Review of Vengeance Is Mine

But I had questions about her character's behavior. We meet her husband early on, and he's a complete jerk---bossy, needy, controlling. Despite their separation, he wants to sleep with her, an action that Brooke (Jo) obviously doesn't want to happen---yet the next scene is them in a hotel room. Why would she even consider that? When she changes her mind about sex, the husband gets mad--they drive away together (why does she get in the car with him?) He drives like a maniac, scaring Jo who starts throwing the contents of his glove compartment out the window. He stops in a rage, they argue--then he takes a pair of scissors and starts hacking her hair off. Yes--this really happens.

Gladly, that's the last we see of her husband.

She then becomes embroiled with a dysfunctional family--unpredictably hostile mother, suffering husband and daughter. This husband isn't violent--he's just dull as dishwater. The daughter is great--well played by the young actress. Brooke Adams does her best acting as this daughter's protector. But after awhile I wondered why didn't she just leave---the husband was there---and she had a job waiting in Seattle. Just leave, Jo. You don't need this nightmare.

This is a grim story---well acted, yes. But I started to wonder what was the point? The whole story of her adoptive mother and her real mother was never really explored like it could've been--so why have it in there at all?