Violent Ends Review: Billy Magnussen’s Best Performance to Date Anchors John-Michael Powell’s Familiar But Well-Acted Revenge Thriller

At one point in Violent Ends, one of the characters warns about the consequences of messing with one person on this side of the family is going to “open up a whole can of worms”. That person in question is Eli (Jared Bankens), belonging to one of the Frosts, the family who were once among the most powerful crime organisations in the South.

The warning is aimed towards Lucas (Billy Magnussen), who is also a Frost family member, but unlike most others still inherited the family business, including cocaine and meth, he doesn’t want any part of it. He just wants out, living on his own terms with his fiancée Emma (Alexandra Shipp). He even made it clear after visiting his father, Ray (Matt Riedy), in prison.

At the beginning of this 1992 Arkansas-set story, writer-director John-Michael Powell treads familiar ground in building up how Lucas’ initial plan of looking forward to staying away from the family business, allowing him to build a peaceful life with Emma and have kids one day, before everything falls apart. Powell does a good job establishing the wonderful relationship between Lucas and Emma, first seen with the way the two flirt with each other in the bank where Emma works.

So, when Emma happens to be in the wrong place at the wrong time, it makes me sad to see her character is cut off after a botched robbery ends with her getting shot by one of the masked men. Her death ultimately breaks Lucas’ spirit like the whole world comes crumbling down, leaving him with nothing but sadness and, above all, rage and anger. He recognises one of the robbers is Eli, and now, he wants him badly.

Except that Eli’s older brother, Sid (James Badge Dale), cautions Lucas about going after him. But Lucas is so consumed with exacting vengeance despite his deputy sheriff mother, Darlene (Kate Burton), wanting him to let the law handle the case. Powell doesn’t bring anything new to the table that we have ever seen before in this kind of revenge thriller. It’s as clichéd as it gets, but sometimes even an oft-told story like this can be an engrossing watch if the director still knows how to propel his or her movie.

Violent Ends is thankfully one of those otherwise predictable movies that manages to intrigue me, beginning with the above-average cast for elevating the material. Magnussen’s tense performance as the vengeful Lucas marks the actor’s best role to date, showcasing his range for dramatic prowess where he effectively channels the character’s grief, fury and trauma without succumbing to over-the-top histrionics. It’s worth noting this is the same actor who plays the bumbling alien-in-disguise in the live-action Lilo & Stitch a few months ago, proving his versatility in jumping from comedy to a movie as dead serious as Violent Ends.

The movie equally benefits from Shipp, who made quite an impression in her limited screentime playing Lucas’ lovely fiancée. Her character’s angelic, yet sweet-natured personality sheds a positive light that contrasts well with the movie’s underlying core of crime and violence. Her eventual death is sorely felt, which justifies Lucas’ subsequent quest for revenge, and the fact that she’s no longer by his side turns him into a different person.

The rest of the cast, namely Nick Stahl, brings solid support to his role as Lucas’ volatile half-brother Tuck, while Kate Burton’s no-nonsense yet conflicted deputy sheriff character deserves equal mention. And so does James Badge Dale, delivering a steely and mean-spirited role as Sid, who doesn’t mind getting his hands dirty if a situation calls for it. The movie’s nearly two-hour runtime means it takes time for Lucas to finally resort to an act of violence. But it’s worth the wait, culminating in a visceral payoff that doesn’t shy away from blood and brutality.