My Name is Vendetta movie review: A mafia action thriller that packs a rather weak punch

The film that promises high-octane action sequences fails to keep up the adrenaline rush

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Story: The life of a former mafioso, who thought that he had left his bloody, murderous past behind, changes after one innocent mistake by his teenage daughter. This results in him losing people dear to him, and unleashing brutal vendetta against those who are responsible for this.

Review: Putting ‘Italy’ and ‘the mafia’ together will most likely leave any action movie fan excited. And this is what Netflix’s recently-released Italian mafia action thriller, My Name is Vendetta, tries to do. The very first line of the film sets its intent. The lead character, Italian star Alessandro Gassmann, quotes a line from Jack London’s The Call Of The Wild, which reads, “To kill or be killed... that is the law. Showing mercy is just a sign of weakness.” Fans of action films — for whom this film caters — may remember Gassmann as Gianni Chellini, the Columbian crime boss of Jason Statham’s hit 2005 film, Transporter 2.

My Name is Vendetta (originally titled Il Mio Nome e Vendetta) is about how a man who lives a seemingly simple, quiet life in the mountains is forced to return to his past as a cold-blooded killer. Santo Romeo (Gassmann) and his teenage daughter Sofia (Ginevra Francesconi), who, off the bat one gets to see as rather aggressive in the ice hockey rink, share a close bond. They often take off on mini adventures together. On one such trip, Sofia wants to take a selfie with Santo, which he refuses — Santo never lets her take his picture. On their way back home, Sofia discreetly takes Santo’s picture and uploads it on Instagram without his notice. This seemingly innocent move sets off a chain of events, which sees Santo being pushed back into a life that he had long left behind.

Violence hits home for Santo, who is forced to go on the run with Sofia after mafia boss Don Angelo is out to get them. Slowly, we learn about Santo’s dark past in the Sicilian mafia, as one is exposed to all the staples of someone with a dark past who’s on the run possesses — several different passports, number plates and cellphones. It's all guns, grunts and gore thereon, set against beautiful Italian countryside. There's nothing subtle about the way the director sets the stage for what's to come next.

While the film has everything that you would expect from an action film, the pace isn’t exciting and the amount of action will probably not appeal to hardcore fans of the genre. While there are guns and some explosions, there is also an emotional track — of the changing relationship between a father and his daughter. Instead of a lone avenger, which is a staple in many action flicks, this film has an accomplice — the lead character’s daughter. 

My Name is Vendetta explores if one can really change and escape their dark past. It also touches upon the idea that the sins of the father are laid upon the children. On their way to Milan, to put an end to an old rivalry, Santo starts training Sofia to become a lean, mean killing machine, much like himself, with the line, "I have a precise plan, but I can't do it on my own". What follows is a series of events that leads to a climax that is a rather unexpected one. 

Verdict: While the film has an interesting twist in the climax, all the other twists and turns are quite predictable. Action sequences are not high-octane, but the movie does manage to keep you engaged till the end. 

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