Vengeance – Film Review

Ben Manalowitz, a journalist and podcaster, travels from New York City to West Texas to investigate the death of a girl he was hooking up with.

Who would’ve thought that The Office star B.J. Novak could make such a gripping, enthralling dark comedy thriller featuring one of the most surprising endings of the year? I certainly didn’t, but alas, here we are with his directorial debut Vengeance, which is absolutely fantastic.

Just by watching a few minutes of this film, you’d think that Novak has been working as a director in the film industry for his whole life. Clearly, with Vengeance, he shows just how much natural talent he has in him and how excellent of a writer he is as well. There really isn’t many scenes in this film that feel like filler.

From the moment it begins all the way to its final haunting moments, Vengeance is a movie with bite that refuses to let go of its grip on you. There’s a carefree, almost joyous feeling that permeates through you while watching this fascinating story unfold, but its sense of mystery never fades away.

This is excellent because while the film has a ton of comedic moments sprinkled throughout, at its heart, it’s a thriller about one man trying to investigate the death of a girl that he used to hookup with. Of course, because her family thinks that the two were actually dating and were serious about their relationship, Novak’s character Ben Manalowitz finds himself in some tremendously awkward situations.

But it’s never the kind of film that feels as if it’s balancing too many tones, surprisingly. Maybe Novak’s years working on The Office helped him create this script because that show was always able to balance humor with emotion and drama. Surely, if you’re a fan of Novak’s work, you’ll have a blast with this film.

He is terrific in the role of Ben, and he always feels so realistic and grounded. I never once saw him as anything other than his character, who gets a ton of phenomenal development throughout the course of the film. Another amazing actor here is Boyd Holbrook as Ty Shaw, as well as Ashton Kutcher as Quinten Sellers.

There’s also never a dull still frame the entire movie, and we can thank director of photographer Lyn Moncrief for that. Texas has never looked so staggeringly beautiful before. Even if you live in Texas and you watch this film, you’ll more than likely have a newfound appreciation for it after the credits roll.

The film also features a wonderfully sweeping score from Finneas O’Connell, who you may recognize as Billie Eilish‘s brother who co-writes and produces her music. He is outrageously talented and he gets a huge chance to shine here and succeeds immensely with his musical score.

Although the film may be a bit too long at times, Vengeance is a staggeringly strong directorial debut from B.J. Novak, who writes one of the year’s most gripping stories.