Darren Ward’s Beyond Fury has been many years in the making. It’s the final act in a trilogy started in 1997 with Sudden Fury, and the low budget credentials show in the acting of some of the characters, but this brash, gory, revenge flick manages to rise above its humble origins.

When his heavily pregnant girlfriend (a brief appearance of British scream queen Dani Thompson) is killed and raped (in that order!) by a pair of thugs (Gary Baxter and Glenn Salvage) and he’s left for dead, former mercenary Michael Walker (Nick Roberts) is out for vengeance. He discovers the assailants work for Russian crime boss Ivan Lenzivitch (Giovanni Lombardo Radice, best known under the name John Morghen in numerous Italian classics) and sets about getting his own brand of justice for his girlfriend and unborn child.

Ward has crafted a love letter to the Italian exploitation films of the seventies and eighties, and although the pace may be a tad languid, you can’t fault the gore quota. Impressively for a low budget film, the physical effects are impressive and on full display. We defy anyone not to wince when a foot is given a pummelling (several times) or when a chainsaw motors through someone’s face. He also manages to get a few familiar faces involved. As well as the aforementioned Dani Thompson (My Bloody Banjo) and Giovanni Lombardo Radice (Cannibal Ferox), there are brief appearances from the late Dan Van Husen (Salon Kitty) and Jeff Stewart (we still miss Reg Hollis!). These cameos unfortunately show how questionable some of the acting is. Luckily, the main keep things going and if you’re savvy with independent films, you’ll be able to overlook such shortcomings, especially when the action is so well-orchestrated.

Beyond Fury is available on Blu-ray from darksidereleasing.com in the US and Vimeo on Demand.