The Retaliators Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		4.5
Audio		4.5
Extras		1.5
Overall		3.5

The Retaliators Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Kenneth Brown February 22, 2024

I'm not sure what Evangelically traumatized, Deconstructing, Christian college dropout made Retaliators (I mean, I do, it was co-directed by Bridget Smith and Samuel Gonzalez Jr.), but two things are clear: first, the people who made this bloody little revenge film attended a lot of Evangelical church services at some point in their past, and second, grew to really hate it. At best a morality tale and at worst cheap genre imitation (which isn't so bad), Retaliators is actually a decent little kill-or-be-killed vengeance flick with a penchant for violence, gruesome offings, and some well-studied, well-executed throwback '80s horror nostalgia. It also doesn't renounce faith but rather reimagines it as a struggle when faced with injustice, asking a bigger question than you might expect from the likes of its horror trappings: how far would you go, how distant from your faith would you walk, if faced with a tragedy perfectly, perhaps preternaturally designed to break you down to your base self?

When meek, mild man-of-his-flock pastor John Bishop (Michael Lombardi, who should be instantly familiar to fans of Rescue Me as New York probie Mike Silletti) learns his daughter (Abbey Hafer) has been brutally murdered, he sets out on a desperate quest for vengeance. His descent into violence crosses paths with the vicious Ram Kady (Joseph Gatt, Game of Thrones), a wolf in wolf's clothing who's a legitimate predator; body, mind and soul. Kady is a compelling villain, though a rather unbelievably immoral monster of a man, but he serves as a fine devil to Bishop's angel, and lends real menace to the grieving father's reach for retribution. Co-written by Darren Geare and Jeff Allen Geare, the film also stars fellow Rescue Me alum Robert John Burke, Robert Knepper (Prison Break, Carnivale), Rachel Hilbert, Cree Kelly, Corrie Graham, and Marc Menchaca (Ozark, The Creator) alongside the likes of Five Finger Death Punch, Tommy Lee, Papa Roach, The Hu, Ice Nine Kills, and Escape the Fate.

If performances were up to snuff across the board, Retaliators might have really caught me by surprise. (The leads are great. It's the stunt casting of rockers turned supporting actors that are hit or miss.) Or if those early church scenes were darker and less kumbaya, with more foreshadowing and a more satirical gaze at Bishop's idyllic church, Smith and Gonzalez Jr. may have pulled off a trifecta of brutal, unnerving, culturally relevant horror. As is, though, it's merely a decent rehash of a well-trod formula, invoking the imagery and themes of a trip to hell that's all fire and brimstone when it comes to blood and gore but lacks the strength of will to push much farther or into daring genre territory. And my, my... does the blood flow. Revenge comes slowly and unnaturally to Bishop, rendering the first half of Retaliators with little to do other than run through the necessary motions just as slowly and unnaturally. But once that small, fledgling spark of a meandering open bursts into flame, look out. Retaliators gets much better, ditching the rock stars for '80s-style action-horror aplenty, with Bishop and Kady going mano y mano on more than one occasion, each time more visceral and pulpy than the last.

Suddenly, Retaliators leaves you in a daze, thinking, wait, am I having fun? And the answer is yes, you certainly are. Had the back half of the film been the tone from the start, there'd be far more for me to say about what it gets right. The filmmakers spend too much time trying to paint a picture of an everyday man lost to himself, but we know what we're here for. Vicarious vengeance; the escapist fantasy of what we would do to overcome our grief if someone dared harm our family. Lombardi is a shock to the system -- part of Rescue Me's comic relief team, I didn't expect a lot -- but he has the chops. But Gatt? Give that man more roles. A pure, unadulterated, intimidating presence, he's a force to be reckoned with an then some, igniting the screen far more than the cast, script and gore combined. I'm sure he's a lovely guy, but he scares the hell out of me, and that's the makings of an unforgettable villain. By the end, Gatt's performance had left me on edge and out of breath, and Retaliators had delivered when and where it mattered most. It's not the next viral cult classic, but for a low budget, bargain-priced ninety-minute ride on the highway to hell, it made sure that I had a good time.

The Retaliators Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The Blu-ray release of Retaliators features a striking 1080p/AVC-encoded video transfer with no major issues to report. The palette is often stylized with teals, ambers and nauseating greens, as is perfectly suited to the unleashing of such brutal violence, but pre-crisis scenes are awash with lifelike skin tones and bold primaries. Black levels are deep and inky throughout as well, and contrast is dialed into that patented '80s throwback blend of darkness and more darkness, punctuated by strong splashes of color. Detail remains terrific from start to finish, with crisp, clean edges and refined and revealing textures. Delineation is solid and I didn't notice any substantial crush. When detail disappears into the shadows, it's because it's meant to, nothing less, nothing more. Add to that an absence of significant banding, artifacting and the like and you have a near-flawless low budget genre pic that, as far as its encode and technical transfer goes, looks every bit as good as a big-studio action/horror release. I'm surprised there isn't a 4K version in tow.

The Retaliators Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Let's make one thing clear from the outset: if you're looking for loud, raucous, metal-fueled rocking volume from your '80s-esque action-horror movies, well you've come to the right flick. The Blu-ray release of Retaliators kicks all kinds of LFE ass with an aggressive DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 surround track that makes the most of its 97-minutes. Whether you enjoy the stylings of Five Finger Death Punch, Tommy Lee, Papa Roach, Escape the Fate and their ilk is irrelevant. You're about to hear it in its full lossless glory. Then there's the kills and the battles to the death, which are as gristly, grindy, pulpy and schlocky sounding as you could hope for. Low-end output is a beast and rear speaker activity baptizes the listener in the ensuing chaos. Granted, a large chunk of the first forty minutes is relatively reserved and even a bit front-heavy in its quieter moments. But once Bishop starts to sink his teeth into his vendetta, the lossless mix catches up real quick. Dialogue remains intelligible, well-grounded in the soundscape, and neatly prioritized throughout, and there weren't any scenes where lines were lost (at least not lines that were meant to be clearly heard). Likewise, dynamics deliver and it all careens convincingly into its final bloody, noisy, shout-y, gurgling showdown. Too much? It can be. But it's meant to be, and Quiver's DTS-HD Master Audio experience leans into every over-the-top, ultraviolent squish, squelch and crunch.

The Retaliators Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Cast Interviews (HD, 11 minutes) - Quick hit interviews with key members of the cast.

• Music Videos (HD, 22 minutes) - Five music videos.

• Theatrical Trailer (HD, 2 minutes)

The Retaliators Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

I realize it's possible I've oversold both Retaliators and its Blu-ray release. But I had a bloody good time, I'm a sucker for a decent revenge flick, and low budget diamond-in-the-roughs are my spirit animal. Retaliators isn't the next great '80s action-horror throwback, but it is a fun one that justifies the cost of admission. The Blu-ray doesn't disappoint either thanks to a strong AV presentation. It's light on extras but ah well. At such a low price point on Amazon, it's hard to resist. Give it a shot. You might be as surprised as I was.