Movie Review: “Revenge of the Gweilo” – A Typical Revenge Story Told on a Shoestring Budget.

I’ve always believed that every film has its audience. Sometimes, a film gets marketed or targeted at the wrong crowd. Other times, the right audience stumbles upon it and falls in love with it, regardless of how terrible it might be. This could be the case for “Revenge of the Gweilo“, the 2020 indie release from filmmaker Nathan Hill.

Nathan Hill, who writes, directs and stars in the film, presents a simple story of revenge. The plot follows ex-cop Joseph Lucky, whose life spirals out of control after his wife Esmay (played by Mary Annegeline) is murdered by the Asian mafia. Joseph is living a peaceful retired life till one day whilst he is talking with his sister-in-law in his car parked outside his home, two women break in and murder Esmay. The murder seems to be tied to the Asian mafia and Esmay was not the unlikely target. From that point, the film is a straightforward rampage of vengeance as Joseph seeks justice for his wife’s death.

One of the things I’ve come to admire about Nathan Hill after seeing a couple of his films is his confidence as a filmmaker. That same confidence radiates through “Revenge of the Gweilo“. What’s also impressive is how committed everyone involved in the project seems to be, no matter how cheesy the final product may feel at times.

Hill, plays the role of the grief-stricken Joseph and delivers a performance that’s, at best, serviceable. He leans into the emotional weight of the character, whilst also trying his hand at some of the stunts and fight sequences. It’s not the kind of performance that blows you away, but you have to respect the effort. The other actors in the film also try their best to deliver their roles. Their commitment to the performances shows even through their obvious slip-ups and somewhat amateurish delivery. Some of the film’s dialogue seems laborious for the actors but their commitment to the delivery is endearing nonetheless.

Hill also tries his best to ground the film with a few Chinese cultural references and tropes, perhaps to give the story more meaning. Regardless of how important this seems, he just appears to also be leaning into some tropes, prejudices and stereotypes that just might seem offensive to some people. For instance, “Gweilo” is a Cantonese word often used for foreigners and might sound demeaning to some.

The film sits decently in the action thriller genre of filmmaking. There are even a couple of fight scenes to make this film complete. Granted these are not the best fight scenes you would ever see, but the effort to make them work is commendable. The choreography is rough around the edges, with punches that don’t quite land but are paired with exaggerated sound effects. It’s the kind of fight scene where the actors wince in pain more than you’d expect based on the contact. There’s also the repeated use of stutter cuts during these sequences, which doesn’t do the action any favours and seems to serve more as a way to stretch the runtime.

Speaking of which, the film clocks in at around 90 minutes, which feels a bit too long for the story being told. The narrative is simple and straightforward, but the pacing could have been tighter. There are a few too many driving scenes and moments without dialogue that don’t really add anything to the plot, making the film feel unnecessarily drawn out.

Despite all its flaws, I will score “Revenge of the Gweilo” a solid 5/10. It’s not a film you go into with high expectations, nor does it attempt to be more than what it is; a typical revenge story told on a shoestring budget. There’s something to be said for a film that doesn’t take itself too seriously, even if the actors are fully invested in their roles.

If you have some time on your hands and want to watch something that doesn’t demand too much, “Revenge of the Gweilo” might be worth checking out. It certainly is a film for a very specific audience and you could surprisingly be a part of that very specific audience. But you will never know till you see it.