The Wrath of Becky (2023) 

A few years following her first face off with Neo-Nazis, Becky is faced with a new group of them coming to her town to cause issues. As they attack the lady she’s been living with, Becky goes on the revenge path. 

Written by Matt Angel, Suzanne Coote, and Nick Morris, with Angel and Coote directing, this sequel to the surprisingly good Becky, The Wrath of Becky gets the story going a few years after the first one as Becky is a bit older, has had time to train, and lives as a runaway taken in by a nice, yet random, older woman. The sequel here seems to come out of left field, a bit unexpected and it does take a turn in how the character and the story are approached. That being said, the writing and directing work here, creating an entertaining film that is easy to watch and one where the ante is upped quite a bit for both our heroine and the bad guys. She’s older, she’s had time to train, and she gets a bit more to do in terms of fighting. The way they evolved the character works for about 95% of the film. However, the ending feels off and a bit like it’s trying to hard to open the field for a bunch of sequels. 

Reprising the role of Becky is Lulu Wilson who plays a more mature, more trained version of her character, giving her attitude and confidence, with some sprinkling of vulnerability which makes her a character who is easy to root for and will make viewers want to see her end those Neo-Nazis. Playing the leader of this group is Seann William Scott who has played villains a few times and always does so with a darkness that is just on point. Here he is vicious and vindictive, giving a despicable character personality and a lot for the viewer to want him dead. His acolytes are also well done with one in particular giving an evil, cunning performance hidden behind a might-be-dumb persona played just right by Courteny Gains. Jill Larson also does really well playing evil, really giving her character that edge that makes her truly despicable.  

In terms of the look of the film, this is a well-shot, easy to watch film that allows you to see the action (most of the time). The work by cinematographer Julia Swain and editor Stephen Boyer give the viewer the capacity to enjoy the action. Yeah, there are a few quick cuts here and there, but overall, the film is done in the right manner for its story and lead, giving the cast room to act and giving the action room to hit.  

The Wrath of Becky is a sequel we didn’t know we needed to a film we never saw coming. It’s violent, it’s brutal, and it’s fun. The lead is good, she clearly enjoys what she’s doing, and the story works up until those last few scenes. Beyond those scenes that feel a bit like they are going in some odd direction in terms of tone, the film is a good sequel and enjoyable ride overall, even working as a standalone story if one has not seen the first when going into this one.