NEW YORK (CNS) -- Director David S.F. Wilson's passable Valiant Comics adaptation "Bloodshot" (Columbia) mostly avoids gore. But its protagonist's drive for revenge, which is front and center in Jeff Wadlow and Eric Heisserer's script, is only partially made less problematic by twisty plot developments.

Vin Diesel plays Ray Garrison, an elite soldier whose macho dreams come true when Dr. Emil Harting (Guy Pearce), the lead researcher for a giant conglomerate called RST, uses nanotechnology to bring him back from the dead and endows him with superhuman fighting abilities in the process. These become apparent when, among other nifty feats, Ray drives his fist into the stuffing of a punching bag. Hooah!

Ray's respect for law and order is not as strong as his physique, however. So he promptly employs his new powers, which are mental as well as physical, to track down and slay Martin Axe (Toby Kebbell), the crazed assassin who killed both his beloved wife, Gina (Talulah Riley), and him.

Yet, as KT (Eiza Gonzalez) -- the fellow patient of Dr. Harting's for whom Ray rapidly falls -- knows, all is not as it seems. That's just as well because the real circumstances, the revelation of which would constitute a spoiler, help to mitigate the culpability of Ray's urge to get even with Axe.

Those foolish enough to get in Ray's way -- or rather, Bloodshot's, since that's his post-resuscitation moniker -- tend to die without bleeding. But another aspect of the invincibility with which Dr. Harting has gifted him is his capability for instantly recovering from otherwise fatal wounds.

Thus he gets his face blown off at one point, but it soon reassembles itself. Needless to say, though, this is not a pretty process to watch -- nor one suitable for young moviegoers.

Eminently forgettable, "Bloodshot" is also occasionally slipshod where logic is concerned. Consequently, after watching Axe dance around to the Talking Heads classic "Psycho Killer" as a prelude to his deadly deeds, viewers may be left wondering "Qu'est-ce que c'est?"

The film contains a vengeance theme, much harsh but bloodless violence, a few gruesome images, a marital bedroom scene with partial nudity and some sensuality, about a dozen uses of profanity, one milder oath, a single rough term and considerable crude and crass language. The Catholic News Service classification is A-III -- adults. The Motion Picture Association rating is PG-13 -- parents strongly cautioned. Some material may be inappropriate for children under 13.

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Mulderig is on the staff of Catholic News Service.

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CAPSULE REVIEW

"Bloodshot" (Columbia)

Vin Diesel plays a Marine whose macho dreams come true when a doctor (Guy Pearce) uses nanotechnology to bring him back from the dead and endows him with superhuman fighting abilities in the process. He employs his new powers to track down and slay the crazed assassin (Toby Kebbell) who killed both his beloved wife (Talulah Riley) and him. But, as the fellow patient (Eiza Gonzalez) for whom the widower rapidly falls knows, all is not as it seems. Director David S.F. Wilson's passable Valiant Comics adaptation mostly avoids gore but the warrior's drive for revenge is only partially made less problematic by twisty plot developments. A vengeance theme, much harsh but bloodless violence, a few gruesome images, a marital bedroom scene with partial nudity and some sensuality, about a dozen uses of profanity, one milder oath, a single rough term, considerable crude and crass language. The Catholic News Service classification is A-III -- adults. The Motion Picture Association rating is PG-13 -- parents strongly cautioned. Some material may be inappropriate for children under 13.

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CLASSIFICATION

"Bloodshot" (Columbia) -- Catholic News Service classification, A-III -- adults. Motion Picture Association rating, PG-13 -- parents strongly cautioned. Some material may be inappropriate for children under 13.