Director Danny Draven leaves the world of comedy horror behind for a straight revenge thriller with Restitution, written by Mark Allen. Mia (Coel Mahal) was just a girl when Darren Goforth (Jonathan Shores) murdered her entire family and left her for dead. So imagine how she feels when she learns that the serial killer is being released due to police misconduct that resulted in his confession. To avenge her family and achieve true justice, Mia kidnaps Darren and takes him to the family cabin where the murders happened.
Sheriff Rathbone (James Black) sees that Mia is back and goes to check in on her. She’s not the most forthcoming, nor does she seem that happy to be there. Once he leaves, Mia begins her torturous interrogation of Darren, who does not recall who she is after so many years in prison. Will Mia give Darren the comeuppance he deserves, or will she die trying?
“…Mia kidnaps Darren and takes him to the family cabin where the murders happened.”
Restitution begins oddly as Darren claims amnesia, not even knowing his name. This is an odd decision that ultimately leads nowhere because the serial killer admits the truth not long after. Mia has newspaper articles and everything proving who Darren is, so his not knowing who he is never makes sense or comes across as believable. The other issue is that at one point, Darren calls himself a psychopath despite going on a mini-diatribe about how he is not one.
Mahal is excellent as the woman seeking vengeance. Her conviction is believable, and her emotional breakdowns ring true. Shores is menacing and intense as the cold-blooded sociopath. The duo’s verbal sparring, and then actual fights, is filled with vim and vinegar. Black brings an empathetic point of view and seems to really care for Mia’s well-being despite his mistakes all that time ago.
Draven keeps the pace moving well, and the action scenes are brutal. Despite a few missteps in the screenplay, Restitution is hard-hitting fun. The cast sells their roles with conviction, and the ending plays into the themes discussed by Mia and Darren the entire time.
For more information about Restitution, visit the Terror Films site.
"…keeps the pace moving well, and the action scenes are brutal."
