that can make you cringe (the stairs and teeth scene, the napalm scene, etc). Adkins' character in Avengement is vicious, angry, and unhinged, but as he said himself, the "clearest he'd been thinking in years.." I would rate Avengement 8/10, and this is based on backstory/plot, the protagonist (and performance), the antagonist (and again, their performance), directing, sound/score (the somewhat melancholic lead throughout is great), and the action/choreography (like I said, not reliant on this but it's definitely heavily involved, given the fact it's a gut-wrenching action first and foremost, but it doesn't overshadow the entire narrative). No, it's not huge budget (which to be honest I don't care for anyway), it's not a masterpiece by any means, and it isn't even my fav film he's been apart of/has the lead in - but I really enjoyed it from start to finish, and there are barely any complaints. I think it's a good one. Yeah, definitely a good one.

Don't believe the high ratings

[kjjames81 · 3/10 · 4 August 2019]

Now before anyone says different, I am an Adkins fan and yes it must be difficult when there is a budget limit to the movies your making, so there has to be limits.

But what people have missed is what gives small budget films a bad name is full in this film.

For Instance, not to far in the film there is a scene in a bar where Adkins takes on a few bad guys and yes you have guessed right, he fights them one by one while six others look on. Let's be real about this, nobody would stand by and watch, so if those who watched all ran aft Adkins then it would have been a different story.

Also Adkins, now no Oscar winner actor but grimaced all through his scenes, come on let's have one time when the anti hero doesn't have to look in pain all the time.

This is a very bad British movie that makes us look bad.

Superb British gangster movie from Scott freaking Adkins

[phanthinga · 10/10 · 27 May 2019]

Out of all the movies Scott Adkins has done in 2019 for me Avengement takes the cake as the best one so far and it also another reason why I think he needs to stick with director Jesse V. Johnson and writer Stu Mall as long as possible in the low budget action movie scene. I heard many people on the Internet praise the hell out of Scott for delivering the best performance of his life in the role of Cain Burgess an escaped convict on the way to return all the disgusting stuff his life throws at him and they were right because I hope he keeps testing his acting range like this because Avengement is one hard-ass movie with some of the bloodiest action scene I saw from Scott since Universal Soldier: Day of Reckoning. Seriously I love watching Scott chew the hell out of every scenery he in and once the movie got to the climax fight it even more beautiful than I thought but one tiny thing that holds back the movie from perfection is how Cain let that Bez chick alive after what she did to him

Come on, then!

[Pjtaylor-96-138044 · 7/10 · 24 February 2020]

I don't think anyone can deny that 'Avengement (2019)' was made purely as a vehicle for its violent action scenes. It's lucky, then, that the action is as spectacular as you'd hope. It's brutal, ferocious and visible, shot surprisingly well considering the clearly low-budget nature of the overall affair. The narrative that surrounds it isn't devoid of merit, either. The picture plays out almost exclusively in flashback, with the present essentially being a framing device. The flick has a strong sense of escalating tension, which inevitably explodes in a protracted and fulfilling finale. The central character is also more interesting than his raged-out, always-shouting introduction would have you believe. His transformation from man who made a mistake to near-psychopathic killer is convincing and tragic. Of course, the movie does play almost exclusively in London gangster tropes. It works about as well as can be expected but there's no real subversion or, even, self-awareness. The thing also shoehorns in some 'good intentions' at the last minute to prevent the piece from being entirely, selfishly revenge-based. It's a nice idea but isn't given enough time to breathe. In the end, though, the affair is undeniably entertaining. It starts out a little rough but it soon finds its groove. It isn't great, but it's much better than it should have been. I really enjoyed it. 7/10

Averagement

[iamtherobotman · 2/10 · 14 October 2020]

Open a tin of beans and you find beans. Watch any London 'hard man' film and you find the same actors time and again. Not only the same actors, but pretty much the same dialogue.

This is, in a nut shell any 'Gangster' or 'Hooligan' film you've ever seen based in London. It's Football factory meets Lock, Stock and Two smoking Barrels meets Layer Cake, meets Rocknrolla. If you've seen one, you've seen them all. Personally i find them all more like comedies to be honest, watching their little screwed up noses as they attempt to menacingly deliver the same regurgitated lines. They seem to think using the same 3 'bad' words on a loop is tough. It's comedy gold, though i highly doubt that's the effect they're looking for( other than Lock Stock).

In short, if you've ever seen a London 'hard man' film, you know the script before the opening titles of this monstrosity begin to roll, you know exactly who's going to be in it. Just avoid it. There's no point watching the same film a dozen times.

Cain cheerleader!

[marielhare · 7/10 · 29 February 2020]

Really liked the movie but would have liked to see cain on a beach somewhere atthe end with a drink and a suitcase of cash for himself as well. He was one of the victims too. He deserved a happy ending.

No brainier. It was all about the action and it was surprisingly good.

[cynicsick · 6/10 · 27 May 2019]

I'll just say it that the story is pretty bad, like a 3/10. The opening music was almost enough for me to give up but I'm thankful that I didn't. I'm also not a fan of British films either because they usually have ramblings in the script with too many unrealistic characters. The fight scenes reminds me of Jet Li's Unleashed. Good camera work and in your face not like that full of cuts and shaky camera effect. Its no BS, its raw and violent.and there are plenty of it here until the end.

This one is raw and violent as it should be.

Old skool action & beautifully done

[daggersineyes · 7/10 · 23 September 2019]

I'm not a huge action fan but I enjoy a good action flick from time to time. Loved Bruce Lee, Jason Statham, Jet Li, Jean Reno & Clive Owen so you can tell I'm more into the choreography of fight scenes & story lines than just brutal violence for the sake of it. I did not know Scott Adkins name till I watched this on Netflix & came across it randomly. In fact I knew so little (but recognized some of the other actors) that for a moment a got confused & thought I was watching an older movie. Because this one has the feeling of old school 80's action flicks. The lighting, the sound, the dialogue, clothing & décor in the pub - if not for the sudden appearance of smart phones & the style of the few cars you see it would be possible to assume this was at least 20 years old.

All of which is a long winded way of saying - this is a must watch movie for any fans of action movies for whatever reason they like them. It has the two minimum required settings (jail & pub) & the villains & "innocent" victims along with a great "ordinary bloke pushed to limit seeks revenge" story line.

The fight scenes are nasty - in a good way & extremely brutal (if you're squeamish you might find this too much) but also include some fine footwork & spins etc that made me happy.

The dialogue is not that imaginative to be honest but that fits in perfectly with the throw back feel to the production. This is purely about the fighting. THe narrative is the window dressing.

I loved it and I have a new action movie fave.

Entertaining and violent action

[Paynebyname · 7/10 · 15 November 2019]

Sometimes, when you are flicking through Netflix deciding what to watch, it can be hard to find something that gives you what you want but offers a little sweet surprise. This film gave me that.

I knew it would be rough and tough but the story held me, the acting didn't lose me and the set up with the fighting enthralled me. It wasn't flashy but it had a proper rawness to it, which was entertaining to behold.

For those times when you can't be arsed to commit to a big blockbuster or be educated by a film stuffed full of social commentary, thank god that there are still films like this that give you solid, adult, action fare.

Not bad, better than I anticipated.

[alexandrakisalexander · 8/10 · 5 June 2019]

I don't think the story was the best, but the fight scenes kept me engaged. A stellar performance from Scott Atkins. This is is the first movie of his I have watched. And I really enjoyed it and will probably watch one of his movies in the future.

If you like brawler films...

[tobiasklaye · 6/10 · 28 May 2019]

... This is right up your street. I do, and I did.

Atrocious fun

[kevin_barry-28220 · 2/10 · 23 September 2019]

Gave it 2 to counteract the maniacal 9's. Its a good violent knockabout movie, really violent, plot wrote on back of a packet and acting out of second rate eastenders! Enjoyable rubbish.

Scott Adkins is getting better

[videosfriend · 8/10 · 24 May 2019]

Scott Adkins is a good actor, but he has a bad taste in choosing his work. The film showed that his taste is getting better. The film was well-structured and its combat scenes seemed realistic and overall worth watching.

This was an amazing movie...

[paul_haakonsen · 7/10 · 29 June 2019]

Well, truth be told then I've never really had much of an interest in Scott Adkins. Sure, he have some fair enough movies to his belt, but he just never really managed to stand out in the vastness of action and martial arts movies.

But still, I was given the chance to watch the 2019 "Avengement" movie, so I did. I didn't really sit down with much anticipation or expectations to the movie, to be bluntly honest.

I am glad that I did, because "Avengement" turned out to be amazingly entertaining, and I dare even say that it is by far the best Scott Adkins movie that I have ever seen. The movie has a good storyline, and the characters are nicely fleshed out and bring a lot of individual flavor to the movie. Director and writer Jesse V. Johnson managed to create a really interesting movie here with "Avengement". It was a great combination of story, characters and lots and lots of action.

Scott Adkins was superb in the role of Cain Burgess and he carried the movie phenomenally. This might very well be a turning point for my perception of Scott Adkins and I might have to watch more of his movies.

If you enjoy action movies, then "Avengement" is definitely a movie that you should consider. I was genuinely surprised with the outcome of the movie, and I certainly hadn't expected anything this intense or entertaining. If you get the chance, sit down and watch it, especially if you enjoy a good old traditioned action movie.

Avengement is highly recommended!

[tarbosh22000 · 7/10 · 30 June 2022]

When Cain Burgess (Adkins) escapes from prison, he wants to have a talk with his brother Lincoln Burgess (Fairbrass). It's pretty important. So he heads over to the hangout of Lincoln and his criminal crew, the Horse & Jockey pub in London. While there, Cain doesn't let anybody leave the premises until he unravels the whole tale of how he got to be in the position he's in. In a series of flashbacks, Cain explains his pain - and his transformation from low-level, basically harmless wannabe criminal into a hardened, angry, grizzled monster.

It seems his prison stay was made far harder than it should have been due to the fact of a certain person putting a price on his head. So Cain had to train hard - and fight harder - just to stay alive while inside. Through the flashbacks, we learn that Detective O'Hara (Mandylor) is looking to put an end to Lincoln's crime ring. But Cain ends up having other ideas...ones that involve unrelenting, bloody AVENGEMENT.

From the Comeuppance Reviews dictionary: AVENGEMENT (avenj-mint) - the quality or state of Scott Adkins punching, kicking, shooting, or breaking your limbs until he gets justice.

Avengement is a film that concentrates much more on brutal violence than director and frequent Adkins collaborator Jesse V. Johnson's The Butcher (2009), or even the more recent Accident Man (2018). Here, Johnson and Adkins strip away the fat and deliver a nice, concise tale that moves swiftly along and delivers the sort of tough, strong entertainment we as viewers want to see.

We liked the unorthodox structure of the film, bouncing back and forth between the past and the present as the plot unfolds. We also liked that Adkins gets to show his range here - from a "normal" guy to a terrifying, barking dog that's been put through a very hard wringer of life. The prison beatdowns are fantastic, as is the final pub brawl. But some important later scenes show that Cain hasn't completely lost his humanity. During the prison scenes, his training is intercut with the fighting, instead of one following the other. That was pleasantly different.

There's a certain, very enjoyable London atmosphere to it all, and a lot of slang is used, so for American viewers, putting on the captions might be advised. Lincoln's gang all add a lot of color, and the whole thing makes Guy Ritchie movies look like Mister Rogers episodes. The score by Sean Murray includes some great synthy moments that reference the 80's, but are far from a slavish copy of them. We commend him for that, and all the behind-the-scenes people did a great job - it's shot well, lit well, etc. It all adds up to total entertainment, as strong and forceful as it is.

We hope Johnson and Adkins continue to collaborate in the future. They obviously work well together and if this is the upward trajectory that they're on, we can't wait to see what's coming next.

Avengement is highly recommended. And watch out for the after-credits sequence.