Art of Revenge (2003 Video) User Reviews

Okay, but really silly

[NIXFLIX-DOT-COM · 4/10 · 23 August 2003]

An okay film, with a fine leading lady, but a terrible leading man. Stephan Jenkins, who plays the husband, is a truly bad actor. Joyce Hyser, on the other hand, is the movie's saving grace. She's the best actor of the bunch.

NOTE* the first comment, by the fellow who heaped praise upon the movie (and, according to his IMDB.com account, has only written ONE review -- and guess for what movie?) is obviously a plant. While the movie is nicely shot, it's by no means subtle or great or whatever other hypobolic descriptions the reviewer used.

"Art of Revenge" is a fair movie, but it's a big tease. It offers up all manner of sexual situations but never goes through with it. Like watching a Skin Flick on Cinemax, but with all the "naughty bits" edited out.

The film, as a whole, is a bit unfocused and the ending, and much of the third act, is really a big mess. There's a twist ending, of course, since every movie nowadays finds it necessary to have a twist ending.

A 4 out of 10.

88 minutes of my life which I'll never get back again!

[jea4316 · 3/10 · 16 April 2003]

You've heard it said to live every moment as if it's your last? Whether it's your last day or not, I beg you not to waste any part of it watching this! Nichole Hiltz provides some nice moments of eye candy (that alas, stays wrapped) and David DeLuise shows why he should stick to the small screen or dog food commercials. A shallow, unrealistic plot with dreadful dialogue means there is no "Art" in the "Art of Revenge".

Hiltz Parade

[zsenorsock · 4/10 · 23 June 2006]

There is only one reason to watch this movie if you are not related to one of the stars or a producer: actress Nichole Hiltz. She is the show in this slow moving and wildly unlikely story of revenge. Directed by Simon Gornick, the film stars Joyce Hyser as a betrayed wife who decides to seek revenge on her cheatin' spouse. Oh, but not by conventional means. She plans a total guerrilla war and recruits bad girl Nichole Hiltz as her weapon of choice. She wants Nichole (as Tuesday) to get close to her ex (the handsome but dull Stephan Jenkins, who should stick to music) to embarrass him and ruin his life. David DeLuise is good in his few brief moments, and former "Crime Story" star Anthony Dennison is given virtually nothing to do but scowl. Hiltz on the other hand comes off at various times as sexy and playful, then evil and devious. She also handles vulnerable and "maybe a bit psychotic" well. She's also quite hot (though there's no naughty bits show) so you can understand how she might be able to get to any guy she is aimed at. But the performance is kind of wasted in this movie, which is just not edgy or interesting enough to recommend.

Born losers

[guilfisher-1 · 1/10 · 1 October 2006]

This 2003 made for TV movie was shown on a women's channel, naturally. As a man, why do I even attempt to watch this? I don't know, but I should have my head examined. And director and writer Simon Gornick should be ashamed of himself to give men an injustice as he does. He takes away any strength and conviction a man could have by having several boring women do him in. Number one bore is Joyce Hyser as the wife. I couldn't wait for him to drop her. Her revenge was silly and stupid and very confusing through most of the movie. The other femme fatale was Nichole Hiltz, about the coldest person you'd ever want to meet. Her looks didn't warrant our leading man to go that ape over her and her acting was so obvious, only a fool could miss. Definitely a loser. Tembi Locke was pretty good, but slow on the uptake as to the slut seducing her own husband, again played as a guy who is a loser, by David DeLuise. Rounding out our cast of losers is Anthony Denison as a boss who has little to do but scowl at our hero. Stephen Jenkins as our hero, or should I say victim, was not that good. At first I thought he just a bad actor, but later I believed it. He never got the part off the ground and was repetitive throughout. Although, as a man, I became enraged when the two women got away with it. Men, beware of this channel that puts men down and women get away even with murder. LMN is the channel. Beware. Note: Having watched this a second time by mistake, I am convinced on my initial thoughts. Especially on the writer/director, Simon Gornick. I still believe he has disgraced the male species and should be horse whipped. Only saving grace in this film is Tembi Locke who doesn't have a chance to show her talents with the awful acting of Jenkins, Hyser, Hiltz and DeLuise around her. Plus the stupid plot that only makes it worse. Down with Gornick's movie and his vacant stars in it. Please LMN don't show this trite again.

really, don't bother unless u r on dope

[irinaski · 3/10 · 20 July 2008]

blows my mind how this movie got made. i watched it while i worked at home writing emails and answering the phone -- i ONLY watched it because i hoped the "revenge" part would be good. needless to say, the revenge and the forced plot twists were not worth the emails during which they were watched. in fact, i'm not even sure what happened at the end any more. the acting was as bad as re-enactment scenarios on the "FBI Files" show -- by far, the worst re-enactments (really only "Arrest and Trial" can possibly be as bad at re-enactments). i didn't even know that the leading man was in Third Eye Blind until i looked the movie up here on IMDb, but its obvious why he hasn't made any movies since. i hope he is a good singer.

Not so Bad

[grafs707-1 · 7/10 · 23 October 2006]

Art of Revenge. We all rented (in some cases bought) and watched it for one reason - Stephan Jenkins, lead singer of rockers Third Eye Blind, stars. Going in you can't expect much considering the actors and director but honestly it is worth a watch. The plot is pretty flimsy, but still gets you hooked somehow. Even without seeing any sex drugs or nudity. In an era of movies that make millions upon millions of dollars and turn out being worse the WOTW remake...with this one at least you don't expect a whole lot out of it and for that reason watching is a lot easier. It also feels like a "short" compared to WOTW. One major positive I need to attribute to this movie though is all of its clever quotes. (Prob. come up w/by the lyrical mastermind himself SJ). So in maybe in 15-20 years the next generation might turn this small production into a major hit...or remake.

A really nice surprise.

[iloveimdb · 9/10 · 16 December 2003]

I wasn't expecting much renting this movie. I thought I was in for a dumbass B Movie flick. But my girlfriend really wanted to check out Stephen Jenkins' (from Third Eye Blind) performance.

Yea, it kind of blows when you have to watch a film that you wouldn't normally give a second glance to. But every once in a while, however, something surprises you.

Such is the case with ART OF REVENGE, a thriller-ish drama from Gator Home Entertainment, distributed by the good folks at mti Home Video. It?s not so much that the movie looked dull, it just didn?t appear to be the kind of flick I normally gravitate too, like horror, Sci-fi, bathroom humor... you know, the more mature stuff. This despite the fact that the cover art suggests knife murders and lesbian love affairs.

Having more in common with a Lifetime Network tele-film than an erotic flavored thriller, ART OF REVENGE ended up not having any nudity, lesbian love scenes, or knifings, but heck if I didn?t enjoy the flick anyway. Now I?m not saying that ART OF REVENGE is this fantastic movie that?s going to change the way you look at cinema for the rest of your life. It is, however, a simple little flick that manages to entertain and perhaps even work as a catharsis for those who have had their love spurned. Realistically, I doubt that everything could come together as perfectly as it does in this film, but hey, this is just escapism entertainment. Just relax and go with it.

Joyce Hyser (HOLLYWOOD KNIGHTS) plays Laura, a successful business woman who?s been carrying her husband Matt (Stephan Jenkins from the band, Third Eye Blind) on her coat tails for quite a few years. Now at long last, his dreams of being a big time architect are about to become reality. For Laura, this means that they can finally have a baby together. For Matt, this means he?ll be making good money and be able to have his choice of California debutantes. Not only does he not need Laura?s support anymore, he wants her gone so that he can pursue the lifestyle he?s always secretly fantasized about, that of the wealthy single stud. Needless to say, Laura isn?t too happy about getting kicked to the roadside, especially after years of nurturing him during his starving artist days. Laura doesn?t get mad though, she just gets even.

Enter the beautiful Tuesday, played by Nichole Hiltz (AUSTIN POWERS IN GOLDMEMBER). Blond hair. Frosty blue eyes. Mysterious. Classy. She?s even interested in the same artists and poets that Matt admires. Could Matt have just found his idea woman? His perfect match? Or is she just a little bit too perfect? And how is it that Laura has gone from bitter ex-wife to supportive best friend? Well, if you read the back of the video box then I?m probably not spoiling anything by telling you that Laura and Tuesday just might be working together to teach Matt a lesson that he will never forget. The question is, since Tuesday is basically a wild card, can even Laura be sure that Tuesday is not going to pull a double cross on her as well? How far can you trust someone who?s in the business of deception?

I did a have a few problems with ART OF REVENGE, mostly concerning elements of the story. For example, one of casualties in Laura?s revenge plot is her best friend Izzy?s marriage. Although it?s clear that Izzy?s husband Ben, played by David DeLuise ("Bug" from THIRD ROCK FROM THE SUN), deserves what he gets, I never understood Laura?s total lack of empathy when it comes to destroying the marriage of her best friend. As cold and calculating as Laura seems, you can still relate to her being the underdog and root for her. However, when she stabs her friend in the back , figuratively speaking, with out any kind of provocation other than it was a necessary loss to achieve the bigger goal, Laura goes from being the poster girl for scorned women to just a plain old hateful bitch. Once this happens, the movie is left with no redeeming characters, anti heroes or otherwise, for the audience to get behind.

My second complaint comes right about the time when Izzy, played by Tembi Locke (STEEL), realizes her marriage is over. We see Tuesday entering Izzy and Ben?s house to plant some incriminating evidence, then we cut to Izzy crying, explaining how she found the evidence and told Ben that their marriage was over. Not only are we completely cheated out of seeing the confrontation between Izzy and Ben, but the jump forward in time creates momentary confusion as well. The problem isn?t so much that it?s difficult to put two and two together and figure out what just happened, I just feel that when you have to stop to figure it out, even if it only takes a second or two, then the director (in this case, Simon Gornick) has failed to keep you involved in the world he has just created. It?s not unlike having the show interrupted with a commercial break. Not really that big of a deal I guess, but I just thought that I would mention it. It?s either this or write a whole paragraph about how cute I think actress Nichole Hiltz is. Hello nurse!

Anyway, ART OF REVENGE is a pretty decent little film that a guy can watch with his wife or girlfriend, unless he?s thinking about dumping her soon, then he might want to go with something more along the lines of FRIED GREEN TOMATOES instead. Fans of the rock band, Third Eye Blind, will want to check this out to get their Stephan Jenkins fix. He turns in a pretty good performance as self centered Matt. Not unlike Bon Jovi, I can see his acting becoming more polished and moving up to bigger films if he continues to pursue acting.

Man what a twisted movie!

[triple8 · 7/10 · 4 June 2005]

SPOILERS:

I put this movie on, not expecting much and had no idea what I was getting into. Man what a twisted movie! Art of Revenge is a really strange movie, an indie film, which I had the feeling it was within the first five minutes and then after looking it up on line, found that it was so. The movie isn't a thriller-no Violence, or horror etc etc. What it is is The Grifters meets She devil meets about half a dozen other movies. But somehow the movie retains some originality. It's more then just a standard revenge tale, It has that nourish component and more "twists" then a roller coaster. It's a pretty twisted movie but completely absorbing.

The movie walks a thin line between tawdry and really really sleazy and though there are a few times when it gets into a bit of the latter, this remains for the most part, an interesting movie. There's a diabolical quality to "Tuesday" the mysterious grifter hired to do the seducing and conquering. The movie and dialog are quiet, and stealthy and there's a lot bubbling beneath the surface with all these characters. one never really knows what's gonna happen from moment to moment. It is a strange and dark movie that always stays interesting.

The "twists" in this are many and the movie manages to surprise not just once but several times which is a major plus. The ending is a bit murky and though much of it is similar to other movies, it still retained a bit of cleverness. If I had one problem with this, it is the fact that there are a few things that make little-actually-no sense whatsoever. The final confrontation between Izzy, Juliette and Matt is a surprise but one wonders how it could be known exactly what Izzy would do. I would have liked an ending that was a bit more realistic and cohesive. It was to muddled.

In spite of that, I'd give this a 7, probably more if not for the last twenty minutes or so. It had some really interesting components though in terms of revenge movies this makes others, such as She devil, look like snow white or something, it has no comedic elements at all. If one's in the mood for twisted, you've found it here in this strange quiet tale of revenge and duplicity. Nowhere near a 10 but certainly grabs your attention and keeps it. I'd give it a 7 of 10.

Good Plot... not so good acting :)

[route3eb · 8/10 · 2 March 2004]

The movie was insane! Great story line, a very dangerous movie for bitter women to see.... be ware men! It was a good movie, but the actiing wasn't all that great. Stephan Jenkins, (lead singer/songwriter for the band Third Eye Blind) is not the best actor, but he admits it, and he actually he did a better job acting as the movie progressed. He did a good job for his first time acting. And come on ladies... you have to see this movie because of the fact Stephan Jenkins is a babe! Woa! So overall it was a good movie, kept your attention, it's an independent film and I enjoyed it! I recommend it to the viewing audience.

A Terrific Surprise

[k358 · 9/10 · 12 May 2003]

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.

Very entertaining .

[johnhempel · 8/10 · 7 September 2018]

Everything about this movie is above average . The acting , the script, the story and the twists . I only know several people who have seen this movie and they had the same opinion as me . No it's not the Godfather but it's an entertaining movie to watch .

not typical movie

[gorchest · 8/10 · 19 January 2007]

in that a woman gets to a) be really mad at a guy for his actions b) get more than even with him and c) the producers did not SELL OUT the ending. It is unlike first wives club and fatal attraction in that way. Therefore a lot of folks will not like this flick. And it probably wasn't commercially viable in theaters. However, unlike first wives club (which was first a good book), no one lobotomized the ending to suit white male America. When someone "improves" the ending the result is usually dreadful. The Prince of Tides, First Wives Club and Fatal Attraction are all glaring example of what I mean by this. The male lead in Art of Revenge is a shallow little creep who dumps his wife for some eye candy. His loving wife (played by Joyce Hyser) refuses to land with a thud and just rub some dirt on it. As most women do. She gets the best of him. LITERALLY. And without killing him. (I wont spoil everything for you.