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Punk is not dead. Or at least not in Connor Marsden's Violence.
We follow the story of Henry Violence (Rohan Campbell) as he becomes stuck in a cross-city cartel war. Is Violence the name his parents gave him? No, that's his punk name. We find ourselves in an alternate 1980s where politics is dead, and punk rock reigns supreme.
It's an admittedly great concept, with visuals that call upon the leather-clad classics like The Warriors, The Lost Boys, and The Hunger. However ambitious, it is clear that Marsden and co-writers Devin Myler and William Woods have a far greater world worked out than what we see in the film. The problem is that plot points are often stated as one-offs or on the side, only tuning the audience into one half of a much bigger conversation. As much as we want to be a part of the world, we simply are not given enough to know how it works, or really what is happening.
You can feel that Violence wants to break out, to be bigger and tell a grander story, a spell it can't quite break out of. Because of the lore he has developed, Marsden is highly confident in the chaotic, dark, rock-and-roll visuals. Clearly, he is a filmmaker with an eye in every corner of the frame. The punk rockness of this world is clear and delightfully fun. The overall styling screams less '80s and feels more modern; however, some of the characters are sporting classic teased hair and blush up to their temples. But there seems to be less of a full lean-in to MTV anarchy, and more generic trashed alleys and random burning trash cans.
What brings everything to life is truly the dedicated performances from the whole cast, with special nods to Campbell, Maddie Hasson, and Greg Byrk. Truly, though, there is passion behind this project. You can feel it through the screen, with every moment and element confident next to the other.
There is certainly something in Violence with the potential to be a tuly unique and engaging action film. The most frustrating part is that it is just below the surface of the final project. Even if Marsden doesn't continue with a sequel, at the very least it would make a fantastic comic book.
