Information

Retribution is a 2023 action thriller film directed by Nimrod Antal and written by Chris Salmanpour. The film stars Liam Neeson, Noma Dumezweni, Lily Aspel, Jack Champion, Embeth Davidge and Matthew Modine. It is the third remake of the 2015 Spanish film El desconocido, which follows a brooding man (Neeson) who is trapped in his car after receiving a threat that it will explode if he gets out.

An international co-production of France, Germany, Spain and the United States, Retribution was released in France on August 23, 2023 by Studio Canal and in the United States on August 25 by Lionsgate and Roadside Attractions.

Details

Matt Turner works as a financier at Nanite Capital under his friend and CEO Anders Müller and lives in Berlin with his wife, Heather, and two children, Emily and Jack. While driving his kids to school, Matt gets a call from an unknown number with a distorted voice who says there is a bomb under his seat, which was already armed when Matt sat on it. The bomb is triggered by both pressure plates placed on all seats and a radio frequency. He also threatened to detonate a bomb if Matt tried to get help. Matt finds the device and is forced to follow the bomber’s instructions to keep him alive.

The bomber forces Matt to watch Sylvain, the latter’s client who also received a bomb threat, killed in an explosion when Sylvain’s terrified girlfriend tries to escape. The bomber tells Matt to call Heather to retrieve €50,000 from her safety deposit box at the bank and deliver it to him. After Heather retrieves it, the bomber changes plans by asking her to pay a man in a blue suit. When he does, the police arrive and arrest the man.

After seeing the news implicating Matt in the bombing, Europol agent Angela Brickman calls him; Matt tries to convince her of his innocence and requests to jam the cellular signal to prevent a remote trigger. The bomber reveals that Matt and Anders have €208 million in slush funds from clients deposited into Matt’s “emergency collection account” at a bank in Dubai. He arranges for Matt to meet Anders at a power plant. Arriving there, Bomber Matt forces Anders to liquidate his escrow account. Although Anders reluctantly complies, Bomber orders Matt to kill Anders with a revolver in exchange for his life and his children. When Matt refuses, the bomber blows up Anders’ car; Shrapnel hits Emily’s leg.

After a police chase, Matt is finally surrounded by them and Angela and Heather arrive on the scene. Once they realize that the pressure plate is only located under Matt’s seat, the bomb squad safely removes Zach and Emily, who is then treated for his injuries. Interrogating Matt, Angela suspects the bombing may be related to the robbery. After speaking with Heather one last time, Matt flees and evades the police, determined to find the bomber on his own. Matt demands Bomber meet him in person if he wants the money.

The bomber was reported to be Anders. Anders reveals that he wanted Matt to be the fall guy for a series of bombings to cover up his plan to embezzle 208 million euros in his crypto account. To top it off, Matt intentionally crashes his car, causing it to get stuck on the side of a bridge. Matt unbuckles his seat belt and falls into the river, allowing the bomb to activate and kill Anders. Angela and the police arrive on the scene, Angela nods before letting Matt walk free.

During the credits, the news reports that the bombings were part of a heist committed by Anders, and that Matt cooperates with Europol to solve the case.

Cast and characters

Liam Neeson as Matt Turner
Noma Dumezweni as Angela Brickmann
Lilly Aspell as Emily Turner
Jack Champion as Zach Turner
Arian Moayed as Sylvain
Embeth Davidtz as Heather Turner
Matthew Modine as Anders Muller

Box Office

Retaliation grossed $6.9 million in the United States and Canada and $11.1 million in other territories for a worldwide total of $18 million.

In the United States and Canada, Retribution was released alongside Gran Turismo, The Hill, and Golda and was estimated to gross $2–3 million from 1,750 theaters in its opening weekend. The film grossed $1.3 million on its opening day and debuted at $3.3 million, placing eighth.

About

Directed by	Nimród Antal
Screenplay by	Chris Salmanpour
Based on	El desconocido by Alberto Marini
Produced by	·         Andrew Rona ·         Alex Heineman ·         Jaume Collet-Serra ·         Juan Sola
Starring	·         Liam Neeson ·         Noma Dumezweni ·         Lilly Aspell ·         Jack Champion ·         Embeth Davidtz ·         Matthew Modine
Cinematography	Flavio Labiano
Edited by	Steven Mirkovich
Music by	Harry Gregson-Williams
Production companies	·         The Picture Company ·         Ombra Films ·         TF1 Films Production ·         Studio Babelsberg
Distributed by	·         Lionsgate Roadside Attractions (United States, Canada and India) ·         StudioCanal (France, Germany, Australia and New Zealand) ·         Tripictures (Spain)
Release dates	·         August 23, 2023 (France) ·         August 25, 2023 (United States)
Running time	90 minutes
Countries	·         France ·         Germany ·         Spain ·         United States
Language	English
Budget	$20 million
Box office	$18 million

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