Vipaka
Starring: Forest Whitaker, Anthony Mackie, Mike Epps
Director: Philippe Caland
When Ben(Mike Epps) finds himself on the hook for some money, his brother life coach Tommy(Anthony Mackie) decides to help out by taking on emotionally damaged man Angel (Forest Whitaker) as a client . Angel’s mother was found dead on the side of a river leaving him to see her ghost wherever he looks, Tommy through motivational therapy and a cleansing ritual tries to heal Angel’s pain.
Soon Tommy finds out that Angel has a more devious plan in mind involving more than strictly therapy to make him happy, for Angel it means getting answers and for Tommy this means getting handcuffed in the basement and tortured. Utilizing torture techniques the CIA wished it could use, it turns out that getting beaten with a bag of broken glass is only one of the many industrious to get an answer out of the uncooperative. Against his will Tommy learns to reveal his life’s sins including how his brother was the first to love his wife. Peeling away the layers of Tommy’s façade ultimately revealing that deep underneath even the most earnest of people lie feelings of remorse and regret
The cast is strong Mackie shows that The Hurt Locker wasn’t an anomaly, while Epps displays more than his typical comedic chops. The standout however is Whitaker, the guy is completely underrated displaying a natural gift going from lazy eye to crazy eyes, he is able to make you feel complete empathy for him while at the same time disgust. Vipaka lives up to its title which literally means the result of Karma.
Grade -82
