I Am Vengeance: Retaliation (2020) Review

Directed By: Ross Boyask

Starring: Stu Bennett, Vinnie Jones, Katrina Durden, Phoebe Robinson-Galvin, Mark Griffin, Sam Benjamin, Jessica-Jane Stafford

Synopsis: Former special-forces soldier John Gold is given the opportunity to bring Sean Teague – the man who betrayed his team on their final mission in Eastern Europe several years ago – to justice. Gold would cheerfully see Teague dead, but he is convinced to help transport him to a military prison to pay for his crimes. Along the way, Gold will have to fight off Teague’s team who are attempting to extract him, as well as a sniper seemingly hell-bent on killing Teague before he can be secured.

Review: John Gold returns and this time he is part of a mini Expendables-esque team.

I recently only watched the first movie. i thoroughly enjoyed it. The second installment was no different. The movies opening was awesome and it reminded us how badass Gold actually is. Stu really plays this role to perfection and makes John Gold a charismatic, caring yet a menacing hero. He is the guy you would want as a friend rather than an enemy.

This entry was flat out balls to the wall action!! Ross opened up the world of John Gold and gave us a taste of what his former world looked like. This time around we get to see John work along with a team. It sets for a different dynamic, this story isn’t as dark as the previous entry. The first one involved drugs and brutal killings. This time it feels more like an all around actioner. to make a comparison in story terms etc its like the tone shift from The Expendables to The Expendables 2. Not as serious but the action is packed and amped, locked and loaded! Such a fun movie.

Katrina Durden plays Jen. She’s a member of Golds team and she stole the show. If anyone was to play Lara Croft i would love to see her in the role. While mentioning martial arts, Jean Paul Ly is also a member of Golds team and gets a fight scene at the end. Jean Paul Ly may have been a little under used but it was great to see him in action. Jennifer Lee Moon also stars in a meaty role. She was incredible, she reminded me of a female Ninja Rambo combo. What an amazing character with also a cool backstory and connection to Gold.

Vinnie Jones plays our lead bad guy. I never tire of seeing Vinnie on screen he has a certain awe about him and when he plays a bad guy he really does go for it. Vinnie plays Sean Teague a former comrade of Golds. He is tough and loyal to the job, he refuses to back down from Gold and the assassin trying to kill him. Going back to my review of the first entry where i made a commando comparison. Teague reminded me alot of Bennett from Commando. Teague and Gold throwdown a few times throughout the movie, one upping eachother until the finale.

Overall the movie is a love letter to action movies. Its not to be taken serious. From the moment the film starts rolling and the bullets start flying you can see Ross Boyask has written a love letter to the classic actioners we all love. Movies that wont win an oscar, but they will get watched over and over and over!! So actions fans! If you love Commando, Rambo, the old school Canon & PM Entertainment movies or to be recent The Expendables and John Wick. Check this out for sure.

Ross is proving to be quite the action director wearing his heart on his sleeve and making movies that made him and us all very happy growing up and with leading man Stu Bennett by his side they are becoming a powerhouse that could well rival Scott Adkins and Jesse V Johnson.

I Am Vengeance: Retaliation is a bullet riddled, fist flying rollercoaster ride. I cant wait to see another John Gold adventure. To get in on the old school feel, a Die Hard type scenario would be unreal for a third movie.