‘My Name Is Vendetta’ Ending Explained: Does Santo Get His Revenge on the Mafia?
Welcome to the Ending Explained for My Name Is Vendetta, the newest revenge film that is coming to Netflix this week. The Italian film is directed by Cosimo Gomez and stars Alessandro Gassmann, Ginevra Francesconi, Remo Girone, and Alessio Praticò. The film tells the story of Santo, a father living with his family in the northern part of Italy. Santo seems to have a lovely wife and a wonderful daughter, but their lives turn an unexpected turn when his past comes back to haunt him.
My Name Is Vendetta draws from the classic trope of the retired badass, in this case, Santo, who was an assassin for the Italian mafia. It also draws from films like Leon: The Professional, but sadly, taking elements from films like those is not enough. You need to put your own elements into the mix and do something more than just the bare minimum when it comes to character writing, world-building, and, of course, action sequences. Sadly, My Name Is Vendetta falls short in every single aspect. It makes for a watchable movie, but also a very forgettable and generic one.
The following paragraphs contain spoilers for My Name Is Vendetta. Read at your own risk.
Why Is Santo Being Targeted By The Mafia?
The movie begins with the introduction of our main characters, Santo and Sofia. Sofia is playing hockey and gets into a fight with another player. She is sent to the bench for her behavior, but later, she manages to score the final point that gets the victory for her team. At the same time, we meet Santo, Sofia’s father, who is looking from the audience. He is with his wife, and they seem very much in love. Her wife asks why Sofia is always getting involved in fights, and Santo replies that when you are attacked, you need to defend yourself.
We see that Sofia has a boyfriend, and she seems to have a very good relationship with both of her parents. She actually goes on a drive with Santo, and they visit some very beautiful places in the mountains. She convinces him to let her go on a trip with friends, and she also tries to take a picture with her and his father. However, Santo doesn’t want his picture to be taken; he doesn’t like it. Sofia sneaks and manages to take a picture of Santo while he isn’t looking and uploads it to her Instagram stories.
We see immediately how the members of the Mafia in Milan captured the uploading of Santo’s picture, and they identified him as the man they have been looking for decades. The Mafia boss sends a group of thugs to the location in the picture and waits. It is revealed that to get out of his situation, Santo killed the boss’ older son. Now his youngest son is afraid of what can come next. He doesn’t want to have anything to do with the violence that is to come, and his father scowls at him for it.
The thugs reach Santo’s home and kill his wife and brother-in-law. They also try to kill Sofia, who was in the house at the moment. However, she manages to escape. When Santo gets home, he finds his wife on the ground and Sofia outside, looking in. Santo takes her away. He says they are in danger.
Does Santo Get His Revenge On The Mafia?
Santo takes Sofia to a warehouse, and there he reveals who he actually is. He reveals Santo is not his real name, and his last name is actually Manfrez. Sofia connects the dots and realizes the mafia located their house because of the picture she took. She feels guilty but also blames her father for having lied to her all her life. Santo goes out on a hunt and kills a member of the mafia while looking for information on their location. Meanwhile, Sofia calls her boyfriend, and they escape together, but they are caught by one of the thugs who killed her mother.
The thug kills Sofia’s boyfriend, but Santo arrives just in time to protect his daughter. They fight the thug together, and Santo executes him in front of Sofia. She understands that it is just her and her father. Santo explains that they will keep coming for them until they are dead. So the only option they have is to attack them. Santo explains he has a plan, but he will need Sofia’s help. He is wounded, and Sofia takes him to a clandestine hospital.
Unfortunately, they are attacked by the mafia while Santo recovers, but he manages to kill their assailants and discovers the location of the big boss. He tells Sofia that she must wait for his signal to leave, but we realize that he is only trying to protect her. There is no real plan, Santo is ready to go and face the entire mafia on his own, and he does. Reaching the mafia boss and killing him before he gets killed as well.
Sofia is put into a facility for young orphans. She has now lost her father and mother. She receives a visit from the mafia boss’ youngest son. He tells Sofia that he is glad their fathers are dead, as they were only holding them back. Sofia doesn’t trust him one bit, and he gets out of the facility and meets him after hours at his office. She kills him using a knife, as her father taught her. She leaves, reciting that showing mercy is a sign of weakness.
