Violent Ends cast and character guide: James Badge Dale, Kate Burton, and more stars in the revenge thriller

The latest John-Michael Powell film is a revenge thriller that follows a man whose criminal family is behind his wife's death. Initially, this man doesn't want to get into this criminal stuff at all, so he thinks of talking with his dad, but to no avail.

The official synopsis on IMDb reads,

"A southern revenge thriller of star-crossed lovers set against the backdrop of the Ozark Mountains, Violent Ends chronicles the life of Lucas Frost, an honest man brought up in a crime family whose only legacy is violence."

Billy Magnussen is playing the lead, while Kate Burton, Sean Harrison Jones, and Matt Riedy also play pivotal roles. Let's explore who plays whom in this cast and character guide of the film.

Violent Ends cast and character guide

Billy Magnussen as Lucas Frost

Billy Magnussen is the leading man in Violent Ends, Lucas Frost, who is the one trying to get away from his criminal family so he can spend his life with his wife. The actor has appeared in a range of movies, including A Big Bold Beautiful Journey (2025), Lilo & Stitch (2025), Road House (2024), No Time to Die (2021), The Big Short (2016), and more.

Alexandra Shipp as Emma Darling

Emma, played by Alexandra Shipp, is the reason the protagonist of the film has a purpose: to avenge her death. You have seen Alexandra Shipp in films like X-Men: Apocalypse (2016), X-Men: Dark Phoenix (2019), Barbie (2023), Straight Outta Compton (2015), and more.

Matt Riedy as Ray Frost

Matt Riedy plays the father of Lucas in the movie, and we have mentioned already that he is the one Lucas goes to for help. Riedy has appeared in a range of TV series, including Kingdom Business (2023), Shameless (2019), and more. For movies, he has appeared in Devotion (2022), Drunk, Driving, and 17 (2023), and more. Moreover, he has also lent his voice to several video games, including Horizon Forbidden West (2022), Medal of Honor: Above and Beyond (2020), Metro Exodus (2019), and more.

Kate Burton as Darlene Woodley

Kate Burton plays Darlene in Violent Ends, a sheriff who is looking into the death of Emma. The actress has appeared in movies like Supreme Courtships (2007), What Just Happened (2008), Quid Pro Quo (2008), Max Payne (2008), and more.

James Badge Dale as Sid Frost

Sid Frost is one of the killers in the movie, and the character is played by James Badge Dale. You know him from the Martin Scorsese film The Departed (2006), where he played Trooper Barrigan, one of Costello's henchmen. But you are likely to remember him from Iron Man 3, as Mandarin agent Eric Savin.