Redux Redux is the most exciting revenge thriller you’ll see for a while. A rare, original gem of an indie with big ideas grounded in personal journeys, that puts every inch of its tiny budget up on screen. And best of all, the McManus Brothers’ low-fi, Death Wish-meets-Groundhog Day revenge thriller really doesn’t fuck about.
Opening on grieving, battle-worn mother Irene (a third McManus, Michaela) burning her daughter’s killer alive without mercy, within the first ten minutes we also see her stab, shoot and suffocate the same man on separate occasions. Repeated vengeance. Over and over. Without end.
And it’s quickly clear that this isn’t just some grief-addled wish-fulfilment either; these aren’t dreams, but very, very twisted realities. Multiple different universes where this man lives, and Irene’s daughter does not. And so time and time again, she squashes herself into a hissing, pneumatic coffin of a spaceship, and hops to the next reality. Revolver poised and ready to enact bloody revenge, all over again, until there’s nothing left of the man who took everything from her.
It’s not only a genius conceit, but a surprisingly fun watch. Impactful, yes – once you’ve seen the same act five times in a row, you’re bound to feel the emptiness that’s intended. But in getting the moral heavy-lifting out of the way so quickly and cleverly, Team McManus have a pacy 90-odd minutes to play in the sandbox they’ve created; digging deeper into the surprising mundanity of the technology, and into Irene too. Letting her play out as not only a very capable Sarah Connor-type, but also as a very nuanced image of grief without end.
That said, not everything the brothers toss into the script here feels strictly speaking necessary. The adventure itself picks up some surprising passengers and never once slows down, but certain subplots land better than others. Not least those more driven by world-building than character; particularly an explosive offshoot in the desert that’s far more interested in the architecture of Irene’s machine, than why she’s using it.
Because ultimately, as much as we might have questions, Team McManus are so very, very apt at showing over telling, that when they do press pause to fill us in – however brief – it feels out of whack with how lean the rest of the genre nuts and bolts are. This is character-driven, light-touch sci-fi in the best possible way; the less whizzes and bangs and timey-wimey nonsense the better. Irene and her mission are so compelling, any extra set dressing is a distraction.
It’s rare to find a revenge movie that feels in any way fresh; by their very definition, they’re practically archaic. But the team here have found a way to not only make a compelling, action-packed thriller on a (barely noticeable) shoestring budget, but a piece of work that actually adds to the pantheon of the revenge movie, after over a century of entries.
A revenge mission that by its very definition, will never end. A bottomless urge that will never feel quenched. A true addiction.
Redux Redux screened as part of FrightFest 2025.
