for the sake of vicious (2021) spoiler-free review
The shot style and cinematography of For the Sake of Vicious, directed by Gabriel Carrer and Reese Eveneshen, strikes multiple nerves…and then beats said nerves into submission. It could be the sensitive underlying subject matter forming the film’s rudimentary plot or the extreme violence (who am I kidding, it's the violence) but in aggregate we are provided a fiercely fun and lively watch that feels like what it is: an independent film shot by clever and competent directors who understand how to make something from not much. It’s a taut, tightly paced, white-knuckle affair squeezing more splatter, blood and guts into 80 minutes than any home invasion/horror/exploitation film I can recall watching. In a genre not exactly known for restraint, that’s saying something. The story is mostly superfluous as the star of the show, carried out with believable intensity by talented co-stars Lora Burke and Nick Smyth, is the hyper-violence. The second half of the film is comprised almost entirely of an avant-garde style of sudden and shocking head-smashing. The proceedings demonstrate such a high degree of skill with practical effects that you'll recoil while simultaneously appreciating and noting the beauty behind the effects magic. That was my experience, anyway. Buyer beware if violence is not your thing as the film doesn't cut away from the grisly stuff. I was reminded of Ryan Gosling’s character in Drive with how Smyth turns an everyday hammer into a vessel for hand-to-flesh carnage. I often hear friends and colleagues lament the lack of originality and creative risks taken by and within the conveyor belt of superhero films, remakes and reboots coming out of Hollywood. For the Sake of Vicious flies in the face of that notion and then bludgeons it with a blunt object. It’s a slickly shot genre film accomplishing exactly that which it aspires to. It deserves a wide audience.
For the Sake of Vicious receives a score of 7/10 for general audiences with a half-point bump to 7.5/10 for fans of the home invasion genre, realistic horror, and best in class practical effects.