Plot Summary
Rendel recounts the tale of a masked vigilante who sets out to ‘war’ against a corrupt pharmaceutical company VALA, single handedly. Rendel operates in a hyper-urban futuristic setting with rampant crime and rampant abuse of power. VALA have anything but full control over the region. They perform morally nihilistic testing and vaccine distribution on third world countries while using hired mercenaries as bouncers, bribed officials and underworld thugs.
Ramo is a family man turned demon after the loss of Wife and daughter to VALAs atrocities. Ramo was a regular employee of VALA before. He morphs into Rendel after losing everything accepting a fate of vengeance on the corporation that took his life. Rendel is a puppet under the strings of one man who plays him like a chess piece taking on a solo mission where dismantling a military level corp is his goal.
Rendel has no mouth, but he sure knows how to make mandatory noise. Equipped with extreme close combat talent, he patrols the streets clad with black armor and tac gear like a ghost operating at night. He’s the specter that haunts the nightmares of VALA’s mercenaries and soldiers. Rendel uses dismemberment and brute force as tools of choice. Rendel recognizes VALAs massive resources and makes use of a lot of Tech that helps him use stealth to infiltrate. VALA send their very own team of mercenaries after Rendel that includes a psychopathic musclehead named Radek.
The film utilizes a non-linear narrative style, weaving together Ramo’s flashbacks with Rendel’s contemporary attacks on VALA. Audiences gradually understand the masked persona Ramo took on, sculpted by grief and an unforgiving sense of injustice. The narrative is permeated with scenes of loss, anger, and heartache, which build Rendel into a tale of personal calamity, rather than purely a superhero flick.
In the sinking-megaopolis, Rendel battles increasingly dangerous enemies as the final act approaches. Encounters culminate in violent spectacles which blur the boundary of justification for one’s motives and necessity for extreme retaliation.
Kris Gummerus in the title role of Ramo/Rendel.
Gummerus plays the central role with intensity and physicality. Ramo is a deeply wretched man suffering from the loss of his family, pushed to extremes. In the role of Rendel, he portrays a nearly mute stalker figure who dauntlessly ambushes his targets.
Gummerus has Ramo’s vulnerability and inhuman resolve as a deeply divided persona appealing to the audience’s empathy.
Rami Rusinen as Radek.
One of the film’s prominent antagonists is Radek, a cruel and vicious mercenary given the task of eliminating Rendel. He makes the film’s most commanding appearance as Radek, his predatory attitude and sadistic charm keeps audience on edge during his enemy’s battle sequences.
Tero Salenius as Jarno
Jarno serves as one of VALA’s top executives and his smug self confidence serves as a foil to Rendel’s grim determination.
Alina Tomnikov as Marla
Marla, Ramo’s wife, primarily features in flashbacks. Through her character, the audience understands the poignant life that Ramo has lost, anchoring the film’s emotional weight.
Matteus Eloranta as Klaus
Klaus is a young boy who represents hope amidst the darkness. He serves as an idolater of Rendel and adds a layer of innocence to the otherwise grim tone of the film.
Themes and Symbolism
Rendel focuses on numerous powerful themes:
Revenge and Justice
The film is centered on the topic of Rendel’s revenge story. In particular, Ramo’s metamorphosis into Rendel occurs out of the need to seek justice which is unattainable through the legal system. Though his actions are heroic, they are often brutal and morally ambiguous, raising questions about the price of vengeance.
Corruption and Corporate Evil
As the film’s antagonist, VALA embodies rampant capitalism and corporate malfeasance. Through this entity, the film critiques how greed and profit motives can override human life and ethics.
Loss and Identity
Rendel is not just a mask– it’s his very identity crafted through pain and trauma. This character’s grief creation is so acute that he functions not as a man, but as an embodiment of primal rage. His grief masked identity permits him to shutter his pain and concentrate on an all-consuming goal.
The Cost of Heroism
The movie interrogates the essence of heroism. Rendel’s actions are heroic, at least in intent, but fundamentally his approach is far from noble. The film fully leans into the antihero structure suggesting that, at times, heroism blossoms from guilt and shadows.
Visual Style and Direction
Former comic book artist and now director, Jesse Haaja, brings a strong visual aesthetic to the film as he has deep roots in patterned artwork. Rendel’s cinematography dwells in dark and gritty realism, often drowned in shadow further accentuating the feeling of a world in state of unforseen strife. The film’s blue-gray color palette reinforces Rendel’s cold and stony emotions.
The costume design is especially noteworthy. While Rendel’s suit is an amalgamation of Batman’s armor and medieval executioner’s garb, its sleekness and functionality creates an intimidating presence that amplifies character mystique.
The action scenes are exquisitely choreographed with brutal hand-to-hand fighting, makeshift weapons, and even some gunplay. Although not as refined as a Hollywood big-budget film, the fights are evocative, fundamental, and primal to the film’s cemented tone.
Reception and Legacy
Rendel is met with mixed-to-positive reception from both audiences and critics. Some admired its atmosphere, ambition, and central performance while others critiqued the film’s pacing and dialogue. Regardless, the film attained cult status domestically in Finland while gradually finding a niche abroad, especially among fans of independent superhero films.
The film’s success was notable enough to greenlight a sequel, Rendel: Dark Vengeance, which faced production delays and complications.
But more importantly, Rendel proved that Finnish superhero films can engage readers and meaningfully join the worldwide discussion regarding vigilantes and justice, helping expand the horizons of genre filmmaking in Finland.
Conclusion
Rendel (2017) is an emotionally gripping and unfiltered superhero film that is distinct from the western polished blockbusters. For viewers seeking a darker and suppler take on the superhero mythos—one born outside of the usual Xander-casting Hollywood system—Rendel offers a compelling and visually stylish experience.
Rendel may not showcase the glossy high-budget effects of Marvel or DC films, but rather offers something much more personal: a painful yet haunting figure willing to go against the overwhelming odds for justice instead of glory.
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