Writer, director, and star B.J. Novak unpacks the shockingly violent ending to his new dark comedy thriller, Vengeance, and explains its meaning. Novak is best known as a star of NBC's beloved mockumentary sitcom, The Office, in which he played Dunder Mifflin's reluctant temp, Ryan Howard. Beyond The Office, Novak has also ventured into feature films with roles in Inglourious Basterds, Saving Mr. Banks, The Amazing Spider-Man 2, and The Founder. After honing his craft for years on episodes of The Office, Novak recently made his feature directorial debut with Vengeance.
Novak leads the film's cast as Ben Manalowitz, a journalist and aspiring podcaster who journeys from New York to West Texas to investigate the death of a former fling, Abilene, who died of drug overdose though may have been murdered. Vengeance also stars Insecure's Issa Rae as Ben's producer, The Sandman's Boyd Holbrook, Dove Cameron, Isabella Amara, J. Smith-Cameron, Lio Tipton, musician John Mayer, and Ashton Kutcher. Vengeance premiered in theaters on July 29, and the movie's brutally blooding ending, which sees Ben take matters into his own hands, has left audiences stunned and searching for answers.
During a recent interview with IndieWire, Novak attempted to unpack Vengeance's shocking ending. The film's writer, director, and star discussed why the cathartic end was the only "inevitable" conclusion for the movie that has successfully shaken audiences, indicating Novak has done his job well. Read his explanation below:
I was actually more concerned with hiding it because to me, it felt like the only place for this movie to end. So the fact that audiences are a little shaken by it, don’t quite know what to make of it at first, is very exciting for me. It means I did pull off what I wanted it to. It is a complex country we live in right now. It’s a complex world. And morality is complex and getting lost. The way to take my character from point A to point B, point B is a very shocking place, surprising place. I like when movies or TV shows go a little further than you thought they could. It leaves you with something to think about after the movie is over.
Vengeance's ending sees a frustrated and fed-up Ben take the law into his own hands as the careless and corrupt law enforcement fail to address the urgency of the opioid epidemic, exacerbated by Abilene's family's unwillingness to acknowledge the truth. The cathartic conclusion could also be viewed as an alternate fantasy ending for Ben's story, tying in inspiration from Novak's past collaboration with Quentin Tarantino on Inglourious Basterds. According to Novak, the expectation-subverting ending also takes inspiration from writer/director Jordan Peele, whose new movie Nope opened in theaters just one week before Vengeance. Like Peele, Novak is a comedic talent who has successfully transitioned to a genre director with films that explore social issues in a unique and entertaining way.
Since premiering at the Tribeca Film Festival in June before expanding to theaters late last month, Vengeance has mainly received favorable reviews from critics and audiences for Novak's sharp political satire. The film deftly explores the mounting tensions between red and blue states and the sharp divide in America today, which eventually escalates into violence in the case of Vengeance. The dark comedy is a solid directorial debut for Novak, and from this point, cinephiles will be watching his film career with great interest.
Source: IndieWire
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