By Sol Harris
Vengeance marks B. J. Novak’s feature debut as both a director and writer. Behind the camera, Novak is undoubtedly best known for his work on the US version of The Office (on which he also played Ryan). Vengeance feels distinctly like Novak’s work, though cut free of the writers’ room that used to provide his writing with a certain degree of Hollywood sheen. Without the likes of Greg Daniels doing a pass over Novak’s script, Vengeance feels raw and somewhat undefined but all the more personal for it.
As well as writing and directing, Novak plays the film’s lead, Ben Manalowitz, a New York-based writer who is compelled to attend the Texas funeral of a woman he used to hook up with after discovering he seemingly meant much, much more to her than she did to him. One thing leads to another, and he soon finds himself producing a podcast about her family’s delusion that she was murdered.
After an admittedly slow start, Vengeance kicks into extremely compelling gear as Ben questions whether her family is onto something. Much like the true crime podcasts that inspire its plot, we’re hit with a gigantic left turn that completely reinvigorates the story whenever the film begins to run out of steam.
Vengeance is far from perfect. It’s messy, but it’s also a remarkable debut that should leave no doubt that Novak will one day write and direct a masterpiece should he continue making films. Here’s hoping.
Vengeance is out now on Blu-ray, DVD, and digital.
