Bound to Vengeance – Movie Review (4/5)

Bound to Vengeance is my kind of feel-good movie!

Bound to Vengeance already sounds like my kind of movie at first glance. With a plot that goes like this: “A young girl, chained in the basement of a sexual predator, escapes and turns the tables on her captor”, I knew this would be a feel-good movie for me!

I’m not kidding, this really is the way I feel about Bound to Vengeance.

It’s the same with movies like You’re Next or I Spit on Your Grave. Or even a movie like Jennifer’s Body (which in my opinion is very underrated). I just like vengeance movies, okay?!

I don’t even care what language they’re in or what the lead character is avenging – themselves or someone else – I just truly enjoy the feeling of things being set right in the world. And yeah, I know these movies tend to have a point of “nothing good comes of it”, but still, it’s good fun seeing the underdog get their day.

Is Bound to Vengeance unrealistic?

I’ve seen reviews talk about how unrealistic Bound to Vengeance is, but I really don’t see it that way. Sure, there’s some luck involved, but mostly it’s just anger and adrenalin that keep our hero (or mine, in any case) going.

And let’s just be honest; It really doesn’t turn out too well in the beginning! In fact, it’s a pretty grim way to start. But that doesn’t keep Eve (Tina Ivlev) from continuing on her quest. Of course not! Her goal is to get every girl to freedom and she has the means to get it done.

Also, I have to say that Richard Tyson is really perfect in his portrayal of Phil, who has been keeping Eve trapped. He’s such an average Joe and you can’t really hate him off the bat. Rest assured though, you’ll find a reason to soon enough.

Still, the absolute star is Tina Ivlev, who I really don’t remember having seen before even though she’s been guest-starring in several big TV shows. In Bound to Vengeance, she just delivers the perfect image of the girl next door who’s had enough. She’s nobody special, but she has the chance to do something special. And she takes full advantage of this opportunity.

I especially liked how we keep digging into her story of having been held captive, which plays in beautifully with the ending. And yes, I even liked the ending – usually, the endings can be a bit too tame for my liking.

The creative minds of vengeance

The script was written by Rock Shaink Jr., who only has a few shorts on his resume, and Keith Kjornes, who’s done a few shorts and feature films (such as The Devil’s Tomb). The story worked really well for me overall. Every time I felt it was beginning to run in circles, then something new would happen to push the plot forward.

The director is José Manuel Cravioto, who previously worked on short films as well as a few documentaries. Part of Bound to Vengeance did have a bit of a documentary feel to it – or maybe I’ve just watched too many documentaries about human trafficking and that’s why I felt this way.

In any case, if you like vengeance-themed movies, then this is one of the best I’ve seen in recent times. Give it a shot – and have a feel-good time with it.

Bound to Vengeance is out on Blu-ray and Digital now!

Details

Director: José Manuel Cravioto
Writer: Rock Shaink Jr. & Keith Kjornes
Cast: Tina Ivlev, Richard Tyson, Bianca Malinowski, Kristoffer Kjornes, Stephanie Charles

Plot

A young girl, chained in the basement of a sexual predator, escapes and turns the tables on her captor.