Indie action writer-director-producer Michael Matteo Rossi, with a Woody Allenesque tenacity of a once-a-year turnover in films, returns with his sixth feature film — his others are Misogynist (2013), Sable (2017), Chase (2019), The Handler (2021), and Shadows (2022); his seventh, The Charisma Killers (2024), is currently in post-production — another twisted tale of morally corrupt characters: ones who see their Hong Kong-cinema influenced violence as the only path to success.

The John Woo twist on that corruption: Our Tarantionoseque ne’er-do-wells are a family of assassins: two brothers and a sister: Cain (our hothead), Jonah (the naive one), and Becca (the paranoid), guided by Isa (the big bad mama) and her behind-the-scenes boyfriend, Zane. Their latest sanction almost falls apart when Isa’s health issues come to a head; Zane saves the day as the siblings turn on each other: each thinks they should take over the family business. And none of them trust Zane. And Roddy (Vernon Wells) isn’t helping matters.

While the main cast of Diane Robin (our bad ass mom), Timothy Haug, Mark Justice, Jessica Morris (our deadly, bickering brats) is unfamiliar — sans the always-on-point Vernon Wells and welcomed Rossi stockplayer Chris Levine (who fronted The Handler, as well as his own feature, No Way Out; appears in Bad Bones and The Ice Cream Stop) in support roles — all come to the set with extensive resumes that collectively date back ’80s network television series, feature film support roles, and a wealth of direct-to-stream and indie features. So while unknown to most, and is the case with Matteo Rossi’s previous films: the acting is of an A-List quality, but on a tight, indie budget.

What elevates this latest Michael Matteo Rossi joint — and not that his previous efforts are lacking in character development — is the action and the thrills, while still prevalent, take a backseat to offer a deeper examination of a family . . . where killing is their business.

You’ll be able to enjoy Murder Syndicate as a VOD and digital stream on your platforms of choice on June 13, 2023, courtesy of VMI International. We previous reviewed the shingles’ release of Glenn Danzig’s Death Rider in the House of Vampires.