Style Without Substance Leaves This Sequel Stranded

MOVIE REVIEW
Sacrum Vindictae II
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Genre: Action
Year Released: 2023
Runtime: 1h 37m
Director(s): Fabian Farina
Writer(s): Fabian Farina
Cast: Fabian Farina, John Jezior, Mariano A. Mattei, Frank Volpe, Rachel Keefe, Matt Rydzewski, Shelby Hightower, Eric Francis Melaragni, Amanda Schoonover, Denise Parella 
Where to Watch: Available now on various streaming services

RAVING REVIEW: SACRUM VINDICTAE II enters with the swagger of a revenge thriller that promises high-stakes drama, polish, and thematic weight. Instead, it delivers a fragmented showcase of potential, where moments of visual ambition and narrative intrigue collapse under the weight of underdeveloped characters, half-formed ideas, and emotional detachment. It isn’t without its redeeming qualities, but they’re buried beneath a surface-level commitment to style over cohesion.

Fabian Farina’s direction leans heavily on the symbolic and stylized—there’s no denying there is an eye for framing or mood-driven imagery. The problem is that these choices rarely serve the story. Sequences are often edited and shot like standalone music videos: striking on their own but disconnected from the larger arc. This creates a tone that feels more concerned with evoking a reaction than exploring a consequence. Scenes come and go with a sleek veneer, but the film rarely settles into an emotional rhythm.

This sequel picks up with the expectation that viewers are already familiar with its world, but offers little meaningful expansion. Instead of deepening our understanding of the characters or the central conflict, SACRUM VINDICTAE II doubles down on vague dialogue and mythic posturing. Everyone speaks in riddles; every glance seems to carry decades of implied trauma, yet the film struggles to make any of it tangible. Investing in a story that refuses to let its characters be more than ideas on a page is hard.

A recurring theme of vengeance and redemption is threaded throughout the runtime, but the storytelling fails to earn either. Motivation is a moving target. Characters behave in contradictory ways not because they're complex, but because the plot demands it. When key decisions are made, they feel arbitrary—less the product of internal struggle and more like shortcuts to the next conspicuous visual. This makes it difficult to care about the outcome, because we never get a clear sense of who these people are beyond the aesthetics they inhabit.

The performances don't help. The direction feels stiff, while no one in the cast performs badly. It's as if the actors were instructed to focus more on maintaining a particular look or presence than engaging with the story in a grounded way. Some scenes strive for gravitas but fall flat because the emotion can't breathe. There’s a coldness to the delivery that keeps the audience at arm’s length, even during moments that should feel intense or intimate.

Perhaps most frustrating is that SACRUM VINDICTAE II has ambition. There are brief flickers—an expression here, a line of dialogue there—where the film hints at a deeper layer. A version of this story with a stronger narrative structure, clearer character arcs, and more restraint could have been a compelling meditation on justice, identity, or loss. But its current form feels like a rough draft stretched to feature length.

The pacing doesn't help. Scenes linger too long or cut away too early. Dialogue-heavy moments repeat the same vague ideas, while action sequences lack urgency. Even coming in under two hours, the film feels bloated, weighed down by its sense of importance. 

It’s not all a loss. The visual ambition suggests that Farina has a distinctive voice that could flourish with stronger collaborators or a more grounded script. There’s a vision here, even if it isn’t fully realized.

Ultimately, SACRUM VINDICTAE II falls short because it prioritizes mood over meaning. It gestures toward grand themes without exploring them, and relies too heavily on aesthetics to fill in the blanks. The film may attract viewers drawn to stylistic thrillers and minimalist dialogue, but for those seeking a narrative with real impact, it will likely disappoint.

There’s room for growth. Farina has raw talent, but this outing feels more like a showcase reel than a fully-formed story. With more attention to character development, pacing, and emotional stakes, future projects could land with far more impact. As it stands, SACRUM VINDICTAE II looks impressive in stills but plays hollow in motion—an experience that struggles to resonate beyond its visual shell.

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[photo courtesy of FOUR OLIVES PRODUCTIONS]

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