Ever since watching the remake of I Spit on Your Grave (and the far less impressive unnecessary sequels) I've become a big fan of female revenge flicks. Seeing the victim rising from her ashes in order to punish the sick monsters who've done unspeakable things to her, extract her revenge the way we all wish we could - is not only fun and exciting, but therapeutic. Having recognized Bound to Vengeance as such a film, I've immediately set out to watch it.
First thing I must say is that the film resembles I Spit on Your Grave only very remotely, which turned out to be not necessarily a disadvantage. It throws the audience straight into the eye of the storm right after the opening credits, as we meet Eve (excellent acting by Tine Ivlev), the girl who was kidnapped, and Phil (even better acting by Richard Tyson, definitely the star talent), her kidnapper. The film actually begins with Eve managing to not only escape, but trap Phil in her stead. From there, instead of getting as far away as possible, she forces Phil at gun point to take her to all the other girls he has kidnapped. More than vengeance, Eve is bound by a mission - to save the other girls.
While the acting is profound, the story itself becomes less and less authentic and logical, making less and less sense the deeper we go. Many of the actions and occurrences are too hard to believe, and really ruin the suspense of disbelief. Think of a constant reminder shouting "this isn't real, you're watching a fictional film!". A bit of a mood killer... To make things worse - while the twist towards the ending is actually nice (if too predictable due to some irresponsible spoiler-giving screen writing), the ending itself adds a twist which I can only describe as stupid.
All in all, I can't say Bound to Vengeance is a great film, but it does pass as a good one. Watching it is intense, suspenseful and harsh, the soundtrack is excellent, and Eve does manage to squeeze just enough violent vengeance into her tight schedule of saving everyone else. If you don't expect to be amazed - you'll definitely enjoy this one.
