The reasonably entertaining psychological thriller "Revenge" stars Joan Collins and James Booth as Carol and Jim Radford, a couple grieving over the rape & murder of their youngest child. Due to the insistence of his friend Harry (Ray Barrett) and son Lee (Tom Marshall), Jim ends up kidnapping the man, Seely (Kenneth Griffith), who was accused of the crime but ultimately let go due to insufficient evidence. Jim, a pub owner, keeps Seely in his basement, and this development sparks all kinds of dramatic conflicts between the people in the house, including Lees' girlfriend Rose (the lovely Sinead Cusack) and Jims' daughter Jill (Zuleika Robson).
First off, a word of warning that people suckered in by false advertising, which attempted to sell this as a horror film (!), may be disappointed. (Although the horrors that man is capable of do figure into the plot.) The abduction of Seely merely serves as a catalyst for all the melodrama that results. Particularly of interest is the relationship between Lee and his stepmother Carol. It's likely to amuse some of those in the audience. The movie as a whole is nothing special, but its story (by John Kruse) is absorbing enough to carry it for about 90 minutes.
The acting is generally solid, with Collins cast against type and doing a fine job. Griffith does illicit some sympathy for his character for a while; we're given doubts as to whether the man is actually guilty of such heinous crimes. Cusack is appealing in one of her earliest big screen appearances. Cult director Sidney Hayers ("Burn Witch Burn", "Circus of Horrors") guides things with efficiency if not style; the filmmaking overall is adequate. Effective pacing helps - the opening credits are over very quickly and Hayers wastes no time in getting things started.
Towards the end, you DO start to sense where all of this is going.
Seven out of 10.
First off, a word of warning that people suckered in by false advertising, which attempted to sell this as a horror film (!), may be disappointed. (Although the horrors that man is capable of do figure into the plot.) The abduction of Seely merely serves as a catalyst for all the melodrama that results. Particularly of interest is the relationship between Lee and his stepmother Carol. It's likely to amuse some of those in the audience. The movie as a whole is nothing special, but its story (by John Kruse) is absorbing enough to carry it for about 90 minutes.
The acting is generally solid, with Collins cast against type and doing a fine job. Griffith does illicit some sympathy for his character for a while; we're given doubts as to whether the man is actually guilty of such heinous crimes. Cusack is appealing in one of her earliest big screen appearances. Cult director Sidney Hayers ("Burn Witch Burn", "Circus of Horrors") guides things with efficiency if not style; the filmmaking overall is adequate. Effective pacing helps - the opening credits are over very quickly and Hayers wastes no time in getting things started.
Towards the end, you DO start to sense where all of this is going.
Seven out of 10.