By Romey Norton - November 11, 2024
The Avenger is the nitty, gritty drama based on the true story of a father on a revenge rampage to find his kidnapped daughter. The film stars Deji LaRay, Honor Kneafsey, Mark Harris, and Anna Nightingale.
Character Matt Hollis takes his wife and daughter on their dream trip to LA to help lift their spirits after recently losing their son. Their world is once again shattered when Matt’s wife is violently attacked and their daughter Lara is kidnapped by a child sex trafficking ring. There’s a 72-hour window before Lara is gone forever, and while Matt pursues the kidnappers, he’s being hunted by police as they believe he is the one who has taken Lara. He can’t do this alone, so enlists the help of an old Special Forces friend.
The film opens with some hard-hitting statistics and clearly demonstrates the film’s purpose is not to only entertain, but to raise awareness around sex trafficking and abduction. Highlighting when and where these usually happen - in motels and spas - and who is most likely to be vulnerable.
The Avenger has a similar style to films like Taken, Stolen Away, and The Missing, but with a daytime drama feel. While the story is easy to understand, it does take time to get going and for the action to start. There’s a lot of talking - to help understand the family and build that rapport and allegiance. And then around traffickers, their motives, intentions, and actions.
There were times I wanted a little more drive, determination, and action. This would have upped the intensity and made the film more gripping. However, the scenes between a female trafficker and the child are compelling - the script is well written here and shows the horrors of what these people do and say to children.
The kidnapping scene is quite brutal, and filled with intensity and high emotion. The acting throughout is to a decent, high standard with everyone giving believable performances. The way it’s shot, with minimal music, does create a very realistic setting.
As the film progresses, the pace remains slow with a lot of standing around and talking. Matt finds the gang and attempts to buy his daughter back, but is found out and finally, we have some action. There are fight scenes, gunshots, and a fire!
The ending is predictable but still satisfying. The father gets his revenge, and the gang gets what’s coming to them. Then it takes quite a sad turn, which is surprising, and leaves its audience on a cliff-hanger. Overall, The Avenger is an entertaining drama, but lacks the action to warrant a second watch.
The Avenger is out now on digital platforms
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