Starring: Liam Neeson, Noma Dumezweni, Lilly Aspell, Jack Champion, Embeth Davidtz, Matthew Modine, Arian Moayed
OUR RATING: ★★☆☆☆
Story:
Action thriller directed by Nimród Antal. Retribution (2023) centers on businessman Matt Turner (Liam Neeson), who when a mysterious caller puts a bomb under his car seat, begins a high-speed chase across the city to complete a specific series of tasks. With his kids trapped in the back seat and a bomb that will explode if they get out of the car, a normal commute becomes a twisted game of life or death as Matt follows the stranger’s increasingly dangerous instructions in a race against time to save his family.
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Best Quotes
Matt Turner: Bit early for you, isn’t it?
Anders Muller: Yeah. I wanted to see what it felt like to be you.
Matt Turner: And?
Anders Muller: It’s overrated.
Matt Turner: You’ll get used to it.
Anders Muller: How about I just live vicariously through you instead?
Anders Muller: [to Matt] You’re a credit to capitalism.
Matt Turner: Don’t speak to your sister like that.
Zach Turner: Then don’t let her in my room, Matt.
Matt Turner: Hey, I am your father. I’m not Matt.
Matt Turner: How’s Katherine?
Karl Unger: Telling me not to waste any more of our children’s inheritance.
Matt Turner: I heard. When did you get so sensitive?
Karl Unger: When my stock dropped seventeen percent overnight.
Matt Turner: See it as an opportunity.
Karl Unger: I see it as a trend. Not in the right direction.
Karl Unger: I want out.
Matt Turner: What have I always told you? “Predicting the rain doesn’t count.”
Karl Unger: “Building the Ark does.” I thought that was Warren Buffett.
Matt Turner: So listen to him then. Turbulence is inevitable. When everyone runs from the fire, you run to it.
Karl Unger: Is this why Anders likes you so much? You make people feel good about losing three million euros in twenty-four hours?
Matt Turner: You’ll have to ask him, pal.
Emily Turner: Did you win, Daddy?
Matt Turner: Yeah.
Emily Turner: How?
Matt Turner: It’s complicated. It’s like I caught a fish. You use a nice big fat worm, and you dangle a hook, and…
Zach Turner: You lie. It’s pretty easy.
Mysterious Caller: [as Matt answers the call] Hello, Matt.
Matt Turner: Hello. Yes. Who’s this?
Mysterious Caller: I like your car.
Matt Turner: Sorry, who is this?
Mysterious Caller: You keep asking the same question. Do you think you’ll get an answer?
Mysterious Caller: You hang up on me, they’ll be picking your guts out of the trees from here to Austria. Do I have your attention? Matt Turner, there is a bomb under your seat. You armed it the second you sat down.
'Predicting the rain doesn't count. Building the Ark does.' - Matt Turner (Retribution) Share on X
Mysterious Caller: [to Matt] Hang up on me again and I detonate.
Mysterious Caller: If you get out of your seat, the bomb will detonate. Do you understand?
Matt Turner: Yes.
Mysterious Caller: There is a secondary trigger, a remote switch that I am holding as we speak. If you try to call the police, if you try to get help, I will detonate. I’m watching you. If you go somewhere I don’t like, I will detonate.
Mysterious Caller: [to Matt] You do exactly what I say, when I say it, maybe you’ll get out of this in one piece.
Mysterious Caller: Think of this day as a profound life experience.
Matt Turner: Did I do something to you? If I did, I’m sorry, just tell me.
Mysterious Caller: You sound so guilty. What have you done, Matt?
Matt Turner: Whatever it is, I’m sorry.
Mysterious Caller: I’m not convinced.
Matt Turner: There’s a bomb in this car. If any of us get out, the car blows up. If you don’t get rid of your phone, the car blows up.
Emily Turner: A bomb?
Emily Turner: Why does he want to hurt us?
Matt Turner: I don’t know, sweetie.
Zach Turner: Dad, what did you do?
Sylvain: Matt, I’m freaking out here. Okay? There’s a guy that called, and said that there’s a bomb underneath the car. And if we get out, it’ll blow up.
Sylvain: Matt, he said we’re going to die because of you!
Matt Turner: What else did he say?
Sylvain: Wait. You know him?
Sylvain: Matt, please. I’m freaking out here, man.
Matt Turner: I know you are. Me too. But it’s important that you stay calm.
Sylvain: Well, it’s easy for you to say “stay calm”. There’s a bomb underneath the car!
Matt Turner: He called me too. Which means we’re in this together.
Sylvain: We’re in what together?
Matt Turner: This whole thing.
Sylvain: Okay. Well, what did you do to him?
Matt Turner: I didn’t do anything. I need you to focus. Did he say anything else?
Sylvain: No! No. No. I don’t want to die. Matt, I have a family.
'Turbulence is inevitable. When everyone runs from the fire, you run to it.' - Matt Turner (Retribution) Share on X
Sylvain: I don’t want to die, Matt.
Matt Turner: You’re not going to die. You just need to stay calm. Think!
Sylvain: If I am going to die, if you don’t do…
Mysterious Caller: [to Matt] Don’t make promises you can’t keep.
Matt Turner: [after Sylvain’s car explodes] You didn’t have to do that!
Mysterious Caller: She broke the rules.
Matt Turner: Rules? You just killed three people.
Mysterious Caller: They weren’t the first. But they can be the last. That’s entirely up to you.
Matt Turner: Why did you want me to see that?
Mysterious Caller: So you won’t have any doubts about my sincerity.
Matt Turner: Then take it out on me. Just let my children go.
Mysterious Caller: [to Matt] You don’t have the luxury of time to debate me.
Matt Turner: There’s a man who has put a bomb in the car.
Heather Turner: What?
Matt Turner: We have to do everything he says.
Matt Turner: [to Heather] If I wasn’t enough for you, I’m sorry. I’m so sorry.
Zach Turner: Dad, what did you do?
Matt Turner: Nothing.
Zach Turner: Stop lying. This guy is trying to kill us because of something you did. Look.
Matt Turner: I didn’t do anything. Nothing to deserve this.
Zach Turner: You lie. It’s what you do every day. To Mom. To them. To us.
Matt Turner: No. I promise.
Zach Turner: You promise what? You made me get in this car. You made me.
Matt Turner: I promise I will get you out. Both of you.
Matt Turner: You didn’t want me to see Sylvain die. You wanted me to be seen there. My car. Me.
Mysterious Caller: Trust me, Matt, you’re not as smart as you think you are, or your escape plan would involve more than a safety deposit box at a local bank.
Matt Turner: What escape plan?
Mysterious Caller: Take your money and run.
'Misdirection is at the heart of all great magic tricks.' - Anders Muller (Retribution) Share on X
Matt Turner: Hey, a**hole. Can you hear me?
Emily Turner: Dad?
Matt Turner: Yes, baby?
Emily Turner: You called him an a**hole. Good.
Angela Brickmann: I’ve got to say, we’re all very concerned about you.
Matt Turner: I’m not responsible for all this.
Angela Brickmann: That’s good to hear. I believe you.
Matt Turner: Do not patronize me. I’m telling you, I’m innocent.
Angela Brickmann: If that’s the case, letting your children go would be a great way to demonstrate that.
Matt Turner: I can’t.
Angela Brickmann: It’s not my job to believe you, Mr. Turner. It’s my job to stop people from dying, and to get your children out safely. I have to trust you.
Matt Turner: The police come to help us and he finds out, you know what he’ll do.
Emily Turner: Will he kill us?
Matt Turner: Oh, God. No, honey. No. I can’t risk you. You understand? I won’t risk you. I can help us. I can help us.
Anders Muller: [to Matt] What kind of f***ing psycho does this to his own best friend? And you brought your kids!
Matt Turner: [to the mysterious caller, referring to Anders] He did what you wanted. It’s over. Once I confirmed the authorization, you get it all. All the money you want. Two hundred and eight million euros. You let us all go? Yes? Just tell me where you want the money. I’ll authorize. I’ll send it.
Zach Turner: [as Matt points the gun at his Anders] Dad. Dad, he’s your friend. What are you doing?
Emily Turner: Dad, don’t!
Mysterious Caller: Shoot him. Now.
Matt Turner: I can’t.
[Matt drops the gun and as the train passes, Anders car explodes]
Mysterious Caller: [after Anders is seemingly killed in the explosion] You’re a murderer now, Matt.
Matt Turner: Son of a b**ch. I will kill you.
Mysterious Caller: Really? Well, Matt, that’ll make four people that you’ve killed today.
Matt Turner: No. Just the one.
Mysterious Caller: Make the call or you die.
Matt Turner: No. You hurt my daughter, you scumbag. You want that money? You need me. I meet you face to face. When I’m ready. First, I help my child. Then you get your money. I’m in control here.
Mysterious Caller: No, you’re not.
Zach Turner: [to the police] My Dad didn’t do it!
Matt Turner: Zach, no one else has heard this guy.
Angela Brickmann: You’ve got everybody’s attention, Matt. A lot of people here are worried about you. Especially Heather. She just wants to see her family again, and I want to make sure she does. I’m here to help you. I just need to know you’re not going to, you know, do something crazy. I mean, you go, I go. And I have a family too.
Zach Turner: [to Brickmann] My Dad didn’t do any of this, okay? There’s this psycho on the phone talking into his ear.
Angela Brickmann: Do you know who he is?
Matt Turner: If I knew that, I would tell you.
Angela Brickmann: So, three colleagues from your company die in one day, but not you.
Matt Turner: I didn’t do this. I didn’t set off those bombs.
Angela Brickmann: But why would someone do this to you? Why you, Matt? To punish you?
Matt Turner: Money.
Angela Brickmann: You can get money robbing a bank, or working a fancy job like yours.
Matt Turner: Not this kind of money.
Angela Brickmann: What kind of money?
Angela Brickmann: Trust, Matt. I need trust. You’ve had a lot of losses for your clients, but you still have a nice car.
Matt Turner: Do I?
Angela Brickmann: Well, I guess you’ve had a tough day. A tough week? A tough year?
Angela Brickmann: How much did your clients lose this year?
Matt Turner: We all lost this year.
Angela Brickmann: Well, I know that you and your recent colleagues lost a lot of money for your trusting clients who invested in your fund, yet you kept making promises. Promises that profits would appear.
Matt Turner: Maybe he’s an angry client.
Zach Turner: Dad, I’m not going to leave you.
Matt Turner: I’ll be fine.
Zach Turner: If you stay, I stay.
Matt Turner: I made a promise I’d get you out. I love you, Zach. Go on.
Zach Turner: Love you too.
Matt Turner: I’m going to fix this.
Heather Turner: Are you okay?
Matt Turner: I’ve had better days.
Matt Turner: I’m sorry. I’m sorry about everything. I should’ve been there for you. For all of you.
Heather Turner: Don’t say that.
Matt Turner: I love you, baby. I always have.
Heather Turner: Just come home. We’ll be okay.
Matt Turner: I will.
Matt Turner: You’re all here focused on me. And he is still out there. He’s the one that did this to me.
Angela Brickmann: You don’t have to worry about that. We’ll find him.
Matt Turner: You don’t believe me.
Angela Brickmann: What I believe right now is irrelevant.
Matt Turner: He set me up and you all bought it.
Angela Brickmann: Right now, we’re trying to get you out of this car. That is my only objective.
Matt Turner: You have your objective, and I have mine. If you can’t find him, I will.
Angela Brickmann: Matt, if you leave, I cannot protect you. I want to be clear about that.
Matt Turner: You want your money. I want my life back.
Mysterious Caller: Transfer the money. Now!
Matt Turner: Face to face. Or you get nothing.
Mysterious Caller: I could end this right now.
Matt Turner: So, what’s it going to be? End it! End it! End it!
Mysterious Caller: I choose the address. Not you.
Anders Muller: [reveals he’s the mystery bomber] Surprise. I told you, Matt. You’re not as smart as you think.
Matt Turner: Jesus Christ.
Anders Muller: Well, not quite water into wine, but I did just manage to turn a few bodies into two hundred and eight million euros.
Matt Turner: I watched you die in that explosion.
Anders Muller: Misdirection is at the heart of all great magic tricks.
Matt Turner: You did this all for money?
Anders Muller: Survival. Prison’s no place for a man with my taste.
Matt Turner: I gave you eighteen years of my life, you son of a b**ch!
Anders Muller: This was all inevitable, Matt. Don’t take it personally.
Matt Turner: Inevitable?
Anders Muller: If Cinderella’s slipper fit so perfectly, then why did it fall off?
Matt Turner: Anders, what happened to you?
Anders Muller: You know the business we’re in, Matt. It’s kill or be killed. Your words. Don’t go thinking you’re different than me.
Matt Turner: You’re the murderer, not me.
Anders Muller: You really think so? Are you sure about that?
Anders Muller: [to Matt] All sounds pretty convincing to me. The bombs, the money. It all points to you.
Anders Muller: I’m five steps ahead of everyone, Matt. Make no mistake.
Anders Muller: [to Matt] You really think I haven’t thought of every single possible permutation? When your kids got in the car this morning, do you think I panicked? The one day that you decide to be a good daddy and drive your kids to school? No. I adapted. I overcame.
Anders Muller: Don’t be naive! It’s always been about the bottom line for us.
Matt Turner: Bulls**t! Everything I did was above board.
Anders Muller: You really do think you’re different, don’t you? At least I accept who I am. You just lie to yourself every day. You just let it eat away at you until your own family doesn’t recognize you. I’m not surprised Heather wants to leave you. I’m just surprised it took this long to do it.
Matt Turner: There’s one thing you didn’t think of, Anders. What a man will do when he’s got nothing to lose.
[he then wrecks the car in order to detonate the bomb, killing Anders, manages to survive himself]
