Sean Vetter (Vin Diesel) and Demetrius Hicks (Larenz Tate) are part of a DEA team sent to join Mexican police to take down drug lord Memo Lucero. Memo is captured and brought back to the US. A mysterious new player Diablo is taking over Memo's territory and killing his men. Diablo's men kill Sean's wife (Jacqueline Obradors) in a failed assassination attempt. He goes to seek revenge for his dead wife. They start investigating Hollywood Jack (Timothy Olyphant).

It's a crime melodrama. There is a good deal of overacting. The story has several cliché plots jam together. Vin Diesel tries to do a lot. I don't blame him because that's the way it's written. He's a super cop. He's a happy street-wise family man. He's a grieving widow. He's a gangster thug avenging cop. He's too much and the movie suffers. It feels like a lot of poser acting. It doesn't get the benefit of gritty realism. There are quite a bit of gun action but it's not fun or exciting. This movie is going for a lot and probably too much. Around the halfway point, I stop caring about this movie.

Sean Vetter (Vin Diesel) is a DEA detective, who has been chasing the Mexican drug lord Ramon Cadena (Ken Davitian) for seven years. He finally arrest him in a combined operation of the Mexican and American authorities. He comes back to his beloved wife Stacy (Jacqueline Obradors),and after celebrating in his seaside house with his friends and colleagues, his wife and he suffer an attack in the night and they are shot by the killers. Stacy dies and Sean looks for revenge. He finds out that, with Cadena in prison, a new gang, with the leadership of `El Diablo', is getting the spot of Cadena. Sean chases `El Diablo' looking for revenge. First of all, this plot is a collection of cliches: how many films have we seen where the family/wife/girl-friend of a correct detective/man is executed and he wants to revenge? Chales Bronson`s `Death Wish', Dolph Lundgren`s `The Punisher', Steven Seagal`s movie etc. The awful edition of the action scenes, with very short cuts, is very confused and hard to be seen, and the mysterious character ‘El Diablo' is not clearly resolved. Most of the characters are politically incorrect, using drugs, killing a bandit with bare hands and simulating a shooting etc. I was very disappointed with this movie. My vote is six.

Title (Brazil): `O Vingador' ( `The Avenger')

I personally liked the film. Vin Diesel's performance was the right side of credible. Lerenz Tate was a good choice as a partner, as he provides a solid performance as well and provided the comic relief this sort of film needs. The plot wasn't as lightweight as I thought it was doing to be, the script didn't go too over the top (although there was some moments) and the action was pretty impressive. Not too bad for a Vin Diesel vehicle.

My one problem though is that the ending didn't make sense (why did everyone start fighting when he was walking off at the end?)Frankly, I think it would have been better if they had swapped the end scene with the previous scene at the wife's graveside.

Also, did the makers of 'The Punisher' watch this film beforehand, because they are very similar.