I didn't expect much when I picked up `Art of Revenge' because, frankly, I hadn't heard much or anything about it. A terrific surprise. This stylishly sophisticated `unknown' film probably didn't have a big budget - the `ad' campaign, or lack thereof being the indication. But first time director Simon Gornick has created a true sleeper film, that looks like much more than it must have cost, and has `LA-Noir' infused in every scene. Despite its hyperbolic, salacious cover - this isn't some sleazy, mindless hack job filled with naked bimbos with big knives. Instead it's a skillfully put together small film for which the director and the director of photography deserve tremendous credit. It looks like a Vilmos Zsigmond film (think `The Two Jakes') with beautifully lit scenes that capture the edgy essence of a sun drenched LA - in which menace lies behind a landscape that is deceptively friendly and cheerful. The script doesn't rush its slowly revealed story, which for action junkies may be disappointing. But for mystery fans, and filmgoers who don't need monsters jumping out from bushes every few minutes or so, who appreciate a film that respects its own characters - and the audiences' intelligence - AOR builds with a self assured, relaxed fluidity that mirrors the casual, careless lives of LA's less likeable citizens. Director Gornick, his cast, and his crew have created a film that lures you in - just as the characters manipulate each other, with the lure of beauty - and then show a much tougher, dangerous reality underneath the exteriors.
