Code Name Vengeance

This South-African, but set in Qatar action film really delivers on the gunfights and explosions right from the get go, when a prince and his mum are kidnapped by rebels during the King's speech. After a three minute massacre with over thirty on screen kills, Codename: Vengeance gets underway.

The royal family have been kidnapped by Tabrak, a rebel leader with a past dealing with the CIA. It's up to Beeler (Ginty), who has been languishing in jail for twelve years, to get the kid and his mum back. This won't be easy, though, as the CIA have assigned him a dodgy partner, and he can trust no one (except Cameron Mitchell, who turns up as a grizzled, crazed buddy ready to plug anyone he can't trust (and ends up being right)).

Badly shot, badly edited and badly directed, Codename: Vengeance is simply captivating in its energy. By the half hour mark, you've seen a massacre, prison fights, prison brutality, a head sent to the king in a jar, a prison escape, a rebels v army battle, an invasion of an arms dump and a sex scene. What more can you ask for? Whenever the plot lags, the director (David Winters) throws in a random scene of violence, where Tabrak attacks the army or Ginty attacks the rebels. The finale is pretty good as we get to see who double-crossed McGinty.

There are mistakes abound in this film, but I'm willing to let it go because I was rooting for the flick the moment everyone started shooting at each other in such a confined space at the beginning. I recommend this one, but please note: I do not have a brain.