You might be looking at the wrong movie, dude.

I was pleased with what I saw. Cain Burgess just might be more tragic a character than Uri Boyka. What’s worse than him going to a hellhole prison is how everyone else treated him; getting further punished for defending himself, the corrupt cop, the shit-head guards, learning the truth about his brother, etc. It was unexpected to see an almost “doe-eyed” Scott Adkins evolve (or devolve) into a feral animal.

Despite his newfound primal instincts, Adkin’s performance was pretty layered. I liked how he would go from cruel to good humored, or even soft spoken. The fights were nicely brutal yet had the slick rhythm and timing we all expect from him. It was a good balance.

My only real gripe is that I wish the story played out chronologically instead of being told in flashbacks. I get the reason why it was done that way, but I feel like the pay-off would have been sweeter if we experienced Adkin’s path from the start.

I’d definitely like to see Johnson and Adkins team up for another British crime picture. Maybe this time have Adkins as the lead crime boss and go from there.

Very nice! His character does sound interesting. It seems like he used to be good before becoming a vicious killer, and it makes Adkins’ character sound more tragic.

The film has martial arts integrated into the fight scenes. You are going to like this one. Adkins is pretty sympathetic in it.

No, but I do wish Adkins was sent to an island. And no thats not an excuse to remake (AKA ruin) Double Team..

I’m getting vibes of Bronson, Hunger, and Chopper with Avengement, and it sounds like it’s meaner than Guy Ritchie and Matthew Vaughn films

I’m guessing the fight scenes don’t utilize any martial arts? That’s certainly not a deal breaker as Johnson shows that he can shoot any kind of action.

Movies with unlikable characters are hard to pull off since the protagonist and company have to have characteristics and motivations that the audience can somewhat identify with. I’m looking forward to how this gruff experience translates to me.

You mean it wasn’t you that said Boyka is the Papillon of the modern era? 😛