MOVIE REVIEW: THE RETALIATORS

This isn't some sanitised, Liam Neeson Hollywood blockbuster; this is a gritty, bloody, and brutal film that will leave you feeling that you have just swam through the waste pipe of your local abattoir

An upstanding pastor uncovers a dark and twisted underworld as he searches for answers surrounding his daughter's brutal murder. A high-octane original soundtrack and cameos from some of the biggest names in rock music set the tone as this horror-thriller reveals a game of revenge played using a new set of rules.
 
Release date: 14 September 2022 (United Kingdom)
Directors: Michael Lombardi, Bridget Smith, Samuel Gonzalez Jr.
Production company: Better Noise Films
Music composed by: Michael Stein, Kyle Dixon
Producers: Michael Lombardi, Allen Kovac, Michael Walsh

 
The Retaliators will be in Cinemas worldwide from 14th September. Tickets on sale now https://www.retaliatorsmovie.com

We live in a society now where social media and the near-constant ability to be online allows us to take revenge on anyone for the merest of slights against us, but how far would you go to get revenge for a heinous act of violence against your child? Will, our mild-mannered religious man, turn the other cheek, or will he go full righteous wrath of God on her killer and those who stand in his? That's the dilemma faced by a New Jersey pastor (Lombardi) when a local crime boss brutally murders his daughter.  


Well, of course, he does. Otherwise, the film would be really short, and I would be here writing this review, and you wouldn't be here reading it before deciding whether or not you should make the trip to the cinema to watch it. (Spoiler alert, you should be quick about it as it is only showing in cinemas for one night; you can buy tickets from the link above or keep reading and use the link at the end of the review). 


The Retaliators is a slight slow burner of a film, with the initial segment of the film being a somewhat sombre meditation of loss and grief; full credit must be given to Michael Lombardi, as during the quieter moments, the film is carried mainly on his shoulders, something which he pulls of with great success. His transformation from mild-mannered priest to full-on avenging angel is a performance filled with both nuance and a god to honest maniacal energy often lacking in these sorts of films. 


Joseph Gatt, as the film's main villain, also excels at turning his character Ram Kady into one that we can all get behind in the hope that he gets the comeuppance he rightly deserves. Such as the detective who helps our priest and the biker gang who are also hell-bent on getting revenge on Gatt. I say the main villain, as there is a brilliant layer of grey in this film sandwiched between the black and morality of the main narrative thread of the film. This lends the film a perfect down-and-dirty feel, which suits these sorts of revenge thrillers perfectly. This isn't some sanitised, Liam Neeson Hollywood blockbuster; this is a gritty, bloody, and brutal film that will leave you feeling that you have just swam through the waste pipe of your local abattoir, which is precisely how you should feel with these sort of films. 


Thankfully the filmmakers decided to stick with practical effects; the number of horror movies that I have watched lately with a similar budget range that resort to using CGI blood is deeply distressing. Blood and body parts should always be wet and physical; we gore hounds demand this, so thank the production team for keeping it real.  


The film also boasts a lot of cameos and bit parts from many heavy metal singers, but as someone who stopped listening to heavy metal when Limp Bizkit blundered onto the scene, so most of the Easter Eggs went right over my head. This brings me to the first of my two gripes about this otherwise excellent horror movie. The soundtrack, this isn't so much a matter of taste, as the songs used here in many ways do compliment the film; hard, heavy, unrelenting songs should be the perfect match, whether or not you like the bands, however, their mixing into the audiotracks is just too much. They intrude on the film like a loudmouth drunk uncle at your granny's funeral. It got so bad that I ended up muting it at a couple of points in the movie. However, your mileage might differ, and I might be too old for these bands.  


My second gripe of the film is that it is a tad too long; a few unnecessary scenes could have easily been excised from the final cut without having any effect on the film. In the case of one scene, cutting it would have significantly improved your overall enjoyment of the film, as it is so heavy-handed that it is somewhat cringeworthy. This is a pity; if they had been done better, the thematic thread where Bishop battles his faith would have added an excellent emotional depth to the film.  


However, these gripes aside, The Retaliators is a highly enjoyable film. That once the action gets going, it doesn't shy away from taking the viewers on an aggressively bloody journey of revenge. By the time you reach the batshit crazy final act (no spoilers here, but some of you might be reminded of a gimp suit were nutjob film), you will be fully invested in this inventive unrelenting horror revenge movie. ​

 
The Retaliators will be in Cinemas worldwide from 14th September. Tickets on sale now https://www.retaliatorsmovie.com

the heart and soul of horror movie reviews