The Big Ugly gets its title from a creek in West Virginia near where the film is set. It's also likely intended to have a double meaning, given the events that take place in this revenge thriller; but much like the tired story, it’s probably not worth thinking about too much. The movie starts with Vinnie Jones’ Neelyn spouting some faux-profound nonsense about the reasons wars are fought. Despite this eye-roll-worthy beginning, the first 20 minutes of the film are promising -- if only it didn’t devolve into a rote tale of vengeance that predictably leads to all-out war in the backwoods.
The story begins as crime boss Harris (Malcolm McDowell) flies into West Virginia with Neelyn and his girlfriend Fiona (Lenora Crichlow) to strike a deal with oilman Preston (Ron Perlman). Had the movie kept its focus on the business dealings between the American oilmen and the British gangsters, and the inevitable friction that comes with them, it might have fulfilled the promise of its set-up. Instead, the movie veers in an entirely different direction. After drinking too much and stumbling home with Fiona, Neelyn passes out in their hotel room as she tries to talk to him about the status of their relationship. So, Fiona heads back out and runs into Preston’s psychotic son Junior (Brandon Sklenar), a man who believes he’s entitled to everything he sees, including any woman who’s unlucky enough to find herself in his orbit.
When Neelyn wakes up the next day, Fiona is nowhere to be found. Despite Harris’ desire to get back to London as quickly as possible, Neelyn insists on looking for his girlfriend. He soon discovers Fiona's body, and shortly afterward determines Junior’s to blame for her death. The whodunit and why part of the story isn’t the point, however. What the movie is really interested in is using Fiona’s death as a jumping off point for Neelyn to take revenge on Junior -- and go up against anyone who gets in his way. This is a story that’s been committed to film dozens of times before, and the success of the plot hinges on how innovative the action is once the protagonist decides to take justice into their own hands.
Unfortunately, in an era that’s spawned vigilante films like John Wick, Taken and even the far less-noteworthy Peppermint, The Big Ugly’s action feels like a throwback to an earlier time when manly men in movies maintained their loyalty to one another, no matter how stupid their allies behaved, leading to conflicts that escalated into overblown battles. As more and more people get drawn into Neelyn’s fight with Junior and battle lines are drawn, the routine plot elicits a weary resignation instead of thrilling excitement. This is only enhanced by the townsfolk who decide to join Neelyn’s cause, mostly because they think he seems like a nice guy and no one likes Junior anyway. Yet Neelyn’s not exactly an upstanding citizen and the characters' willingness to put their lives on the line for him feels contrived.
The actors do what they can with the material. Jones brings a craggy gravitas to Neelyn’s desperate quest for vengeance, and McDowell is believably menacing using no more than words. The standout, though, is Perlman, who gives a live-wire performance that volleys between good ol’ boy swagger and simmering danger. He’s captivating to watch and the movie becomes more engaging every time he’s onscreen. However, that’s not enough to save the film.
Perhaps the most disappointing thing about The Big Ugly is the fact that it hinges on the tired trope of women in refrigerators, in which one character (usually female) is victimized to motivate another character (usually male) to action. While the trope is far from dead in mainstream entertainment, more awareness has led to it being used less frequently, so it’s rare to find the plotline of a movie lean so heavily on it nowadays. Fridging Fiona turns her into a plot device, which is even more disappointing considering how few women characters are in the movie to begin with, and the use of this trope makes the story feel sadly retrograde.
While The Big Ugly wants to be a gritty action movie, both the plot and the action it spawns aren’t fresh or creative enough to be worth the time. People looking for a summery action flick would do better watching Jurassic Park, Iron Man or other tried and true favorites instead of taking in this lazy entry in the revenge genre.
The Big Ugly, written and directed by Scott Wiper, stars Vinnie Jones, Malcolm McDowell, Ron Perlman, Nicholas Braun, Leven Rambin, Brandon Sklenar and Lenora Crichlow. It will be released in select theaters and drive-ins on Friday, July 24, and available on VOD and Digital on Friday, July 31.