Media

Home Theater Movie Renter's Guide - June, 2012

"Act of Vengeance" (Blu-ray) - Reviewed by Jim Milton

Synopsis

After an unsuccessful and bloody raid in Istanbul , two Turkish anti-terrorist agents are sent to New York City on a mission to capture a notorious terrorist known only as ''Dejjal'' (Arabic for Anti-Christ). Working with the FBI and NYPD, the agents orchestrate the arrest of a suspect who may or not be the notorious Dejjal, but when events escalate, the foreign agents must take things in their own hands to avert disaster.

Commentary

I quickly realized that the 3 American actors in this movie are basically tools used to help promote this Turkish produced film which ham-fistedly tries to show that Islam can be good or bad, depending how you use it. O.K….I get that. What I don't get is how this sluggish plot developement leaves you with any opinion other than "ho-hum". Acts of terrorism are followed by words of benevolence so you the viewer can understand that there are two sides to any assumption. (I wonder why there is an Arabic word for anti-Christ? Would it not be an anti-Mohammed?). The ending was not the wicked shocker the director was hoping for, because I knew that the peace loving guy would be eventually killed in an "act of vengeance". Rodney King was right to ask, "Can't we all just get along?". The answer is…not today.

Technical

The picture quality has a few moments of clarity, but like the script, most of the scenes appear out of focus. The cinematography seems to favor a single object in the foreground, while the rest of the shot is out of focus. I also suspect that this was not shot digitally as flecks and spots would appear from time to time. Not a lot, but it was noticeable. Sound quality was mediocre too. An occasional explosion would move the sub around, but not often enough. This flick has the look and sound of a "made for TV" show.

Extras

Trailers and commentary.