Things are not going well between husband and wife Noah (Matthew Theodorou) and Madeline (Hayley Beveridge). Despite their seemingly successful life and nice house, they are distant. Madeline is forever calling on her sister Jessica (Nic Stevens) for a shoulder to cry on – and drink with – while Noah continually works late. Unfortunately, she begins to suspect his real reason a little too late: he’s been having an affair with a woman from the office. On one of these nights, however, there’s a break-in at the house, Jessica is killed and Madeline brutally raped. Noah returns home only to be attacked by one the thugs. When he recovers from a lengthy coma, he tries to patch things up with a deeply traumatised Madeline. She makes progress until she sees the man who attacked her, and the pair seek their revenge.
Rage is a long film; don’t let that put you off. Think of it as a three-episode TV show, and you’ll binge it no problem. Even during the domestic scenes, this is compelling viewing. It’s also disturbing viewing, particularly in the home invasion scene. We see a lot of the violence and abuse inflicted on Madeline, but this is balanced by the stark depiction of the effects of the trauma. Beveridge is fantastic and conveys her suffering perfectly. This isn’t a Death Wish-style revenge, though. The motivation is completely understandable, but they don’t go into it guns-blazing. It’s made clear that this pair are not Liam Neeson, and fumble their way through things as real people likely would.
There’s a lot to recommend with Rage, and those with patience and a strong stomach for nastiness will get plenty out of it.
Release Date: February 23rd (US)
