Retribution review: Liam Neeson hits the gas
Watching 71-year-old Neeson kick butt behind the wheel makes for a fun ride, even if this thriller is just riffing on Speed
Film Reviews Retribution
For audiences who like seeing 71-year-old Liam Neeson do action stuff but find it just a touch unconvincing when he punches out bad guys twice his size and half his age, Retribution may be just the ticket. Sticking him behind the wheel of a car for most of the film’s running time, this script allows him to cause mayhem and destruction without straying from his seated position, and prove there’s sometimes nothing scarier than a senior citizen with a motor vehicle.
He gets in a couple of punches first, the loud, cracking kind that make noises you only ever hear in a movie, but the only victim is a workout bag. In another movie, this might be foreshadowing; here, it feels like a contractual obligation, as if his deal required him getting to land at least a few haymakers, somewhere, anywhere. Nothing about this one specifies that he was ever any kind of badass, though. Instead, his Matt Turner seems to be a financial scammer who’s also a bit of a coward, afraid to give anyone bad news. He’s also a guy with an unfortunate, unpredictable work schedule, which, as any regular moviegoer knows, makes him Hollywood’s version of the worst husband and father of all time, because he sometimes has to cancel other things in order to keep making a living and supporting them.
Ironically, it’s an attempt to do better that screws him over, because on the one day he manages to drive his kids to school, an anonymous phone call tells him there are pressure-plate bombs under the seats, and if anyone exits the vehicle, the whole car will blow up. To survive, he’ll have to carry out a series of tasks a la Die Hard With A Vengeance, 12 Rounds, and the Saw sequels, all by way of Speed. The voice on the phone, heavily distorted, apparently has eyes everywhere and can see into the car as well, though whoever it is cannot hear anything in the car if Matt mutes the phone, something he can only get away with briefly lest it be noticed.
By its nature, this is a story that literally keeps things moving, so even if you take a moment to think some aspect of the villain’s plan is preposterous, there’s no time to linger on it before the next obstacle. Indeed, once all is revealed and we get a chance to think about it, it seems clear that the plan was needlessly convoluted to get where it needed to go. Unless we presume—as we have some evidence to—that the point of the convolutions was to excessively torture Matt.
On that note, the title suggests that the movie is all about payback for what our hero goes through. We won’t spoil what happens but the ratio of psychological torture to emotional catharsis feels a touch uneven on that score. In light of this, it’s worth noting that the 2015 Spanish film upon which Retribution is based is actually titled El Desconocido (The Stranger).
That balance aside, director Nimród Antal keeps the pace steady, even when the car has to stop for a while—urban chase scenes are his forte, after all, in movies like Kontroll and Metallica: Through The Never. While a more ambitious movie like Predators occasionally showed a bigger future for Antal than a small-scale action thriller like this, there’s no denying he’s good in his groove.
Playing Neeson’s kids are superheroes-in-training Lily Aspell (Wonder Woman 1984) and Jack Champion (Avatar: The Way Of Water), and considering the movie lives or dies based on their three-way interactions, it’s a good thing they’re up to it. As Matt tries and eventually fails to hide the gravity of the situation from his kids, they rise to the situation—and out of their own bratty natures—in the way that kids who want to be brave do. When they first come onscreen, they’re irritating enough that one might hope Matt will punish them; by the time things are done, we understand why he’d risk everything for them. Any parent can play that role, but younger actors who earn that level of emotional performance with their own in return are rare.
Never once do they ask, “Are we there yet?” and with luck, neither will you, as Antal and writer Chris Salmanpour dole out the plot points apace like so many hard candies to tide over anxious riders. Unlike Forrest Gump’s box of chocolates, what you’re going to get from this box of travel sweets is usually something you can expect. But that doesn’t mean it can’t be effectively tasty in the moment.
Retribution opens in theaters on August 25.
29 Comments
So it’s like Speed in a car?
Or Phone Booth in a car! Or Collateral in a car!
Or Cars 2 in a car!
“who’s also a bit of a coward, afraid to give anyone bad news.”Why is it cowardice to not like giving people bad news? Why is it not empathy, or basic humanity?
Liam Neeson is the Matlock of a new generation.
Holy hell, he’s goddamn 71?!
Yeah and stands at 6’4 not sure if he faces any villain’s larger than him.I guess maybe in weight, but he is towering figure for sure.
I would not cross Neeson if he was 102.
Nah, it’s easy. You just have to be faster than his jump cuts and avoid threatening phone calls that sap your willpower stat.
If you are ever feeling down and think you are worthless just know there is a rich director named Nimrod.
Really odd that Nimrod became an epithet for “stupid person”, because the Biblical character of that name was described as mighty hunter.Edward Elgar certainly wasn’t making fun of his friend when he named a musical portrait of him “Nimrod” in his Enigma Variations.
Supposedly you can thank Bugs Bunny for that. He sarcastically called Fudd “Nimrod” to mock his ability as a hunter, and the idea that Nimord meant moron seems to have stuck with people over time.
Wow, Bugs was being more clever than we had presumed.
Bugs Bunny is my goddamn hero.
Yeah it’s like if “Einstein” came to non-sarcastically mean “stupid person”. But I suppose that’s less likely to happen since Nimrod is a pretty obscure character, so most people wouldn’t understand that origin. Also “nimrod” sounds kinda like gibberish, where “Einstein” sounds more Germanic and severe.
Interesting. Thanks for the history lesson.
It’s more of a literature lesson, really.
i doubt he’s rich, but he’s certainly a working director.
Why would a historically ethnic name make someone feel less worthless?
Does he drive with the blinker on the entire time?
This is Liam Neeson’s finest work as an actor and I will not hear otherwise:
You can almost see him crack into a smile while he tries to say his lines. He realizes how absurd the scene is but he still rolls with it in spite of how ludicrous it is.
I’m convinced he chose this script because it let him shoot a movie where he also got to sit down for the majority of it
It did make me think of the ‘30 Rock’ joke where Tracy mentions being in a film where he never got out of his car, despite it being a Western.
He’s also a guy with an unfortunate, unpredictable work schedule, which, as any regular moviegoer knows, makes him Hollywood’s version of the worst husband and father of all time, because he sometimes has to cancel other things in order to keep making a living and supporting them.Hey, you know, kind of off topic, apropos of nothing, therapy is more accessible than ever these days. If you head over to your insurance company’s referral portal, they can probably recommend some providers in your area. You know, if you need to talk to someone about family trauma or feelings of inadequacy.
Shhh. Luke’s dad’s coming back with that fresh pack of smokes any day now.
So he has a particular set of skills or driving ?