IMDb RATING
5.3/10
2.6K
YOUR RATING
An upstanding pastor uncovers a dark and twisted underworld as he searches for answers surrounding his daughter's brutal murder.An upstanding pastor uncovers a dark and twisted underworld as he searches for answers surrounding his daughter's brutal murder.An upstanding pastor uncovers a dark and twisted underworld as he searches for answers surrounding his daughter's brutal murder.
- Directors
- Writers
- Stars
- Awards
- 6 wins & 10 nominations total
Kristopher Kling
- Arlo
- (as Kris Kling)
- Directors
- Writers
- All cast & crew
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
Featured reviews
The Retaliators is dumb but fun entertainment - something that has strangely become a rarity in horror.
Nowadays where every movie is a slow burn "elevated" metaphor for trauma and abuse - so it's refreshing to see a film that just wants to entertain in a blood soaked way.
Nowadays where every movie is a slow burn "elevated" metaphor for trauma and abuse - so it's refreshing to see a film that just wants to entertain in a blood soaked way.
Michael Lombardi is the aptly named "Bishop" - he's a rural pastor - who traditionally shuns confrontation and generally encourages others to do the same. Until, that is, his daughter has a run in with a gangland hoodlum who has a car stashed with cocaine, loot - and a man who is not in great shape. She attempts to flee but while being chased chooses to ring her dad, rather than 911 (or maybe drive off in the general direction of the police station!?). Anyway, the remainder of this terribly lacklustre revenge thriller follows dad's attempts to avenge his daughter. For a previously gentle man, he adapts to the brutality of his new environment with an ease that made me think that if Sigourney Weaver had had him in the "Alien" films, those acid bleeding critters wouldn't have lasted twenty minutes. That's really the problem here. The scenario is just daft. Right from the get go when we have an altercation over a Christmas tree through to the very end, it's all just predictable and implausible tosh. The acting is college project standard, as is the writing and the direction. Indeed, quite how this got a cinema release at all is a far more worthy and ponderous question than anything raised by the script. Nope, I really wouldn't bother.
I'm struggling to review this film as I didn't actually hate it, but it's littered with flaws.
My main complaint is that it never really settled on a tone. At times this film is dark as hell, with some properly gruesome and grotesque ideas and scenes.
At other times it strays into Evil Dead style comedy horror with some of its action scenes and sequences. This shift was quite jarring and had they picked one route and gone for it might have been more effective.
The acting was quite hit and miss, with no particularly solid performances to mention.
In terms of plot it actually had some interesting ideas, but took way too long to get stuck into the meat of the story.
The soundtrack is pretty great though I must say.
Overall a bit hit and miss. There's plenty for horror fans to enjoy and I did enjoy large parts of this film, but it felt a bit rough around the edges.
My main complaint is that it never really settled on a tone. At times this film is dark as hell, with some properly gruesome and grotesque ideas and scenes.
At other times it strays into Evil Dead style comedy horror with some of its action scenes and sequences. This shift was quite jarring and had they picked one route and gone for it might have been more effective.
The acting was quite hit and miss, with no particularly solid performances to mention.
In terms of plot it actually had some interesting ideas, but took way too long to get stuck into the meat of the story.
The soundtrack is pretty great though I must say.
Overall a bit hit and miss. There's plenty for horror fans to enjoy and I did enjoy large parts of this film, but it felt a bit rough around the edges.
Better than a movie featuring the singer of Papa Roach has any right to be, "The Retaliators" is a fun revenge thriller, that switches between genres, offering just enough twist and turns (and a bonkers ending) to stay engaging.
The acting is not bad, with a certain Z Nation actor being the highlight.
The acting is not bad, with a certain Z Nation actor being the highlight.
This is an enjoyable movie, just don't expect it to be the next Saw. This is more of a soundtrack movie than a horror movie. That's probably why a lot of the lower level characters are played by members of the band by the same name who also wrote the theme song. Don't get me wrong, there's a lot that are big misses in the movie, but if you're bored and just want a good revenge movie to watch this will fill that pretty easily. It's not on the level of I Spit on your Grave, American Merry, or any of the other great revenge horror, but its watchable.
The acting is sub par, but that's on point for the genre.
The acting is sub par, but that's on point for the genre.
Did you know
- TriviaThe members of Five Finger Death Punch demanded to eat Filet Mignon for lunch every day or they would not work.
- GoofsIn New Jersey, it is illegal for drivers to pump their own gas, therefore Sarah would have never gotten out of the car to begin with.
- ConnectionsFeatured in Projector: The Retaliators (2022)
- SoundtracksThe Ending
Performed by Papa Roach
- How long is The Retaliators?Powered by Alexa
Details
Box office
- Budget
- $7,200,000 (estimated)
- Gross worldwide
- $9,980
- Runtime1 hour 35 minutes
- Color
- Aspect ratio
- 2.39 : 1
Contribute to this page
Suggest an edit or add missing content