Retribution movie review

MOVIE TITLE: Retribution

This action movie is now playing in theaters.

RATING: R

LENGTH: 1 hour 31 minutes

MOVIE REVIEW MOM GRADE: C-

IN A NUTSHELL:

A bank executive receives a bomb threat while driving his children to school that his car will explode if they stop and get out. Who’s really behind it?

This is the third remake of a similar film made in Spain, Germany, and South Korea.

The film was directed by Nimrod Antal.

THINGS I LIKED:

I’ve been a big Liam Neeson fan for many years. He does a good job with this, although the script doesn’t give him a lot to work with. It played like it was written by ChatGPT. Putting him inside a car for the bulk of the movie is a good solution for an action star who is aging.
The rest of the cast includes Matthew Modine, Embeth Davidtz, Noma Dumezweni, Jack Champion, and Lily Aspell.
During the opening credits, we see a bomb being assembled. We don’t learn who did it until the last few minutes of the film. You definitely feel the suspense throughout the film.
We get to visit Berlin, Germany where the movie takes place. I always think it’s fun to see the streets and buildings in other countries.
The audience doesn’t know for sure whether Liam Neeson’s character is a good guy or a bad guy for the majority of the movie, keeping the audience guessing.
The suspense is non-stop.

THINGS I DIDN’T LIKE:

One of the appeals of Liam Neeson’s movies is watching him kick bad-guy butt. He does none of that in this film.
This is the kind of thriller you’ll probably only watch once.
The film is suspenseful, yet frustrating at the same time because Liam Leeson’s character doesn’t communicate well with other characters and doesn’t try to figure out how to outmaneuver the phone caller.
The dialogue is terrible.
There are some serious holes in how the villain was able to actually do what was done.
The kids in the movie are annoying with their constant bickering that it’s hard to feel endeared to them or anyone in the film, really.
I was surprised by how wooden some of the acting was.
The title of the movie doesn’t match the content of the movie other than to serve as a red herring.
No humor to balance the serious drama.