Vengeance may have red dust, cowboy hats, and boots, but it’s not really about Texas. It is, instead, about the pervasive and destructive nature of conformational static — the complexity of sameness.  

With a moniker from Blumhouse Productions, one expects an entertaining film, a few well-timed jump-scares, and a strong dose of blood-tinged horror. But with Vengeance, Blumhouse Productions takes viewers on a journey of terrifying self-discovery.

At first glance, the movie lives up to expectations as a thinly veiled commentary on the lack of profundity in America’s heartland. However, a deeper and more terrifying truth emerges as the story unravels.

Some Unusual Characters

Filmed on location in the flat lands of oil-ridden West Texas, Vengeance stars an impressive ensemble cast including Issa Rae, Ashton Kutcher, Boyd Holbrook, Lio Tipton, and Dove Cameron. The lead is played by actor and screenwriter B.J. Novak in his filmmaking debut, while his New York foil Eloise is played by Issa Rae.

Vengeance covers two weeks in the life of Ben Manalowitz, drilling deep into Manalowitz’s self-importance. He is already a successful Brooklyn writer but desperately wants a voice. Surprisingly, he finds his chance to reinvent his career through the soulless and opportunistic use of a forgotten hookup’s death.

Digging a Little Deeper

Ben is truly self-absorbed, existing in an urbane bubble of ideas as words. He views the world as a concept to be presented and manipulated with verbal ferocity, altogether missing, for good or ill, the true nature of people.

Novak’s Ben Manalowitz is pitch-perfect. The opening cocktail party is, dare I say it, stereotypical of what passes for urbane sophistication. But that five-minute scene gives viewers a glimpse into Ben’s soul. It brands him as an entitled phony who has not yet discovered that influence and voice are not necessarily the same thing.

During another anonymous hookup, Ben learns that Abilene Shaw (Lio Tipton), a casual sex partner, told her family of their relationship with a few embellishments. Upon Abilene’s death, her brother Ty (Boyd Holbrook) calls Ben with the news.

Now, many could question the reality of this type of conversation. But it was a turnkey moment in the film, demonstrating how two people could be having two completely different conversations with surprising results – a trip to Texas.

After he lands in dusty West Texas, Ben learns of the family’s belief that the death is not an overdose but a murder. He agrees to help Ty if only to gain material for his podcast — “A Dead White Girl.”

The Shaws and their neighbors are bromidic. Or are they? Vengeance subtly points out that different is not necessarily fodder for amusement. And that it can cut both ways. Surprisingly in Vengeance, superficial cliches about six flags, gun ownership, and Texas football are transformed into positive qualities of loyalty, responsibility, and regret. There are a few jokes that only make sense if you are a true Texan and a couple of head-scratchers, such as the long-running gag about Texans and 911. Oh, and spoiler alert, one scene about the death of an electric car.