Retribution_210806_07127.dng
Courtney Howard // Film Critic
RETRIBUTION
Rated R, 1 hour and 30 minutes
Directed by: Nimród Antal
Starring: Liam Neeson, Noma Dumezweni, Lilly Aspell, Jack Champion, Embeth Davidtz, Matthew Modine, Arian Moayed
The person who inflicts the vengeful act of retribution changes and evolves during the course of director Nimród Antal’s thriller RETRIBUTION – an idea that could be interesting if done right. Unfortunately for us, it’s not. The second remake of Alberto Marini’s EL DESCONOCIDO (which was first remade in 2015 as South Korea’s HARD HIT) contains a catchy premise about a businessman and his kids held captive in their luxury car rigged with a bomb, forced to drive around the city doing the bad guy’s bidding. Yet the English-language iteration runs out of gas all too soon before the action and suspense should be kicking things into overdrive. Dull and aimless, this Liam Neeson vehicle has no motor.
Berlin-based businessman Matt Turner (Neeson) is succeeding at work, but failing at home. He barely speaks to his wife Heather (Embeth Davidtz), whose grown weary of reminding him to participate in their failing marriage. He’s also adverse to address the growing divide between him and his surly teen son Zach (Jack Champion) and sassy tween daughter Emily (Lilly Aspell). But his life is about to be severely disrupted when, on his assigned morning to drop the kids off at school, he takes a call from an unidentified cell phone stashed in his luxury SUV threatening the lives of him and his passengers.
The mystery man at the end of the line instructs him to give him access to his company’s top secret bank accounts or else he’ll blow up Matt’s car, like he’s done earlier in the day to another partner at Matt’s firm. Though Matt’s able to park and stop his car (so this isn’t like SPEED), his Mercedes is rigged that if he or his kids try to exit the auto, a sensor will go off activating a bomb. The pressure-filled commute will leave him shaken while contacting colleagues Sylvain (Arian Moayed) and Anders (Matthew Modine). As the hours tick by and the mission becomes more merciless, Matt inevitably and inadvertently draws the eyes of the authorities at Europol, specifically lead Investigative Officer Angela Brickmann (Noma Dumezweni).
Screenwriter Chris Salmanpour makes things crystal clear in the set-up, from Matt’s marital strife right down to the film’s Berlin setting (a formerly bifurcated city) thematically reflecting characters’ dualities. However, by the second act, everything that lends itself to necessary further development – especially for the characters – is forgotten about, basically kicked to the curb in favor of solving an all-too-easily-identifiable villainous identity. It’s thoroughly disappointing that, even though he’s stuck in a vise grip of this extraordinary circumstance being held hostage, he fails to resolve his familial conflict with any sense of an earned, satisfactory resolution. It’s solely a basic need of getting the kids away from the dangerous situation.
Those looking for a kick-ass, bad-ass performance from Neeson, using his trademarked “very particular set of skills,” are sure to leave dissatisfied. His range isn’t on display, nor is it properly exercised to its fullest capabilities. It’s not that he turns in bad work. The material doesn’t allow for him to do much but sit in a car, act stern and/ or yell his lines. It makes us miss Neeson in projects that let him emote and present more of a challenge to him as an actor. As is, this looks and feels like a schlocky paycheck movie.
Unlike HARD HIT, where the lead character’s circumstances put the pedal to the metal almost immediately, Antal and Salmanpour slowly build tension, which feels like a rote technique rather than a refreshing one. And the intensity amounts to a big shrug once the villain makes themselves known. We’re always aware of every string that’s pulled, whether it be Heather’s secret meeting or anything to do with Matt’s backseat passengers, who both share in almost non-existent arcs. Creating suspense in this chamber piece proves difficult for Antal, despite all the canted angles, frenetic edits and snappy pace. Even the 360 shot from within the inside the car has synthetic feel.
Your mileage might vary, but this journey is a bumpy ride.
Grade: 1.5 out of 5
RETRIBUTION opens in theaters on August 25.
