The Retaliators (film)

The Retaliators
Theatrical release poster
Directed by
  • Samuel Gonzalez Jr.
  • Bridget Smith
Screenplay by
  • Darren Geare
  • Jeff Allen Geare
Produced by
Starring
CinematographyJoseph Hennigan
Edited byRandy Bricker
Music by
  • Kyle Dixon
  • Michael Stein
Production
company
Better Noise Films
Release dates
  • August 30, 2021 (2021-08-30) (FrightFest)
  • September 14, 2022 (2022-09-14) (United States)
Running time
110 minutes[1]
CountryUnited States
Budget$7.2 million
Box office$7,286[2][3]

The Retaliators is a 2021 American action horror film starring Michael Lombardi, Marc Menchaca, and Joseph Gatt.[4] The film also features appearances by musicians Tommy Lee, Jacoby Shaddix, Zoltan Bathory, and The HU.[5] The film follows John Bishop (Michael Lombardi) whose daughter is brutally murdered and he proceeds to seek vengeance for her death.[6]

The Retaliators premiered at the London FrightFest film festival on August 30, 2021, later released in theaters on September 14, 2022, in the United States, and on video-on-demand on October 21.

Plot

While on a road trip, friends Sofie and Erica are stranded when their car breaks down on a rural road. Erica steps out to fix the tire but is violently dragged into the woods by what Sofie believes is a zombie. Pastor John Bishop arrives and saves Sofie, explaining that the attackers are not undead. Despite his intervention, the creatures soon overwhelm the area and kill Sofie.

Bishop’s teenage daughter, Sarah, a grieving high school senior still mourning her mother, attends a support group and seeks permission to attend a Christmas Eve party. That night, Sarah encounters gang member Ram Kady at a gas station and hears a man screaming from Ram’s trunk. She flees in fear, but Ram follows her, runs her off the road, binds her to her steering wheel, and pushes her car into a lake, killing her.

Detective Jed Sawyer, haunted by the past murder of his pregnant wife by serial rapist Quinn Brady, believes Sarah’s death was personal and begins investigating the gas station footage. Meanwhile, Ram is abducted by an unknown assailant and imprisoned in a cage, where he is tortured. His brother Vic, a gang leader, becomes increasingly violent while searching for him.

Jed eventually reveals to Bishop that Ram murdered Sarah and that he has been secretly imprisoning criminals in a hidden facility, allowing them to become feral. Jed urges Bishop to take revenge, but Bishop cannot bring himself to do it. Jed instead throws Ram to the other imprisoned criminals, including Quinn.

Vic and his men storm Jed’s building, wounding him and accidentally releasing the mutants, who slaughter the gang members. Jed kills several of the creatures but succumbs to his injuries. Ram survives the chaos and later attacks an elderly couple, forcing Bishop to confront him one last time. In a brutal fight, Bishop kills Ram using a wood chipper, finally avenging his daughter.

In the aftermath, Bishop begins to heal, speaking at his church and grief support group, and when he takes his younger daughter to softball practice, he confronts a bully parent, punching him in the mouth after asking his daughter to forgive him, showing he has learned force is needed to defend his values.

Cast

Additionally, American rock band From Ashes to New, makes a cameo appearance as "Church Band" in Bishop's church. Tommy Lee has an uncredited role.[5][7]

Production

With director, Bridget Smith of 'Sno Babies'[8] and Samuel Gonzalez Jr., the film began shooting in March 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic.[9]

They finished post-production with Kyle Dixon and Michael Stein to score the soundtrack.[10]

Music

The theme song for the film "The Retaliators (21 Bullets)" was written by Nikki Sixx and James Michael[11] and was released on August 5, 2022 as a lead track of the movie with the track featuring Mötley Crüe, Asking Alexandria, Ice Nine Kills, From Ashes to New, and Eva Under Fire ahead of the soundtrack release on September 16, 2022.[11]

Jacoby Shaddix of Papa Roach, who stars as Quinn Brady in the film, announced to Allison Haggendorf of Spotify that their song "The Ending" will feature in the soundtrack. "When I heard about this film last year, I spoke to the creative team and I felt I had a vehicle to see if I could expand my range as an artist. Truly, I couldn't have imagined how much I enjoyed this experience and can't wait to find another film in the future".[12] Shaddix collaborated with Mongolian band, The HU, on their song, "Wolf Totem," also featured on the soundtrack.

Release

The Retaliators had its world premiere on August 30, 2021 at the FrightFest film festival in London, England, UK.[13][14] The film made its American debut with a small screening due to COVID on October 12, 2021 at Screamfest held in Los Angeles, California and the film release was moved to 2022.[15] The film was released in theaters on September 14, 2022, in the United States[16] and on video on demand on October 21, 2022.[17]

Reception

On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 86% of 44 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 5.9/10. The website's consensus reads: "It may not offer much they haven't seen before, but strong-stomached exploitation enthusiasts will savor The Retaliators."[18] Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 48 out of 100, based on six critics, indicating "mixed or average" reviews.[19]

References

  1. ^ "The Retaliators (18)". British Board of Film Classification. August 26, 2022. Retrieved October 3, 2023.
  2. ^ "The Retaliators (2021)". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved October 14, 2022.
  3. ^ "The Retaliators (2022)". The Numbers. Retrieved October 14, 2022.
  4. ^ Variety Staff (April 16, 2020). "Motley Crue Manager Allen Kovac Launches Better Noise Films". Variety. Archived from the original on September 20, 2020. Retrieved February 16, 2021.
  5. ^ a b c Kaufman, Spencer (December 29, 2020). "Tommy Lee, Papa Roach, Five Finger Death Punch, and More Star in Horror Film The Retaliators". Consequence. Archived from the original on April 14, 2021. Retrieved February 16, 2021.
  6. ^ "The Retaliators movie released worldwide on 14 September". MetalTalk.
  7. ^ a b c d e f g Richards, Will (December 30, 2020). "Tommy Lee and Papa Roach's Jacoby Shaddix to appear in new horror film 'The Retaliators'". NME. Archived from the original on April 13, 2021. Retrieved April 13, 2021.
  8. ^ Gleiberman, Owen (October 1, 2020). "'Sno Babies' Review: A Teens-on-Heroin Drama Is Like 'Requiem for a Dream' as a YA Soap Opera". Variety. Archived from the original on October 21, 2020. Retrieved April 13, 2021.
  9. ^ Rifkin, Jesse (September 16, 2022). "Hard Rock Horror: Interview with Vengeance Thriller The Retaliators Producers Michael Lombardi and Allen Kovac". Boxoffice Pro. Archived from the original on July 25, 2023. Retrieved July 25, 2023.
  10. ^ Tangcay, Jazz (April 6, 2021). "Emmy Winning Composers Kyle Dixon and Michael Stein to Score 'The Retaliators'". Variety. Archived from the original on April 14, 2021. Retrieved April 13, 2021.
  11. ^ a b Irwin, Corey (August 5, 2022). "Hear Motley Crue on 'The Retaliators' Theme Song '21 Bullets'". Ultimate Classic Rock. Archived from the original on August 16, 2022. Retrieved August 24, 2022.
  12. ^ "Papa Roach Announce "Greatest Hits Vol. 2: In Conversation" Livestream Event, Hosted By Allison Hagendorf". Brave Words. March 16, 2021. Archived from the original on April 13, 2021. Retrieved April 13, 2021.
  13. ^ John Higgins (September 9, 2022). "London Frightfest 2021 - The Retaliators". filmandtvnow.com. Archived from the original on September 9, 2021. Retrieved September 14, 2022.
  14. ^ "Arrow Video FrightFest 2021, London 2021". Screamfest.
  15. ^ Mack, Andrew (September 27, 2021). "Screamfest 2021: The Retaliators Opens L.A. Genre Fest". Screen Anarchy. Archived from the original on October 21, 2021. Retrieved May 17, 2022.
  16. ^ Dick, Jeremy (July 3, 2022). "The Retaliators, Horror Film Featuring Mötley Crue and Papa Roach, Sets Fall Release Date". MovieWeb. Archived from the original on July 25, 2023. Retrieved July 25, 2023.
  17. ^ Detwiler, Grace (October 19, 2022). "Better Noise Film's "The Retaliators" Comes to VOD on October 21". Rue Morgue. Archived from the original on July 25, 2023. Retrieved July 25, 2023.
  18. ^ "The Retaliators". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved October 15, 2024.
  19. ^ "The Retaliators". Metacritic. Fandom, Inc. Retrieved October 3, 2023.
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