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''Avenged'' (originally titled ''iNumber Number'') is a 2013 South African action film written and directed by Donovan Marsh. It was screened in the Contemporary World Cinema section at the
2013 Toronto International Film Festival The 38th annual Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) took place in Toronto, Ontario, Canada between September 5 and 15, 2013. '' The Fifth Estate'' was selected as the opening film and '' Life of Crime'' was the closing film. 75 films were ...
.


Plot

Chili Ngcobo, an undercover cop, blows his cover and is captured by a gang. Chili frees himself and radios his partner for help, not realizing that Shoes' pistol has been sent in for repair. Shoes insists they call for backup, but Chili refuses, as he does not want to share the large reward for the gang's leader. With Shoes' tactical guidance, Chili takes down the entire gang despite having only two bullets. When they bring in the gang leader, Captain Stone withholds the reward unless they will set free a suspected rapist who is politically connected. Shoes is surprised when Chili suggests that they agree to the deal, and he refuses to compromise his principles. Chili later comes to Shoes for help. Mambane, a crime boss that the two have been investigating for several years, has a major heist planned. Initially assuming that Chili intends to infiltrate the gang, Shoes comes to realize that Chili instead wants to cut him into the heist itself, after which can they arrest the gangsters at their leisure. Shoes reluctantly agrees after Chili promises that no one will be hurt. One of the gangsters, Skroef, becomes suspicious when he recognizes Chili from another undercover operation that resulted in his arrest. The other crew consists of G8 and Warren, two mercenaries who worked together in an unsuccessful heist and now hate each other; Stakes and his lover Gugu, who is Mambane's daughter; Kenny, a failed actor who knows explosives; and Slim, a dim gangster. Knowing that he needs to get rid of Skroef, Chili sends Shoes to arrest him. The next day, while the criminals discuss the heist, Skroef shows up with Shoes, whom he has captured, and says that one of the crew is an undercover cop. Chili convinces Mambane that their inside man, a security guard, is the culprit. Their ire now redirected toward the guard, Chili convinces Mambane to spare Shoes' life to use him as a hostage despite Skroef's insistence that they kill Shoes immediately. While the others are asleep, Chili tries to slip a small knife to Shoes, who says he will not go along with any plan that involves the murder of a security guard. Skroef catches the two talking and instantly attacks Chili, whom he accuses of being an undercover cop. Mambane threatens to kill both men but admits that he needs them to perform the heist. Worried that the police may be on to their plans, Mambane advances the heist to the next day over the objections of G8, who advises that they abort. At the last moment, Chili has second thoughts and attempts to warn off the armored truck that they have targeted. Although the heist is successful, several members of the crew die, and G8 is wounded. When they return to their base, Stakes and Gugu betray the others and attempt to run off with the money. As Skroef kills both, Chili arrives and takes the money. G8 stalks Chili while Mambane and Skroef attempt to kill Shoes, who has overpowered Kenny and taken his weapon. Using radios, Shoes and Chili warn each other of enemy movements and kill all their opponents but Skroef. Skroef uses a radio to locate Shoes' position and wounds him. Desperate to save his partner, Chili leaps from a higher floor onto Skroef, using the money bag as both a shield and cushion. Both men are temporarily stunned by the collision, though Chili recovers enough to use the money bag to smother Skroef. Chili realizes that the money is finally his. However, the next day, he goes to the bank and drops the money bag off. The film ends as he and Shoes return to their jobs as policemen.


Cast

* Sdumo Mtshali as Chili Ngcobo * Presley Chweneyagae as Shoes *
Israel Makoe Israel Sipho Makoe Matseke-Zulu (formerly known as Israel Makoe), is a South African actor, poet and dancer primarily known for his roles in motion pictures like ''iNumber Number'' (2013) and its series sequel, ''Four Corners'' (2013), ''Tsot ...
as Skroef *
Owen Sejake Owen may refer to: Origin: The name Owen is of Irish and Welsh origin. Its meanings range from noble, youthful, and well-born. Gender: Owen is historically the masculine form of the name. Popular feminine variations include Eowyn and Owena. ...
as Mambane *
Warren Masemola Montloana Warren Masemola (born 18 May 1983) is a South African actor popularly known for portraying Lentswe Mokethi on the soap opera '' Scandal!''. Life and career Early life and education Montloana Warren Masemola born May 18, 1983, in G ...
as G8 * Brandon Auret as Warren *
Hlubi Mboya Hlubi Arnold (née Mboya born 2 March 1978), is a South African actress. On television, she has portrayed Nandipha Sithole in the soap opera ''Isidingo''. She also appeared in the 2016 film '' Dora's Peace'', for which she won the SAFTA Awar ...
as Gugu *
Daniel Hadebe Daniel is a masculine given name and a surname of Hebrew origin. It means "God is my judge"Hanks, Hardcastle and Hodges, ''Oxford Dictionary of First Names'', Oxford University Press, 2nd edition, , p. 68. (cf. Gabriel—"God is my strength"), ...
as Moses *
Percy Matsemela The English surname Percy is of Norman origin, coming from Normandy to England, United Kingdom. It was from the House of Percy, Norman lords of Northumberland, derives from the village of Percy-en-Auge in Normandy. From there, it came into use ...
as Slim *
Ronnie Nyakale Ronnie Nyakale, is a South African actor, MC and entrepreneur. He is best known for the roles in the films; ''Blood Diamond'' (2006), ''Machine Gun Preacher'' (2011) and ''Gangster's Paradise: Jerusalema'' (2008) and "Cosmo Diale" on Generations ...
as Captain Stone


Reception

At ''
City Press A city is a human settlement of notable size.Goodall, B. (1987) ''The Penguin Dictionary of Human Geography''. London: Penguin.Kuper, A. and Kuper, J., eds (1996) ''The Social Science Encyclopedia''. 2nd edition. London: Routledge. It can be de ...
'', reviews were split: Siyabonga Sithole wrote that it was his favorite South African film, but Gayle Edmunds wrote that it "just didn't stand out enough to be lauded as a triumph". Kurt Halfyard of Twitch Film called it "entertainment of the highest order". Scott A. Gray of ''
Exclaim! ''Exclaim!'' is a Canadian music and entertainment publisher based in Toronto, which features in-depth coverage of new music across all genres with a special focus on Canadian and emerging artists. The monthly Exclaim! print magazine publishes 7 ...
'' described it as a "flashy and forgettable police caper" reminiscent of '' Reservoir Dogs''.


Adaptations

A Hollywood remake was announced in October 2013. A television series, ''iNumber Number'', based on the film debuted on 9 June 2017 on Mzansi Magic and became available later on Showmax. In the series, Sdumo Mtshali and Presley Chweneyagae reprise their roles as Chili and Shoes.


References


External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Avenged 2013 films 2013 action drama films Hood films Zulu-language films South African action drama films