User reviews

Reminiscent of the exploitation films of the 1970's, Bound to Vengeance is a brutal revenge film that is both gritty and gut- wrenching.

A young girl, barely in her 20's, is chained and held captive in a derelict basement in the middle of nowhere. Making a harrowing escape, she ransacks the home she's been held prisoner in and discovers that other girls like her are experiencing a similar fate. Bound and determined for justice and retribution, she sets her sights on vindication by forcing her captor to reveal the locations of these women so they too can be saved, at any cost.

Independent horror films are a dime a dozen, or so the expression goes. You can get cheap creature flicks, poorly acted and ridiculous slasher films, and on the rare occasion you can get a brutal and original film that merits your attention.

Bound to Vengeance is an intense film unlike most, it is gruesome and refuses to look away at the horrifying reality of sex trafficking and sexual assault. The director Jose Manuel Cravioto does a commendable job at highlighting the trauma these women have suffered without ever actually showing the action of abuse. Through subtle hints, flash backs, and held close up shots on scenery, he conveys to the audience the startling reality these women have endured for an unspoken but long stretch of time. It is amazing what Cravioto does in creating terror and menace just through a held close-up shot of a closed door.

The dynamic between the two leads, Eve and her captor, Phil, is complex and mystifying. Tina Ivlev shines as the strong and determined woman who is willing to die in order to seek her vengeance. Richard Tyson plays a manipulative scumbag who, though bound, uses his words to try to wriggle out of his predicament. They are believable, primal, and scary. Realistically, they bring to life the actions of a predator and victim within the realms of human behavior. At no point does the film feel far reaching and taking too many liberties, and perhaps that is the scariest part.

There is a component of the film that weakens its effectiveness and presence, and that is the use of the camera footage of Eve with her boyfriend Ronnie. Yes, there is a purpose to it however there surely was an alternative way to convey this vital information without coping out through such a weak introduction. The use of this footage lessens the power and strength of the film overall, and comes across as a cheap answer to a film conundrum, like the exhausted technique of voiceovers.

Being thrown into the survival environment created by Bound to Vengeance as an audience member is heart racing and engaging. The film does not waste your time nor deliver cheap formulaic horror we have become accustomed to. It is not perfect, but it is eye opening, gritty, dark and 100% worth the watch.

7.5/10

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Really well acted revenge thriller. Well worn territory but a good one none the less. Recommended for a select audience and the direction is also top-notch. Superior to many other examples of the 'Revenge Chiller' genre and the leading lady gives a solid acting performance.

I first saw this in 2015 on a dvd which I own.

Revisited it recently.

The plot in short n without any spoilers - Eve, a young girl held captive, manages to beat her kidnapper Phil and successfully unlocks the chain holding her leg and uses it to chain Phil's leg.

Later she discovers a revolver and a folder containing photos of some girls, along with their names (even her own photo). She quickly learns that she's not the only victim of Phil.

She holds the revolver at Phil, asking him where the other girls are. He dares her to kill him, telling her that he's the only one that knows their whereabouts.

This one is a good thriller which engages the viewer from the beginning.

It has some plot holes.

It gets bloody n violent at times but thankfully there are no onscreen rape scenes.

The flashbacks are a bit annoying but it all adds up in the end.

Some flaws: Eve is an expert in making snares without any prior teachings.

Eve is a master in loading guns.

How Eve never runs outta bullets is beyond me.

Eve is fast in taking decisions inspite of being traumatized.

PROS: The ending was the star part of the movie, although this part was also cliché it was very entertaining. The acting of characters that weren't stars were played phenomenally, and the stars of the movie were played OK. I liked who the characters were. They were very dynamic and genuine. This helped the plot develop nicely, it filled in holes and showed the watcher certain characters intentions which is always helpful.

CONS: The one con, and the con was really large was the tense scenes weren't tense, and the build up to the heightened scenes were slow or flat. As I was sitting there I was just hoping that the tension would rise, however it just fell flat. I might not have wrote a lot, but the few sentences I did write explained the issues as clear as they could be.

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So this is and is not a teen slasher movie. The subject matter deals with human trafficking and the main character plays a victim who apparently never wanted to call the police which leads to some consequences. Richard Tyson, who has been MIA for a while now, plays the despicable kidnapper who lays on the guilt trip thick with the female lead. She stupidly listens to him and doesn't seem to rationalize it out that he is the kidnapper and what happens to the other victim is because of him. As the film plays out, it seems as if our female lead is experiencing PTSD with every step she makes. It was refreshing to see the victim turn the tables on the predator but at the same time, she makes some stupid moves that frustrates the hell out of you. What should have been a better conclusion is left impotent and unsatisfactory. You wanted more out off this film and the ending just sucked. Still, as far as girl in peril films go, this was better.

Bound To Vengeance: Eve (Tina Ivlev) is held as a slave in a basement but manages to overpower and chain her captor, Phil (Richard Tyson). Upstairs she discovers photos of other chained. She forces Phil to bring her to where the girls are held. But things take a decidedly bizarre turn as the captive girls act in strange ways when set free. Eve also has flashbacks of her time in captivity and what happened before that but not of her actual abduction.

A dark film in several senses as much of the action takes place in cellars at night or in dark rooms. Nothing is simple as betrayals emerge and Phil attempts to play mind games with Eve. Violent but much of that savagery is inflicted on slave masters. A complicated tale of vengeance, not for the squeamish or faint hearted. 7/10.

Wow, I was going to give this movie about 5 minutes before turning it off and chalking it up as another dumbed-down "girl-turns-tables-on-psycho" movie, but this was a pretty good film for the budget. Now, you have to get past the obvious view that contacting the police would have probably been a safer play . . . but trust me, just accept the fact that she is on a mission, and enjoy the ride.

Tina really sold this movie playing the part of Eve. I mean, this is one scary and intense girl! And for once in this genre of film, you actually buy the fact that she could control this guy. Watch out for Tina because she can act and she is "stop and stare" beautiful.

Richard was great as the bad guy (good to see him back on screen) and the supporting cast of victims/survivors were all competent in their roles. The directing by Jose Manuel Cravioto in his first English language film (I am assuming) was excellent. Pretty good stuff. 5/10

Ms. Ivlev really got into this part, as her acting seemed heartfelt. Her expression of pain and outrage was palpable. She seemed, like a real person not some prissy model, who needed her hair and make-up to be perfect in every scene. Mr. Tyson's work was also excellent. The direction, camera work and art direction were all excellent. The story line was generally good, although I did have to actively suspend disbelief over some details. However, the thrust of the action and Ms. Ivlev's powerful acting, made that easier to do. The use of flash-backs was very well done. This was a surprisingly good production for such a hackneyed subject.

This movie. It was all over the place. Really. I suppose I could see how some people might have liked it. Those people must just have a drastically different idea of what makes a movie good. The only thing that kept me watching was that I was in the mood for a movie and after a while of fruitless searching for something new and exciting I settled for this. Then continued to watch for lack of something better. The acting was nothing special. The story was starting off good. Building up momentum and tension, drawing you in...the BAM it just get's to be too much. They take it over the top. You have no connection to the characters. The twist is very lacking. At times it becomes downright laughable.

At the end of the day if you want a movie along these lines, a movie that is well made and draws you in from beginning to end, watch Seaoning House.

Bound to Vengeance (2015)

Director José Manuel Cravioto's feature début is a grubby affair, the sort of film that you feel like needing a good scrub after. It delves into the all too prevalent and real horrors that are sexual abuse and human trafficking. Eve (Tina Ivlev), one such victim, turns on her keeper Phil (Richard Tyson) when he brings food to her. Displaying terrific survival instincts, and some savvy when it comes to turning the tables on Phil, she hoists the battered Phil out of the cellar she has kept her prisoner in for six months. Finding Polaroid photos of other girls, being stashed away for the same purpose, Eve demands that Phil tell her where each is being held. So begins a night of twists and turns for our spunky lead.

Bound to Vengeance, originally entitled Reversal, is one short film, weighing in at seventy-five minutes of screen-time, excluding the end credits however you will not feel short changed. That lean running time is all that is needed to deliver a fast paced, edge-of-the-seat premise that would otherwise feel stretched. Every event that unfolds on-screen leads somewhere. There's no needless padding. If there is a grumble with the plotting it's that there's a couple of 'surprises' that aren't surprises really. You can see them coming a mile off but otherwise it's still an involving watch.

Tina Ivlev, a near dead ringer for Jennifer Lawrence, is exceptional. Ivlev captures the mixture of vulnerability and aggressor, that the role calls for, and I for one couldn't take my eyes off her. A very strong female lead! Naming the lead character Eve is rather unsubtle but unlike most woman-revenge flicks she is well-rounded, rather than one note, and we are drawn into her plight, even if she is a little slow in guessing what the viewer has already sussed from the start. Richard Tyson, as Phil, can do no wrong in my eyes. He has always been a favourite actor of mine, I really enjoyed his turn in Big Bad Wolf (2006) and he's equally as nasty here.

Human trafficking and sexual abuse are not subjects conducive to an evening of light entertainment. Fortunately Bound for Vengeance is focused more on the aftermath that occurs when one particular victim gets free and becomes the aggressor, rather than dwelling on the more sensationalistic aspects. Edge-of-the-seat, fast-paced and to-the-point this is an excellent calling card for director Cravioto and his lead Tina Ivlev. Recommended.

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I know that most movies are fiction and that we are not only supposed to not believe what happens on screen, but we should also not expect the people nor their environment to conform to what occurs in real life. But that never stops us from hoping and wishing that the characters would just do what normal people would do. Or do what we believe they SHOULD do.

This movie started off so strong then it took a turn toward what-the-heck-is-this-ville. The movie starts off with a woman escaping her captor who had her locked in a basement in the middle of nowhere. She gets the better of him but then has nowhere to go because the phones don't work (big surprise) and she doesn't have the keys to the van outside. She finally musters up the courage and the weaponry to demand the keys to the van to do what? To escape? To go to the police? No. To go round up the other captured girls because that makes the most sense. That's exactly what traumatized escapees do.

The movie was a tale of revenge. I don't begrudge the movie for being about revenge, I just couldn't get over the timing and the method of revenge. Later we see why the movie creators took the immediate vigilante/savior approach but to me it was a case of trying to be too clever. Every movie has to have a twist.

Too often vengeance movies sloppily put it all together. Either the motive for revenge is silly or the person seeking revenge is unlikely or the method of seeking revenge is unrealistic. The motive here was solid but as far as the person and more still the method... really wasn't in the plausibility ballpark. In all cases it detracts from the believability which detracts from the overall movie. This was a "I Spit on Your Grave" type with far less character, style and logic.

This film deserves a better score (5.8 at the time of this review). It's a good looking, high quality film that's well directed and edited by José Manuel Cravioto. If you're somewhat cynical and expecting a formulaic and predictable escape and revenge plot you will be nicely surprised by Rock Shaink Jr. and Keith Kjornes very well written screenplay that delivers unexpected twists and revelations as it unfolds. The running time is slightly short but quite a lot happens in that time, yet you are drawn in without it ever feeling rushed, the pacing is perfect. Richard Tyson is outstanding and Tina Ivlev is a revelation delivering what for her has to be a landmark performance. I hope to see them both in more great films because, with their performances here, they deserve it. It's a solid effort that's worth watching. Overall I give it a 7.

Ever since watching the remake of I Spit on Your Grave (and the far less impressive unnecessary sequels) I've become a big fan of female revenge flicks. Seeing the victim rising from her ashes in order to punish the sick monsters who've done unspeakable things to her, extract her revenge the way we all wish we could - is not only fun and exciting, but therapeutic. Having recognized Bound to Vengeance as such a film, I've immediately set out to watch it.

First thing I must say is that the film resembles I Spit on Your Grave only very remotely, which turned out to be not necessarily a disadvantage. It throws the audience straight into the eye of the storm right after the opening credits, as we meet Eve (excellent acting by Tine Ivlev), the girl who was kidnapped, and Phil (even better acting by Richard Tyson, definitely the star talent), her kidnapper. The film actually begins with Eve managing to not only escape, but trap Phil in her stead. From there, instead of getting as far away as possible, she forces Phil at gun point to take her to all the other girls he has kidnapped. More than vengeance, Eve is bound by a mission - to save the other girls.

While the acting is profound, the story itself becomes less and less authentic and logical, making less and less sense the deeper we go. Many of the actions and occurrences are too hard to believe, and really ruin the suspense of disbelief. Think of a constant reminder shouting "this isn't real, you're watching a fictional film!". A bit of a mood killer... To make things worse - while the twist towards the ending is actually nice (if too predictable due to some irresponsible spoiler-giving screen writing), the ending itself adds a twist which I can only describe as stupid.

All in all, I can't say Bound to Vengeance is a great film, but it does pass as a good one. Watching it is intense, suspenseful and harsh, the soundtrack is excellent, and Eve does manage to squeeze just enough violent vengeance into her tight schedule of saving everyone else. If you don't expect to be amazed - you'll definitely enjoy this one.

307. Bound to Vengeance. A movie that brings the horrible reality of human trafficking to your TV screen through bad writing, and bad acting. We find Eve (Jennifer Lawrences' clone if something ever happens to her) chained to a bed and her captor Phil, played by Two Moon Junction star Richard Tyson, bringing her some food, and whoops Eve has a surprise brick for him, so that happens, she breaks free, chains him up, discovers shes in the middle of nowhere, searches his house for anything helpful, instead, she discovers that shes one of many girls taken by Phil. What to do, what to do... yes! Get some junk lying around and MacGyver it into a choker and instead of taking him to the police, she decides to go on a mission to save the other women... the 1st, accidentally kills herself on a spiked fence. The 2nd, is so conditioned she sees Eve as a threat so she attacks Eve, yea Eve kills that one herself. The 3rd she helps escape, and is the only logical one. She says go to the cops now and deliver Phil... who by this point, was hit upside the head by a brick, shot, and beaten continuously in the face with a 2 X 4. Eve ignores #3 and continues her quest, which does lead to a pretty cool conclusion, I just think it needed a bit more editing, and a lot more realism to the point of the film. Filmbufftim on FB.

It's not often that I see a movie that surprises me. I watch many independent movies, and after a little research I give a new one a go. I didn't expect much with this one, but it had one recognizable name in it who I thought was pretty good (Richard Tyson).

He turned out to be pretty good as expected, but the real stand out was Tina Ivlev. It was basically her movie. I never heard of her, but looking her up I saw she had quite a few bits on TV. She was also in a TV movie called Death Clique. This girl really rocked in this film, and portrayed subtleties that acting veterans usually can't pull off in facial expressions and action sequences. The subject matter is fairly dark dealing with the human trade business, so you have to be prepared for that subject matter going in. Of course it's a retribution flick by the title so for me those are always interesting.

The main reason I gave it a 7 is because of Tina's great performance, but I felt the overall production merited a 5 or 6. Still very worthwhile for VOD, DVD, and select theater viewing. Nothing over the top here, just a few gritty performances by the main characters.

Rather simple story line but this time it do works out fine due a few reasons. The way it was acted did work as did the effects used. Most of the effects are done off-camera but they are never that cruel that you are missing the impact, what we do see is how the result is on the bodies. In other words, a low budget flick has to hide the fact that there isn't that much of money.

Still, it do has a rather brutal overlook because when the abducted girl is taking her revenge it's without mercy. Even as some things are done off-camera it do has a few gory moments like the scene with the spikes or the shot through the head.

Maybe it's all a bit exaggerated with the way all those girls are abducted but somehow it didn't bother me at all. A surprisingly good horror flick, as seen a thousand times before with all that revenge revival but clocking in at around 80 minutes is what makes it work too.

Gore 1/5 Nudity 0/5 Effects 2,5/5 Story 2,5/5 Comedy 0/5

What COULD have been a decent movie was entirely ruined purely by sloppy writing. Nuts and bolts wise it had enough going for it to be a decent and entertaining Indy type flick...could even have become a cult classic if there were not SO many entirely needless unrealistic components to the script! All that was needed was anyone with a GOOD imagination so that what was transpiring MADE SENSE! And particularly an ending that didn't leave a viewer (like me for instance) shaking his head in disbelief that a MORON was allowed to RUIN all the good effort that went into the film! Whoever botched this all up and I would have to think HAD to have ignored suggestions to fix it, richly deserves to be taken and tortured as much as us viewers have collectively been! GRRRRR! Or for all I know maybe some moron holding the purse strings got his or her mitts into into it...but SOMEONE really REALLY screwed this film up righteously!

Awesome completely vile and morbid! About a woman who breaks free from her captor early into the movie and goes on a bit of a hunt for other girls that were held against their will except those aren't very smart, at least some of them. I saw this movie at least 3 years ago, and I thought it was excellent then just wasn't reviewing back then.

Tina Ivlev and Richard Tyson are great even though their characters are twisted; I love Richard Tyson's deep menacing voice! Solid horror with a twist in it, highly recommend for horror fans!

Saw this at the IMAGINE film festival 2015 in Amsterdam. To present my end conclusion upfront: I left disappointed. The very original plot elements could have made this film stand apart from others in the genre, where usually men are the ones in control and the women suffer. Plus that none of the rescued women thanked her, was a novel plot element too. But it could have been so much better, given all these ingredients.

The core of the story, that Eve did not get the thanks she really deserved, is very clear, overly clear in fact along the remainder of the story after having freed herself. Even worse, all her well-intended actions to set the other captured women free, backfire one after another. If she had decided to be selfish, it would have prevented all the fallout we saw now, all pointing to her as the aggressor and guilty party as soon as law enforcement would get involved. In other words, if she had not gone to the trouble of rescuing all the others that were held captured, she could have lived happily ever after. I hope not to have read a morale between the lines here, nor a takeaway message.

As a side note, I was particularly annoyed by the repetitious flashbacks with more or less the same images over and over again, showing Eve on a fun-fair with her boyfriend having a good time together. Along the story we get hints that the boyfriend played an unclear role, maybe not directly responsible for her abduction, but got heavily involved in that line of business later on. He insists, on the other hand, that he has searched her for half a year, and lost his job and house in the process. The fine details of what he precisely did (or not did) are not revealed to us. Could have been interesting, but this plot element was dearly missed too.

This moves at a good pace. The acting isn't too bad. The story was a bit shaky for me because I keep waiting for the character's back stories. It kept my attention but it wasn't much more than ordinary.