Directed by Isaac Florentine and performed by Antonio Banderas with an air of itch-scratching purpose that syncs well enough with its fast, cheap and stupid thrills.

Banderas proves more than capable of playing the sort of strong, silent type who resorts to vigilante justice.

Revenge for the death of family members is a frequent boilerplate hook for mid-budget action movies, and that formula could hardly get a more perfunctory recycling than in "Acts of Vengeance."

It's a cameoing Robert Forster as Frank's embittered father-in-law who provides the acting class.