Rating summary

Movie		2.5
Video		4.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		0.5
Overall		2.5

Retribution Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman November 15, 2023

They say it's wrong to judge a book by its cover, but is it also wrong to judge a Blu-ray release when its label offers it in a DVD sized case, along with a DVD copy, as if to suggest the DVD is the "main attraction"? That may be a first world problem, and a sign of latent (or maybe not so latent) elitism, but I know I for one tend to think of releases that come packaged this way are probably going to be second rate, and unfortunately that is the case with this Liam Neeson thriller, which might jokingly be referred to as Weight, as opposed to Speed, since in this particular case a vehicle with a bomb is kept from exploding by having a butt ensconced in the driver's seat. It's a preposterous conceit, but one that at least intermittently delivers a significant angst factor, since the formulation involves a hedge fund manager named Matt Turner (Liam Neeson), that aforementioned keister needing to keep seated, who is accompanied in the back seat of the car by both of his kids, son Zach (Jack Champion) and daughter Emily (Lilly Aspell).

The fact that Turner is a hedge fund manager almost implicitly suggests some kind of shady dealings, but with Neeson offering another stalwart portrayal of a parent in peril (as opposed to a damsel in distress), the viewer never seriously thinks of Turner as being a bad guy, especially since there are two offspring in harm's way. There's a typically convoluted "ransom" sort of scenario where Turner is assigned tasks by a mysterious disembodied voice, but once some of the puzzle pieces have been set out, it's frankly not that difficult to discern what's actually going on and who the "real" villain is going to turn out to be, and in that regard without posting any outright spoilers, I would simply advise any curious onlookers to peruse the cast list for some clues. The film manages to utilize the claustrophobic confines of Turner's car rather well, but only fitfully offers up its Berlin location as a meaningful plot device.

My colleague Brian Orndorf has the same kind of basically "meh" response to this film that I did. You can read Brian's thoughts here.

Retribution Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Retribution is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Lionsgate with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 2.39:1. The IMDb lists the Arri Alexa Mini, but fails to specify the resolution of the DI, which I suspect was 2K. This is a sharp and appealing looking transfer a lot of the time, but some obvious green screen backgrounds can often look soft and almost Impressionistic at times. A lot of the car material seems to have been shot that way, but the deficit in background detail may be offset somewhat by the repeated use of extreme close-ups of the three car bound characters, so that any background "information" is actually relatively minimal. There are some scenes that exploit the Berlin location, and when the camera gets out of the car, things of course open up and both depth of field and fine detail on actual locations tends to be excellent. A lot of the film has a somewhat cool, ice blue, grading. My score is 4.25.

Retribution Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Retribution features a decently immersive DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track, though the fact that so much of the story takes place within the confines of Turner's car means that "showy" surround effects tend to be limited to scenes where, for example, Turner tries to get away from mayhem, or the "big climax" where a long delayed explosion finally occurs. Dialogue is rendered cleanly and clearly throughout. Optional English, French and Spanish subtitles are available.

Retribution Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Theatrical Trailer (HD; 2:08)

Additionally DVD and digital copies are included.

Retribution Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Liam Neeson fans may want to check this out, even if this is never going to be a well remembered role for the actor. An increasingly rote script tends to undercut some of the tension, and it's probably undeniable that few are going to suspend disbelief enough to feel that two kids are really in any significant danger. Technical merits are generally solid for anyone who may be considering making a purchase.