Many will recognise the face but not the name of BJ Novak, who is making his directorial debut with comedy thriller Vengeance.
Novak has appeared in shows such as the American version of The Office, but here he cuts loose with a really immersive and darkly funny mystery.
Ben (Novak) is summoned to Texas to attend the funeral of a girl he hooked up with a handful of times, after her brother suspects she has been murdered.
Ben takes on the investigation as part of a podcast series he wants to make to keep him in his editor’s good graces. This escalates into something larger as he grows closer to her quirky family and discovers there may be more to her demise than meets the eye.
Novak is fantastic in the lead but is ably backed up by the endearing Boyd Holbrook and the scene-stealing Ashton Kutcher, as a sleazy record producer.
Vengeance is unconventional but feels better for it, and keeps you guessing at its path with plenty to say on American xenophobia amongst other subjects.
The whodunit mystery appears to be back in the big way, and Vengeance will be one of the best you will see this year.
Vengeance is released on DVD & Blu Ray on 16 January 2023.
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