★ 6 / 10
It would probably take an event of global
CinemaSerf
It would probably take an event of global significance for me to ever end up boarded up in a remote island house with Jamie Bell and Cillian Murphy but Thandie…
It would probably take an event of global significance for me to ever end up boarded up in a remote island house with Jamie Bell and Cillian Murphy but Thandie Newton is obviously much harder to please in this disappointing apocalyptic thriller. “Kate” is married to “Martin” (Murphy) and they have taken refuge far from the madding crowd to get over some sort of family disaster which she appears to hold him responsible for. With the storm clouds gathering - both metaphorical and physical, and their generator playing up, the couple are barely speaking when she spots a body nearby. Racing to the scene they discover the blood-soaked “Jack” (Bell) who looks like he has seen better days. Indoors and recovered a little, he regales them with a story of grim disaster on the mainland and insists that they hole up for the duration. Sceptical, they soon find themselves more hostages than partners - but is he telling them the truth, or has he more malevolent designs? This starts off weakly but for about fifteen minutes there’s a degree of menace as the plot establishes itself and a sense of frenzy starts to emerge, especially from “Kate”, but then the story takes a few silly twists and takes us back to square one. The low-powered audio mix doesn’t help it much either as half the time what dialogue there is is hard to make out, and I’m afraid that tempting as this incarceration might have been at the start of the film, it rather lost it’s lustre as the thing just ran out of steam. I did quite like the denouement, but it could have come half an a hour earlier and spared us wading through what is a really pretty pointless film.
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★ 6 / 10
Dark and disturbing, but disappointing ending.
LloydBayer
As a debut writer/director, Carl Tibbetts' "Retreat" is a well made psychological thriller with steady increase in pacing that generates an atmosphere going…
As a debut writer/director, Carl Tibbetts' "Retreat" is a well made psychological thriller with steady increase in pacing that generates an atmosphere going from brooding to disturbing. Only accessible by ferry, the story unfolds on a little island off the coast of Scotland where a married but childless couple rents a rustic cottage. Soon after their arrival on the island, it is evident that Kate and Martin have seen happier times. A journalist, Kate is withdrawn but reveals through her writing that a previous miscarriage has caused a rift in their relationship. In an effort to rekindle their marriage, Martin tries to put the past behind, hoping happy memories of their previous stay on the island will seal their marital wounds once and for all. But as it seems, things get from bad to worse when their only contact with the mainland – a CB radio – malfunctions, and the cottage's power generator chokes out. Amongst all this, an injured soldier arrives on the island and amplifies their predicament, stating that an air-borne virus is rapidly sweeping across Europe. Claiming the outbreak to be extremely lethal, Jack proceeds to board-up the cottage from the inside, even as it dawns on Kate and Martin that their strange guest is becoming increasingly hostile.Although widely comparable to the Nicole Kidman-Sam Neill thriller "Dead Calm", Tibbetts' work here is mostly captivating, relying heavily on portrayals from Thandie Newton and Cillian Murphy as the couple, and Jamie Bell as the antagonistic intruder. As such, acting is the pivotal structure steadily holding up the plot build-up. Bell is particularly impressive as an alpha male that goes on to challenge Martin's manhood right before his wife. As soon as Bell's character enters, we know the premise calls for psychological confrontation as two men try to outsmart each other. Add to that a fragile and hurting woman in between, and the stage is set for a tension built battle for survival. Tibbetts' screenplay also affords equal opportunity to Newton and Murphy as they each share moments of power in trying to outsmart Bell's Jack. This is evident that although there is a growing wedge in their relationship, previous problems diminish in size when faced with what they must now do to protect each other and their marriage.With a good part of the plot carried out within the confines of the cottage, Tibbetts succeeds in holding on to the viewer's attention despite the fact that single locale films can become boring. Besides the aforementioned acting, what works for Tibbetts is the premise – a broken married couple alone on an island, faced with a life threatening situation where they are forced to reconcile their past, or die trying. With all the twists and turns in the second half, Tibbetts gives hope to the audience while simultaneously tightening the noose around Kate and Martin. This alone reduces viewer predictability while also giving the ending a disturbing albeit open-ended finish. Personally, I was hoping for a satisfying ending, but as it seems, Tibbetts may have had other things in mind like connecting the viewer with his characters and then brutally severing that connection; its like saying hope is as useful as a missed opportunity.All things considered, this movie is a decent attempt for a film maker writing and directing his first movie. For a thriller, plot twisters keep gnawing at the nape of your neck, with some good acting swelling said plot with tense moments. Curiously, the ending may disappoint some viewers, especially those who are optimistic about feel-good endings.
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· 2.5K ratings
5.8/10
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A young peaky blinder