Liam Neeson action films have always been a niche genre that this critic finds more appealing than the broader action genre. Neeson has such an excitingly badass yet caring side to him in his roles that make the situations he finds himself in, such as in Taken, Non-Stop, and The Commuter, that much more mesmerizing. With his new film Retribution in theaters this week, it seemed like another possible fun adventure with our favorite action actor. Unfortunately, this movie struggles to find its footing outside of the genre’s clichés even if Liam Neeson is still a joy to watch.
Matt Truner (Liam Neeson) works at a financial agency that has taken many losses over the years, despite his efforts to “lie” to his clients, as his son Zach (Jack Champion) says. When his wife Heather (Embeth Davidtz) asks Matt to bring his son and daughter (Lilly Aspell) to school one day, he gets a mysterious phone call informing him that there is a bomb underneath their seats and if Matt does not do exactly as he is instructed he will detonate the bombing killing him and his children.
Knowing exactly what one is going to get from a movie, much like the romantic-comedy genre, delights some but creating a film without any kind of uniqueness appears lazy and effortless. What could have branched out from its simple concept decided to play by the rules too rigidly for any authentic thrills. Simplicity works when other elements in a film are added to heighten the suspense, which is something Retribution does not add to its script.
Although focusing on who is behind the crime is the main objective of the film, it is always interesting to see how Liam Neeson will get out of his situation rather than who is the mysterious caller. It had a fun conclusion that is just as unbelievable as many action movie scenes are. The family element to the film is pretty well executed to bring to light how parents are not always the hero’s we think they are. If you love Neeson this may be fun to watch but unfortunately it doesn’t measure up to some of his other films.
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