Rage is a slow burn crime drama that takes a patient and carefully constructed approach to the revenge thriller, even though its resolutions do not match the investment given.

Ahhhh, sweet revenge. You don’t have to search far to find an action thriller in which vengeance is the motivating factor for its protagonist, usually a family man with a “special set of skills” hellbent on avenging the (insert violent crime) towards a loved one.

Rage approaches the revenge movie in a very different way. Here is a film that delves into the psychological repercussions of a violent act with patience and a respect for the heavy weight towards the themes that come from it. At 143 minutes it’s a slow burn to be sure, but one that tells a story of broken people who are brought together through the fog of violence. It is heavy stuff, but worth the investment. Mostly.

Rage focuses on Noah (Matt Theo) and Madeline (Hayley Beveridge), a married couple edging towards separation. When one night a pair of masked violent intruders invade their home, viciously sexually assaulting Madeline and leaving a gunshot laden Noah in a coma, their lives are overcome with the trauma of the violence inflicted upon them. As dogged Detective John Bennett (Richard Norton) investigates who the attackers are, a reconnected Noah and Madeline hunt their attackers themselves.

Directed by John Balazs (his feature film debut) and written by Michael J. Kospiah (Suicide Theory), there is much to admire in the way Rage explores its themes, Balazs providing the time for his story to unfold and characters to evolve in the aftermath of a tragic situation. Presented in a somewhat neo-noir style, Rage does not aim for exploitation in its approach to violence or its police procedural element. The sexual violence in particular can be hard to sit through, Balazs never shying away from the physical and psychological trauma inflicted upon his characters. He can’t, not when we need to see the stakes at play as intimately as we do here.

Both Matt Theo and Hayley Beveridge are game in taking on such challenging roles, especially Beveridge who portrays the psychological consequences of her ordeal with the right mix of fear and fragility. The standout though is Richard Norton as the dogged detective searching for a truth that is as complex as it is dangerous. A legend of action cinema with almost 70 films to his name, Norton knows how to hold the screen.

Cinematographer Ben Luck (The Surrogate) captures the films Melbourne setting well, creating a slick looking crime drama that has cinematic scope. The score by Kai Chen Lim (his feature debut), however, is patchy at best, ranging from Caper Fear inspired ambience to generic crime show fodder, sometimes distractingly so.

An unsatisfying conclusion ties up the films emotional story while leaving its come story flapping in the wind. After such an investment Rage, feels less than finished. Then again, maybe that is the point. If violence is a vicious circle, then Rage, a film about vengeance unquenched, is not about the payback, but the journey.