For the Sake of Vicious movie review (2021)

That clunky set-up isn’t really important though—and I’m not sure it has to be—given how uneven Eveneshen’s pulpy dialogue often is. Sometimes it’s refreshingly clipped, and boils down to a series of cool declarative statements. I especially like when Chris tells Romina that “You don’t have to stay here … for this. You can just go.” To which she responds: “Yeah, I think it’s a little late for that. I’m invested now. Besides … ” she says before picking up a nearby crowbar: “this is my house.” I wasn’t as wild about sputtering back-and-forths like when Chris tells Alan that “you’re dragging this off-base,” to which Alan says: “What base? I don’t even know what grounds you’re trying to stand on.” Then Chris screams: “Truth!” That was a bit much.

I was also somewhat disappointed by the movie’s generally slack action filmmaking. Most of the film’s gore scenes are choreographed and presented like a series of messy knockabout brawls, an approach that only really pays often when Carrer and Eveneshen, who also co-directed “For the Sake of Vicious,” happen upon a gnarly kill scene or two. I like geysers of blood and ocular trauma as much as the next guy, but “For the Sake of Vicious” is often not visualized or paced dynamically enough to keep one’s pulse up. So while Lucio Fulci fans may be delighted to see where Romina sticks her hammer, everyone else might struggle to get in the mood.

Still, “For the Sake of Vicious” is slightly more memorable for what Carrer and Eveneshen try to do than for what they fail to deliver. They’ve got (some of) the right ideas, but aren’t polished or as ruthless as they need to be yet. It’s probably telling that my favorite image from “For the Sake of Vicious” isn’t anything gross, but rather an almost screwball-style bit of physical comedy. During an especially heated fight scene, Chris and Romina bump elbows while trying to disentangle themselves from a pair of the above-mentioned masked killers. Weapons are put to good use, shower curtains are torn down … and in the heat of the moment, Chris and Romina bump into each other like they’re competitive dancers in an unexpectedly cramped ballroom. That’s just a brief moment between bloodlettings, but it’s also light and canny enough to leave you wanting more.

Now playing in select theaters and available on digital platforms.