The funniest thing about Retribution is Jaume Collet-Serra's producer credit. Though best known for directing Black Adam, Collet-Serra previously helmed two other Liam Neeson projects. The poster prominently states that the film comes from the producers of Non-Stop and The Commuter. With Retribution, Liam Neeson has now performed the same utterly played character in a plane, a train, and an automobile. That's funnier and more interesting than anything in the film.
Director Nimród Antal used to be more interesting. His American debut was the gritty psychological slasher Vacancy. He directed the hugely underrated 2010 Predators, taking home the bronze medal of the franchise with ease. He brought Metallica's Through the Never to life in a tragically unprofitable epic. Retribution is easily his least compelling project to date. Hopefully, he's gotten it out of his system.
Retribution's bizarrely generic title conveys no explanation of its story nor expectation of its tone. The film follows Matt, a vaguely-defined money man who is celebrated for his ability to convince clients to blow their cash. Matt's boss introduces him as "a credit to capitalism," unsubtly implying that the man might not be morally unimpeachable. Matt begrudgingly takes his surly teen son and bratty younger daughter to school in his fancy Mercedes SUV. As soon as he sits down, he activates a pressure plate attached to a car bomb. Matt finds a phone in his center console and answers its incessant ringing. The digitally altered voice on the line informs Matt that he'll have to follow instructions or die. Matt's co-workers become targets, swiftly attracting the attention of the police. He'll have to determine who is holding him hostage and escape his situation without ever leaving the driver's seat.
Retribution is a cross-cultural remake of a Spanish film known in its native land as El desconocido, which means "unknown" or "The Stranger." The original outing was relatively well-received for its intensity and technical proficiency. El desconocido is a considerably better feature. Retribution adds details and shifts motivations in ways that weaken the story. Liam Neeson's Matt is set up as an unethical figure. He's bitter, angry, and defensive. Retribution wants the audience to think Matt has some skin-crawling skeletons in his closet. Carlos, Matt's equivalent in the original film, has done something worthy of some torment. Every reveal in Retributionweakens the impact of the story. The intensity of the car bomb is consistent, but there's never any sensation that Neeson might actually explode. Instead, the draw is meant to be the mystery, but there isn't a single satisfying payoff in the film. Nothing is resolved well. It would be smarter and sharper as a full remake.
Liam Neeson is 71 years old. He was making dad-centric action films 15 years ago when the first Taken escaped the clutches of DVD release to hit the big screen. The Taken films aren't known for their complexity or cleverness, but the first entry stands head and shoulders above Retribution. Neeson's biggest asset now is his voice. He's asked to growl, whisper, and shout into a phone for most of the film. It's playing to his strengths in a way that suggests he sought out a role in which he could stay strapped to his seat the entire time. Retribution is relying almost entirely on Neeson's performance. It's incredible to see a talented actor lift a feature onto his shoulders only to reveal he was holding an empty bar. He's completely on autopilot. There's nothing about his performance that he hasn't trotted out a dozen times before.
The go-to comparison point for Retribution is Speed. Jan de Bont's 1994 directorial debut has been the butt of jokes since its first trailer. It's a classic thriller with a killer premise. A mad bomber attaches a bomb to a city bus. If the vehicle drops beneath 50 miles per hour, it'll explode. Speed is a bona fide classic. It's gloriously dumb, but every aspect is so intricately crafted that even the stuffiest critic showered it with praise. Retribution reduces the stakes, adds a convoluted motivation, and weakens every element of the presentation. It's impossible to see a moment of Retribution and not think about Speed. In short, watch Speed instead.
It's almost shocking to see a film like Retribution in a theater. The best distribution strategy may have been a direct-to-TNT deal. Movies tend to get a bump in streaming viewership after a theatrical run, even if they flopped hard at the box office. Retribution doesn't need to be seen on the big screen. In truth, it doesn't need to be seen at all. Extreme Liam Neeson completionists will sit through it without complaint. Everyone else would be well-advised to steer clear of Retribution, at least until its inevitable streaming release. Skip the drive to the multiplex. Stay home and watch the 2015 original, or indeed the far superior Speed, instead.
Retribution