Retribution film review: Liam Neeson needs to stop saving children in movies
Once again, Liam Neeson scrambles to save his children in this lumbering thriller.
He plays a financier driving his children to school, who receives a call from a mysterious voice, threatening to explode the vehicle if he doesn’t follow instructions. Speed meets Taken in this dreary rehash of everything Neeson has done since 2008.
The film’s primary setting of a car, where Neeson bickers with his unlikeable offspring, slows the pace to a crawl while the plot offers little that hasn’t befallen its star before.
The Oscar nominee is far from his best. Playing a disengaged father doesn’t cover up a phoned in performance, and it’s hard to invest in a character with so little energy. Matthew Modine also pops up in a supporting role as Liam Neeson’s colleague, reuniting with Stranger Things director Nimrod Antal.
Retribution may please those looking for some undemanding, familiar action. However, this particular type of Neeson formula seems as exhausted as his character.
Retribution is in cinemas from tomorrow
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