I Am Wrath

Plot

In the midst of a unprecedented crime wave in the city of Columbus, Ohio, Governor John Meserve (Patrick St. Esprit) gives a press conference about his crime reduction efforts. When questioned by protestors about a proposed pipeline, Meserve promises that he has commissioned an independent study of the pipeline. Abbie Hill (Amanda Schull) and her family are watching the press conference, and they are thrilled that the Governor has referenced the work her mother Vivian (Rebecca De Mornay) is doing.

Vivian heads to the airport to pick up her husband Stanley (John Travolta), who has returned from a job interview to manage a factory in Orlando, Florida. When they arrive at their car, they notice one of the tires is flat. Before Stanley can fix it, a man approaches and asks them for money. Stanley politely refuses, but another man sneaks up on Stanley and stuns him with a blow to the head. The first man stabs Vivian and takes her wallet. Stanley watches the men flee.

The police use Stanley's descriptions to quickly capture the man who killed Vivian. However, they let him go after Stanley positively identifies him. This enrages Stanley, and now that he knows the man's name is Charley, he starts to stalk him. When he sees a carefree Charley on the street, Stanley goes home and retrieves a case from behind a wall. The case has several passports, foreign currencies, and several weapons. He calls Dennis (Christopher Meloni), his friend from the Special Forces, and asks him for information about Charley and his crew. Dennis runs black operations from beneath a barbershop.

Stanley uses Dennis intelligence to track down one of the men who attacked him at a local bar. As the man lies dying, he hints that Vivian's murder was more than just a robbery. Stanley and Dennis are photographed as they dispose of the body. Local crime lord Lemi K (Sloan) is furious when he sees the photograph, and he orders hits on the men who killed one of his crew.

Stanley tracks down another man who was involved in the attack. He confronts him at a tattoo parlor, after getting the words "I Am Wrath" tattooed on his back. After killing the man, Stanley makes off with a bag full of drugs and money. Stanley and Dennis use the bag as bait to lure Charley to the VIP room at a Korean nightclub. Before being killed, Charley tells Stanley that Vivian's murder was ordered by Lemi because she was too nosy.

Lemi has tracked down Abbie and is holding her hostage. Stanley and Dennis arrive and kill Lemi. When two corrupt cops arrive, Stanley realizes the entire plot was organized by Governor Meserve. He infiltrates the Governor's mansion and murders him. When the police arrive, Stanley raises a weapon, prompting them to shoot him in his bulletproof vest. While he recovers in the hospital, one of the corrupt cops tries to assassinate Stanley, but Stanley shoots him with a hidden gun. Dennis spirits Stanley away from the hospital, and the film ends with Abbie reading a postcard from Stanley that he sent from Sao Paulo.

Cast

Production

Initially announced in September 2012, the film initially was set to star Nicolas Cage and be directed by William Friedkin. However this version did not come to pass, and instead a new version starring John Travolta and directed by Chuck Russel was announced in February 2015.

Principal photography on the film began on March 9, 2015 in Columbus, Ohio. On March 18, 2015, filming was underway on the steps of Ohio Statehouse, and at a private home in Bexley, Ohio. Film was also shot in Cleveland and Alabama.

Critical reception

The film-critics aggregator Rotten Tomatoes reports a rating of 11% based on 9 reviews, with a weighted average score of 3/10.