For the Sake of Vicious is a 2020 Canadian action horror thriller about a young nurse who returns home to find a maniac and his barely alive hostage there.
Directed and produced by Gabriel Carrer (The Demolisher) and Reese Eveneshen (Defective) from a screenplay written by the latter, based on Carrer’s storyline. It was co-produced by Avi Federgreen and is being distributed by Raven Banner Entertainment.
The Federgreen Entertainment production stars Nick Smyth (Covenant), Lora Burke, Colin Paradine and James Fler.
The superb synth soundtrack score was composed by Foxgrndr – clips below, plus their ‘Isolation remix’ of John Carpenter’s classic Halloween theme.
Plot:
Romina (Lora Burke), a nurse and single mother, returns home after a long shift to find a maniac sheltering in her house with a barely alive hostage.
With the clock ticking on solving the mystery, waves of violent intruders descend upon the neighbourhood and besiege the home. The only way she can survive this cat-and-mouse scenario is to become just as vicious as everyone else…
Reviews:
“The plot only moves along by inches, in the first half of the film. The second half offers a flourish of choreographed action and Carrer’s musical score resonates well with the film. Still, this viewer was hoping for more from the story and For the Sake of Vicious can only cook up so much in its cramped quarters.” 28 Days Later Analysis
“To make the film even more suspenseful and shocking, the filmmakers utilized a claustrophobic set, an electrifying musical score, fantastic fight choreography, and jaw-dropping practical effects. Throughout all the thrills and gore, the performances from the three leads manage to keep the film rooted at an emotional core…” Blogging Banshee!
“For the Sake of Vicious is a taut, heavy, ferocious action thriller. Right from the start, it draws you in with a crackling fire that erupts into a full-on blaze by the end of the film. With all its weight, it’s hard to describe this film as “fun”, but it drives fast and hard, and it’s an enjoyable — and completely vicious — watch.” iHorror
“It’s exceptionally well shot and edited and it doesn’t shy away from taking the proverbial knife and twisting it in us while we watch. If anything these filmmakers really want to make us feel what was going on and that’s what makes it unique. The only destination that For the Sake of Vicious has in its lean & mean 81 minutes is pain.” In the Seats
“The violence that takes over the middle frame of the feature seems to turn a little dull, for a moment anyway, as it plays out like a compilation of throat-slicing scenes with barely any dialogue and without much interest to the main plot. The film does succeed in allowing us to feel for the characters, though, despite not knowing the whole truth yet.” Infamous Horror
“For the Sake of Vicious […] features a fantastic synth score that really helps the films pacing, creating tension, excitement and danger; really adding to the on-screen events, ramping up the overall atmosphere of the film tremendously – and is something akin to, dare I say it, the wonderful synth scores of John Carpenter’s oeuvre!” Nerdly
“The story is thin at best, but the acting is actually quite good and Nick Smyth brings some Nicholas Cage-esque wide-eyed gurning to the fight scenes which adds to the entertainment factor. It is also easy to understand the motivations of his character, if not his enthusiasm later on. The effects are also excellent and very well done, which is great as they seem to be the only point of this film.” Road Rash Reviews
“For the Sake of Vicious is an action horror film with clear goals and purpose and sets out to meet them as efficiently as possible. Letting nothing get in its way For the Sake of Vicious comes barrelling through our front doors, brandishing knives with an intent to kill. And Carrer and Eveneshen kill it good.” Screen Anarchy
“It doesn’t stop for air and there are enough genuine twists and ambiguities to keep you guessing through to the end. There’s a pumping score that keeps things going and directors Gabriel Carrer and Reese Eveneshen ensure that the film’s savage intensity doesn’t descend into incoherence. This is impressively nasty stuff and well worth sticking with.” Warped Perspective
Cast and characters:
Nick Smyth … Chris
Lora Burke … Romina
Colin Paradine … Alan
James Fler … Gerald
T.J. Kennedy … Papa/Alpha/Delta
Erin Stuart … Nurse
Mavis Ruth Stuart … Alan’s Youngest
Adam Ewings … Oscar/Alpha/Delta
Ayden Bryce … Alan’s Oldest
Boris Milinkovich … Tango/Zulu
Nick Spartan … Echo/Lima
Technical details:
1 hour 21 minutes
Filming locations:
Burlington, Cambridge and Guelph, Ontario, Canada
MOVIES & MANIA says:
For the Sake of Vicious grabs the viewer from the start and doesn’t let go. The relentless action is all at close quarters with tight direction, editing and pacing. Ambiguities and twists abound in the sparse plot. Meanwhile, a superb synth score throbs away throughout. Recommended!
