Movies: Vengeance

As social commentary goes, Vengeance opens with a vacuous conversation between main character Ben, a journalist, and singer John Mayer, interwoven with repetitive fillers of “100 percent”, to further emphasise the shallow lives of these people. They live and work in New York city, enjoying the high life and casual, throwaway relationships with women.

This leads us to the character of Abilene Shaw, a woman Ben struggles to recall having hooked up with, when he receives a late-night phone call from her brother Ty reporting her sudden death. The conversation plays out between a bereft Ty and a confused Ben, allowing the truth of the matter to be evaded – that Ben can barely remember Abilene, contrary to Ty’s belief that they were in a serious relationship. Ty insists Ben attend her funeral in her hometown in Texas. Realising the awkward, sensitive nature of the situation, Ben agrees. In Texas, a contrasting, world away from New York City, Ben is acquainted with Abilene’s large immediate family.

Ty has explained he suspects Abilene was murdered and he wants Ben’s help investigating. Selfishly sensing an opportunity to fulfil his recent block in finding a worthwhile work assignment, Ben accepts and reports to his boss that he has a story for a potentially ground-breaking podcast: a not so true crime about a young, white woman who died tragically from the simple result of human excess, but who left behind a seemingly backward family conspiratorially convinced her death was more sinister.

Through Ben’s research and investigation, he encounters the town and its inhabitants, as well as getting to know the family better, his confirmation bias of Abilene having not died suspiciously being fulfilled to the point where he is satisfied his project is complete. The family remain adamant in their theories though. Having shown care and consideration of Ben he decides to continue his quest to indulge their beliefs and close the case, so to speak. However, a crucial, withheld truth to the tale is revealed that seemingly reduces his time spent in Texas and the perspectives he gained to nothing. He pessimistically questions if personal growth and purpose can exist in modern times, whether you’re living the lonely bachelor high life in New York, or among company and low key in Texas.

Vengeance takes on the concept of the present day excess of media consumption, what is true and how the simplest of stories can be blown out of proportion, conspiratorially cycled and rinsed to the point that any truth is lost (all summed up memorably in a speech given by shady character Quentin).

Furthermore, it contrasts the lives of city folk with country folk, challenges assumptions and asks us to face how we are living our lives in modern times. From Ben’s rich, but shallow, void filling lifestyle, to the Shaw family’s more ordinary, uneventful lives, where a fast food restaurant is a highlight and aspirations are mere daydreams, depressingly it seems that even both sides could be equally void of satisfaction.

It also has plenty to say about taking ownership: from the yo-yoing between law enforcement, the entire concept of who is at fault for Abilene’s death, to Ben’s wake up call about how little he seems to invest emotionally in anything.

Whilst already quite a long movie, given the subject matter and numerous characters, it could have been longer, further exploring the varied themes that all play well into one another. The members of the Shaw family are certainly abundant, but their individual stories could have been delved into more. Afterall, it is mentioned that Abilene’s sisters, like her, had grandiose ambition. For one sister, the ambition of simply wanting to be famous, but without any idea of what for, is enough to dissect further, perhaps by making an observation of the desires of nobodies wanting to become somebodies, scrambling for attention among the masses, by any means and as easily as possible (thanks TikTok, amirite?). 

Overall, Vengeance is funny, fresh, well written and acted and though a little bleak, at least the cinematography of the Texas landscapes soothes the viewing experience.