REVIEW: 'My Name Is Vendetta' Focuses on Familial Revenge
by Charles Hartford 11/30/2022
Santo lived a quiet life with his wife Ingrid and their daughter Sofia in the Italian mountains. But when the sins of his past finally catch up to him, Santo soon finds his family shattered and the only road to safety for his daughter is removing those who seek to kill him from this mortal coil in the Italian thriller My Name Is Vendetta, starring Alessandro Gassmann and Ginevra Francesconi.
While there is a fair amount of action in the hour and a half it takes for this revenge tale to play out, the biggest strength that My Name Is Vendetta exhibits is how it explores the evolving bond between Sofia(Francesconi) and Santo(Gassmann). With no prior knowledge of her father's previous life before the movie's events, Sofia has a lot to take in, and as one would expect, she struggles with it throughout the course of the film. Learning her father used to be a killer, and seeing the repercussions of his choices take many of those she holds dear, the film gives her plenty of time and space to develop the obviously complicated feelings she has, while keeping it from bogging down the movie's flow.
The strong, if often strained familial bond shared by Santo and Sofia is wonderfully juxtaposed by the family hunting them. The far greater degree of concern and care for family shown by the protagonists helps keep both of them feeling like the good guys, even as Santo begins to slip into his old habits and his brutal nature is put on display.
Outside of this emotional core that keeps the movie from simply being an ever-increasing body count, My Name Is Vendetta delivers some solid, yet grounded action sequence. Dispencing any flash or overly stylized combat sequences, this film keeps the fights short, hard, and unforgiving. There are few moments where people continue fighting through damage that should put them down. This harsh approach to combat helps keep the film's action grounded and never overshadows the emotional cost of its narrative.
One element I found noticeably lacking in the movie's action sequence is the memorable music. Music can often elevate tension and danger through skillful use, but My Name Is Vendetta feels completely lacking in this department.
The acting in My Name Is Vendetta manages to deliver the action and danger of its narrative in a way that keeps the character's feelings believable but never surpasses being good. Francesconi easily delivers the best performance as Sofia, as the young actor does her best to properly present the torrent of emotions her character wades through over the course of the film.
When all is said and done, My Name Is Vendetta delivers a solid revenge story that brings grounded combat sequences and a strong emotional focus to its narrative. While it never manages to truly excel, fans of this branch of cinema should be able to find enough to appreciate to make it worth the 90-minute ride.
My Name Is Vendetta is streaming now on Netflix.