Acts of Vengeance

Acts of Vengeance is a 2017 action thriller film directed by Isaac Florentine. It stars Antonio Banderas as a lawyer avenging the deaths of his wife and daughter. The film also features Karl Urban, Paz Vega, and Cristina Serafini. Plot The wife and daughter of Pittsburgh lawyer Frank Valera (Antonio Banderas), Sue (Cristina Serafini) and Olivia, are killed shortly after a talent show in which Olivia sings a song for Frank, and their bodies are dumped in a hole near the train yard. Before the murder, Sue sent a video of Olivia's performance to Frank. After the funeral, Frank's father-in-law Chuck (Robert Forster) confronts him and tells him not to speak to him anymore. Frank visits the police station to discuss the murders, and Pittsburgh Police Detective Bill Lustiger (Johnathan Schaech) informs him that the police found a gold fiber at the murder scene. Lustiger suspects that the murderers belong to the Russian mafia, which operates in the area of the crime. After subjecting himself to beatings in an illegal mixed martial arts ring to atone for his perceived guilt for the murders, Frank is rescued by Pittsburgh Police officer Hank Strode (Karl Urban), whom Frank met earlier at the station. However, when Strode informs Frank that his family's case has become “cold," Frank leaves, dismayed and depressed. Later, when getting involved in a fight to help a child prostitute, Frank falls through a window of a book store, where he fortuitously grabs Marcus Aurelius’ Meditations to help stop the bleeding of a leg wound. Frank reads parts of the book and changes his attitude about what he should do next and how he should proceed, adopting a Stoic philosophy. He then takes a Stoic vow of silence until the case is solved and sets out to learn the skills required to do so. After learning combat skills with masters of karate and Brazilian jiu-jitsu, Frank goes to the train yard, where the crime took place, to investigate. He encounters Russian thugs and defeats them, though he is injured in the process by a bullet. A nurse, Alma (Paz Vega), arrives and brings him to her home to treat his injuries. The next day, Frank returns to his home. On the way, he adopts a dog previously owned by his attackers. Later, Alma approaches to return his wallet, which he left at her place. Alma learns about his family’s death and the yard, and she befriends him.