If I had to categorize Echoes of Violence it would be a revenge thriller with some dark humor thrown in. The film starts in a way where you’re not entirely sure what’s going on or what the movie is even about. As everything becomes clearer, the writing comes into its own as does the action.

We open to real estate agent Alex as he gets ready to show a less than ideal location in Arizona. Shortly after arriving, he hears gun shots. After following the sound, he comes across a bloodied woman, Marakya, being pinned to the ground by an equally bloodied man. Once she’s safe, he learns about her quest for revenge against her former immigration lawyer/human trafficker and ends up being swept along for the ride. What follows is a taut hour and forty minute that is surprisingly solid even when it stumbles.

Echoes of Violence is framed in chapters, with the chapters being named in ways to give you an idea of what lies ahead. Along the way, we run into a would be hit man and his ailing father as well as a few other minor characters, but ultimately this is a story about Alex and Marakya and how they deal with the dark events that brought them together. The story itself turns into something worth sitting through the slightly longer than needed runtime.

The acting overall is solid. Michaella Russell as Marakya does well as the immigrant out to make the man who took advantage of her and others in her position. As this is her first major film, she carries the weight and action of the situation very well. Our other lead, Alex, is played by Heston Horwin. He plays the guy out of his depth who just wants to make the sale and live his life. He brings the role a sense of charm and likability, even if the character isn’t anything new. The rest of the crew does well with the material.

The editing and camera work feels very grounded. There aren’t excessive edits that could cause confusion while the cinematography uses the desert surroundings to the film’s advantage and the surprisingly brutal action scenes are thankfully filmed in a way that’s easy to follow. Also, the sound is even throughout with the soundtrack used sparingly.

Though Echoes of Violence was an enjoyable film, it took a bit too long to get started. I feel it could have shaved at least ten minutes and not have a negative impact on storytelling. The acting and script, while strong, were dragged down by the characters and story because they never really branched out into new territory. None of this breaks the movie, however you end up with déjà vu–you’ve seen these revenge movies before, sometimes better and sometimes worse. At least the writing and acting will be more than enough to keep you interested until the end.

7 out of 10