FANTASIA 2020: Brutal Home Invasion for No Other Reason Than FOR THE SAKE OF VICIOUS
For The Sake of Vicious indeed! The self reflecting title is one most well deserved in this brutal home invasion melee marathon of a film. Punching its way through the screens of Fantasia, this indie-thriller is not to be messed with! It’s an angry, gritty and mean ride into the heart of vengeance and the violent storm it brings to the doorstep of an unsuspecting nurse at the end of an already long day.
Romina (Lora Burke) has come home from her long day as a nurse to relax and embark on a night of trick or treat fun with her son. But when she opens the door she only finds trouble and a bloodied man lying on her kitchen. Swift kicks and punches are exchanged only to halt when the intruder reveals himself to be Chris (Nick Smyth) a grieving father and someone in need of her help. The man on the floor is bleeding out and Chris needs him alive. Romina recognizes the dying man as her landlord Alan (Colin Paradine) but Chris calls him a child rapist. This is the man who raped his daughter and he must pay. Romina remembers, she was the one who treated his daughter. The two then become judge and executioner over Alan as Romina demands a confession before agreeing to assist Chris’s torturous revenge. Despite the behest of several hammerfalls to the knees and pry bar love taps Chris’s savage violence isn’t enough to coerce a confession from Alan. Romina agrees to let Alan go, that is until a phone call is made and an army of biker hitmen are summoned to her home by outside influence.
One by one the devil masked assailants burst into her home and an absolute slugfest ensues. Knives, screwdrivers, table legs and anything that can batter or bruise are wielded as brutal close quarters combat wreaks chaos. Bodies lines halls and blood coats over the wallpaper in fantastic splashes of violent ends. Chris and Romina fight for their lives in stunningly choreographed action sequences that absolutely fill the room with adrenaline. Claustrophobic and without a second to spare, every inch of the knife is felt as the marathon of melee brings closure to Chris and Romina learns that evil has many masks in the hearts of man.
The pulsating action of For The Sake of Vicious is one of absolute terror and thrives on it’s snap action cinematography. The camera captures every fist, neck snap and severed artery with a forced intimacy that leaves you with nowhere to turn. At its most dramatic peaks, the actors deliver emotional performances that seethe on screen with their anger and struggle to survive not just the violence but the burden of revenge. Chris is driven to it by a failed court system, Romina by a revelation of harm but when the blood has been shed, what is left?
Delivering both an emotional and visceral punch to the gut, For The Sake of Vicious may be seen as a contender for “Best Of” coming out of the Fantasia film festival. It’s ability to pump adrenaline with surgical precision makes for a teeth gritting home invasion thriller and it’s guaranteed to have your heart racing behind every door, corner and hallway.
