All in all, it’s incredibly frustrating to watch.Īccording to both the judge and Don Johnson’s lawyer, the jury is totally willing to believe that Teena is an awful mother who would willingly have sex with multiple men in front of her daughter because she has a flirtatious personality and wears revealing outfits. While never explicitly stated, there’s definitely underlying sexism (and likely racism regarding Teena’s attorney) in the judge’s attitude. He demeans Teena by forcing her to remove her sunglasses in court, despite a head injury making her highly sensitive to light (“Can’t she just squint?”). Meanwhile, the judge snubs Teena’s attorney - an intelligent young Black woman who wants justice.
The judge is perfectly eager to shake Johnson’s hand and courteously excuse him when he arrives late to the hearing. The judge makes absolutely no pretense about how much he favors the smarmy, hot-shot defense attorney played by Don Johnson, who sports fashionable sunglasses, a full head of luxurious salt-and-pepper hair, and rides a motorcycle.
While I haven’t read Oates’ novella, from what I understand, Teena and Bethie are the story's true focus.ĭon Johnson as Jay Kirkpatrick, the smarmy defense attorney.Īlso standing in the way is an extremely biased judge. Detective John Dromoor is here to support the traumatized mother and daughter who are trying to get justice and recover physically and mentally from horrific trauma while enduring unbearable cruelty from the residents of their town. This is Bethie and Teena Maguire’s story. Another warning for anyone particularly upset by animal cruelty, there is a later scene showing an especially cruel killing of a beloved pet cat.ĭespite having first billing and being the sole actor on the movie poster, Vengeance really is not about Nicolas Cage. Personally, I had to skip ahead a few minutes - something I rarely do - because it really is that sickening. But honestly, regardless of whether or not you’re prepared, the graphic rape scene within the first 30 minutes is very upsetting to watch and very difficult to get through. But if you weren’t aware (as I initially was not, given the title change), then it might be a shock. If you recognized this movie as an adaptation of Oates’ novella, you probably know what to expect.
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