Revengeance sweeps you into a madcap, satirical odyssey through the 1970s Los Angeles underworld, where bikers, wrestlers, strippers, cult members, bounty hunters, and corrupt politicians collide in a delirious, anarchic canvas. The project was scripted and designed by Jim Lujan, and directed and animated by Plympton, delivering a rough, underground-comics vibe that matches the story’s wild spread of characters and schemes.
Set in the Inland Empire east of Los Angeles, the tale opens after a fire devastates the Inland Emperors’ biker den. Deathface Jim Lujan, the former leader and ex-wrestler turned senator, responds with a brutal call to bounty hunters to locate Lana, a fugitive teenager suspected of starting the blaze and taking something that belongs to him. The pursuit drifts through a mosaic of mercenary investigators, each drawn with a distinct, pulpy edge, and a promise of a hefty reward for the first to deliver Lana back.
Among the trail of suspects is Rod Rosse Jim Lujan, a diminutive private eye known as “The One-Man Posse,” whose competence is matched only by his rough-and-tumble, no-nonsense approach. His partner is his ballsy, cat-loving mother, a dynamic that adds a sharp, slapstick twist to the chase as the two mix wits with ruthless rivals. The hunt also threads in Odell Braxton, a Blaxploitation-styled figure, and Ace of Spades Dave Foley, a devious, truck-driving scavenger who thrives in the margins of the law. Together, this band of mercenaries traces Lana’s trail, chasing the reward as the stakes grow and the stakes tilt toward chaos.
As Rosse tries to outmaneuver his unscrupulous rivals, the landscape grows darker with the presence of terrifying bikers, a deadly armed religious cult, and a string of twists that keep the audience guessing who can be trusted. The secrets held by Lana gradually come to light, revealing motives and connections that complicate the hunt and blur the line between hunter and hunted. The pursuit spirals through derelict lots, smoky clubs, and decadent hideouts, each stop offering a glimpse into the bizarre, shadow-filled world the filmmakers have built.
The Inland Empire setting intensifies the film’s mood, anchoring the wild, multi-stranded narrative in a place that feels both familiar and alien. The story threads together elements of crime caper, road movie, and satirical social panorama, all wrapped in a graphic, pulp-inspired aesthetic that invites the viewer to lean into the humor even as the plot turns increasingly anarchic. The movie’s ambition is to fuse gleeful irreverence with biting critique, delivering punchy scenes, offbeat humor, and a relentless tempo that mirrors the era’s underground comics vibe.
Ultimately, Revengeance is a bold, caustic vision of America that revels in its own excess. It’s a collaboration that leans into sleazy irreverence and mordant humor, pushing boundaries while aiming to stay true to its core premise: a wild chase through a mosaic of oddball characters, each contributing to a bigger-than-life portrait of a society in flux. The result is something that feels both timely and timeless, a comic-streaked rampage that refuses to tone it down or apologize for its outrageous, roguish charm.
