Overall Grade: (C)

A vigilante thriller with a twist that compels more with Davis’ performance as opposed to delivering a highly ambitious script. 

Synopsis

After both having lost a child, two mothers meet in a support group and confide in one another as sponsors. As days pass and the police fail to show any headway in the case, like many others similar cases, they team up to avenge their loss and find those responsible.

My Thoughts

I didn’t know much about this film or its plot but when I noticed two duo of Davis and Lopez headlining I was intrigued. The plot revolved around a realistic premise people can connect to by having their interest pulled in to the tragedy that the first-act opens with.

Despite their being a double bill for this film the true star was without question Viola Davis. Without her presence in this film and delivering such a compelling performance this script would have felt fit for cable television. But with Davis completely nailing all her emotionally charged scenes you can truly feel her pain and grief for losing her oldest son. Her moments alone, dealing with her loss were thought-provokingly gut-wrenching and the intended impact was delivered. Davis’ characters adjustment to the support group was a nice parallel to the main plot and conveyed how she tried various methods to deal with her grief.

Lopez was also very good in this film but was clearly a second-act to Davis’ role with the script demanding much less from her. Regardless her performance was solid and her chemistry with Davis was excellent making them an enjoyable onscreen duo. Lopez was still very realistic as the hard-edged mother who for the most part seemed like a much further advanced version of Davis’ character in regards to her being fed up with the law and ready to take action herself.

While the script may not have been extremely ambitious it was still entertaining and compelling. The flashbacks of times with her son gave a nice window into their strong family bond, something that added to the grief you can understand the character of Lila feeling.

Sure the seemingly innocent vigilante being subtly chased by the one suspecting cop bit has been done before but it didn’t hinder the enjoyment in this rendition of the story formula. There was enough going on to pass the time and given the cast as a whole provided great, believable performances was enough to account for some of the lulls in the pace.

Overall the run-time is short and while this one may have seemed like a beefed up version of a made for cable movie it was still a worthy viewing for a night with a fun thriller that does build a decent amount of suspense. The plot twist was visible a little too early in the film and the third-act may have felt slightly cheesy, but again Davis made the most of it. The characters will draw you in and watching the performance of Davis alone will be worth the time vesting in this vigilante thriller where you really do want them to get away with it.