I was lucky (well unlucky really) to go and see a preview screening of Retribution a couple of weeks back. Look, I love Liam Neeson and he was on one hell of a role as the aging tough guy badass. However, he has really struggled to find another hit in the last few years. Even if I have enjoyed some of his recent movies (check out my reviews of The Marksman, Blacklight, or Memory), it is like he is still waiting for that next Taken level of success.
How to Download Retribution
Retribution was released in the US on August 25, 2023. About two months after its initial release you can expect to be able to download or stream the film from a digital platform. Click on the Download button at the end of this review and check the availability.
The Movie Review
Retribution is actually a remake of a Spanish movie and I saw the trailer and I did think that it had a lot of promise, but this movie is just dumb. The premise is pretty solid, Liam Neeson plays a finance whiz called Matt who lives in Berlin. Matt is driving his kids to school when he gets a call telling him that there is a bomb under his seat and if he gets out, it explodes. When I heard the premise for this, it kind of gave me Speed vibes so I thought it could be fun.
Retribution – The Key Facts
| Fact | Information |
|---|---|
| Movie Title | Retribution |
| Release Date | August 25, 2023 (US) |
| Download and Streaming | Expected availability for download/streaming around October 2023. |
| Main Character | Liam Neeson as Matt, a finance whiz living in Berlin |
| Plot | Matt receives a call while driving his kids to school, informing him of a bomb under his seat, setting off a suspenseful journey. |
| Key Themes | Thriller, Suspense, Action |
| Reviewer’s Opinion | The reviewer found the movie lacking in realism, with questionable character decisions and an unsatisfying ending. |
Dumb Decision-Making
The problem with Retribution is that this is a movie that takes suspending your disbelief to a whole new level. I can usually do this, but there is dumb decision after dumb decision in this movie. To start with, he is told there is a bomb under his seat specifically, so why would he not tell the kids to get out of the car, he had no reason to think that there was a bomb in the backseat too.
Flawed Characters
The worst though is the Interpol agent. There have been bombings around the city and this Interpol agent suspects that Matt is behind it. Even though there is an insane amount of evidence that suggests he is a victim, she still thinks he is the one behind it all. It makes absolutely zero sense and the entire police force here is the absolute worst police force that I have ever seen.
Her along with his kids are just so annoying that it made the movie kind of hard to watch, to be honest with you. It also has an ending which I am sure you have guessed is dumb too! It makes no sense at all the way that Matt and his situation with the car is resolved here, none at all!
Final Thoughts
The thing is, I think that this could be a dumb and fun action movie, and perhaps if I watched it again going in knowing that it is dumb, I could get a kick out of this. However, when the movie ended and my wife and I left the theatre, we both were kind of like “Well, that was stupid” and started laughing at some of the ridiculous stuff that was said and done in the movie.
You know the Interpol lady was so bad that there were people in the Police Academy movies who were better at policing than she was! I was sure that she was the one behind it all for a while as it was like she was going out of her way to be so bad at her job! To be fair, the actress here is a very talented actress, but this role did her no favors at all.
Conclusion
I would probably not recommend going to see this one in theatres. I did not hate it, but at the same time, it was far from great. I just think the level of suspending your disbelief for this movie to make sense is a tad too far for me. However, I probably would watch this again when it hits streaming as I may have more fun with it now that I know it should not be taken seriously.
