Netflix’s meek regurgitation of the cinematic Mafia revenge trope
My Name is Vendetta might have a different name and setting but it eventually gets to the same point Mafia movies have for decades. The genre has seen some admirable innovations in plot & character. Even television has developed the spine to sink its teeth into this enigmatic and charming world of crime and violence. But this Italian film is surely not one of them. For all of its big chasing sequences and killing, My Name is Vendetta cannot escape the legacy or the logistics of Mafia movie tropes. The film follows Vito (Federico Luppi), a young man who has been released from prison after serving time for a crime he didn’t commit. He’s eager to start over, but when he meets his old friend Luca (Alessandro Borghi), Luca tells Vito that there’s something he needs to do first: find vendettas, or paybacks, against those who wronged him in prison. Vito quickly finds himself drawn into a world of violence and intrigue as he tries to fulfill his vendetta against those who hurt him most. While My Name is Vendetta does introduce some innovative plot points (such as the use of social media to track down targets), it ultimately falls back on familiar Mafia movie tropes (such as chase sequences and shootouts). This makes for an enjoyable but ultimately derivative experience, one that doesn’t quite live up to the potential offered by its intriguing premise. ..
The predictability element is quite astonishing. Perhaps until the point Sofia takes Santo’s picture and uploads it on Instagram, we expected a differentiation. After that happened, the film descended into mediocrity and could never scrape its way back. The Mafia genre is such that characters can be written in various ways to make you feel something different as a viewer and mean something else. Maybe even the same thing that My Name is Vendetta tries to drive home. But the screenplay here has etched Sofia, Santo, and Angelo’s fate in stone. And the substance is not compelling.
Despite his past failures as a director, Gomez has a lot to give us in this film. His use of color and light is beautiful, and his characters are interesting and well-drawn. However, the film feels too familiar and unoriginal to be worth watching.
The writing in this movie is poor and it does not seem to be focused on the action. The climax was dull and it did not make much sense.
It was almost as if we were watching an uninterested gamer playing a video game where he knew exactly how the mission is to be carried out. Because he has done it umpteen times before that. If you are indeed not wrapping up the motivations for vendetta in the first 15 (which did not happen here), go ahead and focus on character development. Let the action take a spell on the sidelines. Balancing the two is a rare art and something we did not expect going into the film. Very few before Gomez have managed that successfully and perhaps his non-committal proves how difficult it is.
With either choice, you need good writing to back you up. There is only so much you can do as a director. But Gomez is a part of the trio who pen this movie and that is why his share of the blame is more. There is no punch in the dialogue. When two characters chat, we do not see any to-and-fro or rhythm to give energy to the storytelling. The biggest miss is undoubtedly the lack of big moments that can sway viewers. From how My Name is Vendetta ends, the actual point of attention was Sofia’s coming of age.
The film is slow-burn, serious-minded, and has some great action moments. However, the ending is not very satisfying.
My Name is Vendetta is a dark and suspenseful thriller that tells the story of a young woman who must protect herself from a group of assassins who seek to kill her. The film is set in a dark and dangerous world where the line between right and wrong can be blurred.
