In Chuck Russell’s I Am Wrath, much like many of Travolta’s latter films, this is not a good movie, but there is a good movie contained somewhere inside and the better movie is trying to scratch and claw its way out. Parts of I Am Wrath are a ton of fun, but even more moments are a bummer and sheerly dull.
John Travolta plays the role of an unemployed engineer, Stanley Hill. Although, I only know he is an unemployed engineer because I read that in the plot synopsis. I do not remember ever hearing that come up in the movie, however, it is quite possible there was something like that somewhere in there but it just went over my head. What is true and the case is this, Oddly Stanley and his wife Vivian (Rebecca De Mornay) met one evening in a parking garage by a man asking for a few bucks. This man is no ordinary man, he is a thug called Charley who is played by street baller turned actor Luis Da Silva. This man is soon joined by two other men and let’s just say they beat down poor Stanley and commit crimes so vile that I cannot even speak them. Bolting away with the unfortunate purse.
There is something peculiar in this attack. Assuming Charley and the rest of his buddies were looking for a quick buck by doing a mugging, why did they have to kill Vivian? Why go overboard with what they set out to do? Charley is fairly quickly taken in by the authorities, and Stanley is able to identify him as his wife’s killer. Unfortunately, the arresting officer, Detective Gilmore (Sam Trammell), says that Stanley’s story changed way too much and, regrettably, they cannot accept his ID of Charley.
Stanley is furious and decides to take matters into his own hands. During his one-man quest for revenge, however, he stumbles upon some shocking evidence. The murder of his wife anyhow was strange because it was no random assault. She was picked off for what she knew of a conspiracy involving a bunch of criminals, police, and the governor. This leaves a whole mess of people for Stanley to wipe out.
I have no problem with how basic the story is, because it is justifying. While not very original, it provides the right backstory for an engaging revenge flick. However, that is not what happens, because it plays out quite inconsistently. At this point, it should be evident that there is no flow to the film whatsoever. Perhaps, the reason lies either in the script or in the editing. In my opinion, it’s somewhat due to both.
The acting is at times adequate and at other times quite problematic. There are moments with Travolta that remind you of the man I absolutely adore, but overall this is certainly not his best day. Like most of the other cast members, he appears to be a bit lost. For like 95% of the time, it feels like he’s just going through the motions, while the other 5%, he manages to give us something entertaining. What I personally would prefer is for Travolta to take on a role like this and go crazy. He’s definitely capable of it and the film needs that.
Speaking of the villains in the movie, they are all overrated or simply unremarkable. None of them possess any specific personality. For example, Charley in Da Silva is simply a cardboard cut-out of a standard thug. Quite frankly, he is utterly uninspired. It’s dull and uncreative.
The most positive note for me in I Am Wrath is Christopher Meloni. He plays Dennis, an old friend of Stanley’s, and that guy who supplies him with weapons and assists him in taking revenge. Whenever he appears on screen, you must concentrate on him because he improves those around him. Most of Travolta’s better moments come from him playing off of Meloni. They have a nice buddy-cop banter. In terms of features, Meloni has the best scene in the film. He is in the company of 4 or 5 thugs, and in an instant, he seems lost. But, oh no! He hasn’t even gotten started! In a rapid-fire violent movie, he effortlessly brings guys down while spitting out one-liners.
This particular clip made me wonder how Christopher Meloni will be 10 years from now. This man is 55 and in fantastic shape. He appears quite muscular in this movie. He possesses a lot of screen presence and can perform very well in heavy action scenes. So is there still an opportunity for Meloni to become an action hero? I think there might be.
Along with Meloni, the other highlights of this film are its cinematography and the setting. The film is set in Columbus, Ohio and to be candid, I have no strong opinions about that city. I’ve never been there and do not know anything about it. I Am Wrath presents Columbus in a very intriguing manner. It tries to capture a very dark, gritty side of the city that almost gives it a Gotham feel, and it’s successful at that. The city has these gorgeous buildings with incredible architecture. The Ohio Statehouse looks wonderful. All of these images are captured by Andrzej Sekula, the highly skilled DP known for films like Reservoir Dogs, Pulp Fiction, and American Psycho. Sekula captures the beauty of Columbus quite well.
The film I Am Wrath is now available on Blu-ray, courtesy of Lionsgate. You can find audio commentary from Russell and co-writer Paul Sloan on the disc. I must admit, I have not had the chance to listen to all of the commentary yet, but the first half is absolutely riveting. For maybe the first 20 minutes, Russell comments on the editing process of the film, how a lot of violence had to be removed to try and achieve ‘PG-13’ (which the film didn’t get anyway), and remarks how odd it is that this film is direct-to-home video. It is nice to know that I’m not the only one who had issues with the film, as Russell’s major grievance with the rest of the product is how the violence never reached its full potential, which is something that is desired in the end. Unfortunately, we will never get to see the cut the way Russell first envisioned it.
You don’t have to search high and low for ‘I Am Wrath’ because it’s not a masterpiece and the ending is really dumb. But if you do come across it, I wouldn’t tell you to completely ignore it. There is some enjoyment to be found in it, and Meloni really is very good.
Lionsgate has now made ‘I Am Wrath’ available on Blu-ray, DVD, and Digital HD.
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