Penance (2025) Review: Stunt-Built Revenge With Shaky Storytelling

This Penance review covers a scrappy action thriller made on a tiny budget by people who work in stunts. It follows two brothers with violent pasts who go to war with a cartel. The fights are the draw, and the storytelling is the weak spot.

A note on the facts first: the details supplied with this assignment, including a Peruvian origin and a two-minute runtime, did not match the film in the sources. This review covers the 2025 American action film directed by Nikolas Pelekai.

Penance Review: The Story So Far (No Spoilers)

The Penance plot is simple. In a corrupt city, ex-mercenaries Trav and Stephano are still haunted by what they did in the past. Their younger sister is then abducted and trafficked by a cartel, and the brothers launch a mission to bring her home.

That setup is familiar territory for an action thriller. It gives the film a clear goal and a ticking sense of danger. Beyond this opening, I will keep the details to myself, because the film's turns are best discovered on screen.

The tone is bleak and violent. The brothers carry guilt, and the title hints that they are trying to pay for old sins. Whether the film makes that theme land is a separate question, covered below.

What Works in Penance

The action is the reason to watch. One Letterboxd reviewer praised the sequences for delivering real kineticism with almost no resources. That fits the film's background, since director Nikolas Pelekai is a stunt coordinator and action designer.

The budget is reportedly around $7,000, according to one Letterboxd review that says the film was made by stunt people. At that scale, any choreography that looks convincing is an achievement. Physical, practical fights tend to feel more grounded than overly polished digital ones.

If you like action movie reviews that celebrate craft over spectacle, this one has some appeal. It is a calling card for a filmmaker who understands how to stage a punch, a fall and a chase.

• Practical, stunt-driven fight scenes

• A clear revenge-and-rescue hook

• Impressive ambition for a micro-budget production

Penance Cast and Performances

The Penance cast is led by Travis Gomez as Trav and Stephano Rodriguez as Stephano, per the IMDb cast list. The two carry the brothers' bond, which the whole story depends on. Supporting players include KC Coy as David Combs, Chelsey Goldsmith as Velez, Bobby Hernandez as Santiago and Jewelianna Ramos-Ortiz as Emma.

I found no detailed critical commentary on individual performances, so I will not pretend to judge them in depth. In a film built around physical action, the leads' fitness and commitment to the fight scenes likely matter more than dialogue. Viewers should expect a low-budget cast working with limited resources.

Where Penance Stumbles

The main complaint is the storytelling. The same Letterboxd reviewer who praised the stunts wrote that, outside of them, the movie is nearly incomprehensible as a story. That is a serious warning for anyone who wants a coherent thriller.

The film is credited to Nikolas Pelekai and Jacob Stauff as writers. Public scores are thin and mixed. TMDB shows about 4.9 out of 10 from just six ratings, which is too small a sample to prove much, but it does suggest the response is divided.

Budget limits probably play a part. Tiny productions struggle to build a convincing world, and a corrupt city needs more than a few locations to feel alive. If you want a rich crime story in the vein of other crime movie reviews, manage your expectations.

Is Penance Worth Watching?

It is worth watching only if you care about stunt work and can forgive a messy script. The action shows real skill for the money, but the narrative reportedly gets confusing and the film's reception is limited and uneven.

Whether it suits you depends on what you want. Fans of raw, practical fight choreography may find plenty to admire. Viewers who need clear plotting, deep characters and polish will probably be frustrated.

Runtime and release details are also unclear. IMDb lists about 117 minutes while TMDB and Letterboxd list about 89, and the US release date is disputed, so check your platform before you press play. For similar, more polished fare, try Bring the Law, another modest crime thriller on this site.

Who Will Enjoy Penance

• Stunt and martial-arts fans who value practical action over story

• Viewers curious about micro-budget, independent filmmaking

• Revenge-thriller fans who can tolerate a muddled plot

For full credits and updates, see the Penance page on IMDb.