Directed By Nimrod Antal

Starring – Liam Neeson, Matthew Modine, Jack Champion

The Plot – When a mysterious caller puts a bomb under his car seat, Matt Turner (Neeson) begins a high-speed chase across the city to complete a specific series of tasks. With his kids trapped in the back seat and a bomb that will explode if they get out of the car, a normal commute becomes a twisted game of life or death as Matt follows the stranger’s increasingly dangerous instructions in a race against time to save his family.

This film is currently not rated

(7) Retribution (2023) Official Trailer – Liam Neeson – YouTube

POSITIVES

In blending the concepts and elements of “Speed” and “Phone Booth”, respectively, Nimrod Antal and screenwriters Alberto Marini and Christopher Salmanpour have faithfully paid homage to the 90’s one setting thrillers that were at one time all of the craze in Hollywood, with as many twists, turns and bombshells that a stick of dynamite can properly garner. For Antal, that quality lends itself seamlessly to an anxiously exaggerated style and compelling brand of filmmaking that with it furnishes some pretty tensely enveloped chase sequences that work terrifically within the confines of an already riveting consistency of pacing, especially during the film’s first hour, when the uncertainty of the rules leaves our characters ripe with vulnerability. Nimrod’s cinematic qualities lend themselves to varying angles within the claustrophobia of the car, with perfect mirror framing conveying insight into the psychology of characters, or dash board transparancy constantly granting us insight into the anticipation of a forth-coming call that we grow to understand as inevitable. The use of practical explosions outside of the car also submit a tangibility of realism to the proceedings that when combined with the on-site locations of Berlin permeating in much of the movie’s imagery, proves that the budget made the most of their money in the aspects it mattered most. Finally, “Retribution” manages to bring out the Neeson of old in his performance, which feels especially enhanced by dramatic heft that have been most noticeably missing in his last few films. While emulating an anything-but-honorable protagonist, Neeson plays Matt with a thirst for materialism, which only enhances the character’s evolution throughout the turbulent events of the day, and while it’s far from Neeson’s best work, it still proves that he has a commanding presence that immediately makes any movie he’s in that much better because he chose to come along for the ride.

NEGATIVES

Unfortunately, “Retribution” suffers from tedium among the many unflattering elements that ultimately get the better of it, leading to a vehicle in concept that runs out of gas quickly as predictability starts to rear its ugly head. On the storytelling capacities, the film unfortunately doesn’t flesh out many characters during its first act, and considering the mystery threat uses a device to disguise their voice, it’s pretty obvious that the film does so to keep us from distinguishing them quite easily, which as previously conveyed, doesn’t work because there’s only so many possible routes that this film can go for any kind of designated pay-off. When the big reveal did happen, in the route I was certainly expecting, it requires the storytelling to remain stunted in a frozen position for too long, all in trying to forcefully explain how any of this is possible, with resolutions that you’re just kind of forced to go along with, despite our eyes telling us a different story all together. As for our fabled protagonists, they’re immediately compromised with the kind of obnoxious personalities and on-the-nose dialogue so forcefully candid that you learn everything you’ll ever need to know about them in the movie’s opening minutes. This not only makes it difficult to fully invest in their respective plights, especially with Matt’s many questionable moves throughout a shady career, but also mishandles a motive opportunity by the antagonist, which could’ve been believable, but instead bargons with bonkers. Then there’s the convenience factor, which lends itself to so many ridiculous instances during the unraveling of the conflict that the antagonist has no choice but to just kind of concede the power that they have over Matt and his tortured family, because the evolution of the plot calls for it. This creates the biggest obstacle for audience interests during the beginning of the third act, where the conflict is just kind of put on pause while Matt breaks the established rules to put his children in jeopardy. This makes the climax of the film feel like the longest, which shouldn’t be the case when the stakes are boiling the hottest, but between a prolonged interaction with authorities and a police protest/riot that quite literally comes out of nowhere, the focus of the narrative goes a bit obscurred in the kind of disjointment that it unfortunately never recovers from, in turn leaving the sum of its scattered parts feeling like every Liam Neeson film that we’ve ever experienced. Finally, the film’s lack of rating carries over to the watered down essence of the material, which often feels conflicted directly in the middle of an R-rating and PG-13, which dillutes the grit of the grandeur. Considering Antal works overtime to craft any kind of cinematic flare to the proceedings, as previously praised, the impacts of the interactions are elicited a bit too distantly to the claustrophobic consistency that persists within the confines of our one-stage setting, providing far too much distance in the realities of an antagonist, who never feels as remotely dangerous as they rightfully should.

OVERALL
“Retribution” cannot overcome the many blundered bumps in the road that ultimately slow its progress, nor can Neeson’s magnetizing efforts properly steer it to its designated destination. With material lacking grit, a reveal lacking mystery, and dialogue lacking subtlety, this American remake is inferior in every measurement that counts, feeling like a vehicle of “Speed” in concept, but an execution that runs on four flat tires and an empty tank.

My Grade: 4/10 or D-