The key to a successful revenge film is a viscerally satisfying ending. Good Guy blows away (or beats to death, or dices, or�) Bad Guy. The formula's not that difficult to understand, except that director F. Gary Gray doesn't follow it. Although there are several killings along the way, when it comes to A Man Apart's climax, it suffers from premature ejaculation. The ending, instead of being charged with a bloodlust-induced energy, fizzles in a whirlwind of sudden squeamishness and political correctness. This might leave Diesel with a halo around his skull, but it results in the audience feeling cheated and wishing for the good old days when Dirty Harry never pulled his last punch. Up until the final act, A Man Apart is a serviceable thriller, with enough loud noises, action, and one-liners to keep most male audience members awake and interested.
A Man Apart begins south of the border, with DEA agent Sean Vetter (Vin Diesel) leading a raid on a Tijuana hot spot. Inside is the biggest, baddest drug lord of them all � Meno Lucero (Geno Silva), the man Sean has been chasing for seven years. The raid is successful, and Meno heads off for two life sentences in a California prison. But, before going inside, he vows revenge. Shortly thereafter, Sean's wife, Stacy (Jacqueline Obradors), is slain. Sean suspects Meno, but the former drug kingpin has his own problems. With no one in control, his empire is crumbling. A faceless adversary known only as "Diablo" has come onto the scene and is taking over. One of Diablo's first acts is to kill Meno's wife and son. When Sean pays a visit to the prison, Meno suggests that Diablo was responsible for Stacy's death. Armed with this knowledge, Sean and his partner, Demetrius (Larenz Tate), go in search of the new crime boss. But uncovering his identity proves difficult. Is he the slippery Hollywood Jack Slayton (Timothy Olyphant); Meno's right-hand man, Mateo (Juan Fernadez); or someone else? And, when Sean beats a suspect to death, he is forced to turn in his gun and his badge. That's all right, Meno comments. "To catch a monster, you must become a monster."
Diesel has as much presence as any action star working today, but, like many of the best, he has difficulty conveying deep emotion. Diesel isn't up to providing a convincing display of pain and loss after Stacy's death. He gives us histrionics, drooping shoulders, and icy glares, but that's about it. A Man Apart wants us to feel Sean's pain, but Diesel never makes it real. However, for A Man Apart to be fueled by more than blood, sweat, and testosterone, it needs a lead character who doesn't resemble a comic book action hero.
The direction is kinetic enough that no one in the audience will become bored, and, despite a few mild plot twists, the storyline is straightforward enough that only someone who spends an inordinate amount of time at the snack counter will lose track of what's going on. Ultimately, however, while A Man Apart is effectively paced and nicely choreographed, the fundamental letdown of the ending results in a mild sense of dissatisfaction. The director needs to recognize that if he's going to embrace a genre, he needs to follow through with his best fastball, not try to sneak in a change-up at the last minute.