juneebuggy
I was surprised with this one, surprised with where it went, surprised with the ending, just a good psychological thriller that had me asking what do you believe? Its along the lines of Dead Calm (replace boat with remote cabin) and admittedly kinda slow to get going but I did like the atmosphere and Scottish location.It follows Kate (Thandie Newton) and Martin (Cillian Murphy) as they try to repair their strained relationship by revisiting a remote island cottage where they were once happy. The cracks in their relationship start to grow worse though as he generator shorts out and radio signals to the mainland prove increasingly erratic. Then one day an injured soldier (Jamie Bell) is washed ashore. He claims that a lethal airborne virus is devastating the outside world, and they must barricade themselves inside the cottage if they want to survive.Lots of twists here, I mean I did not for a second imagine the airborne virus angle and I liked imagining how I would handle the situation, would I believe him? This wasn't a plot that I'd ever seen done before. The acting is also excellent, with just the three of them playing off each other for the most part. 11/1/15
Tss5078
Retreat is one of those rare instances, of a film that is slow moving, with a simple story, but strangely fascinating. Films like this are completely reliant on the cast and most times simply don't work, but for some reason, I was really into Retreat and had to know if it was going to end the way I thought it would. As I said, the story isn't that unique, as it features a young couple, who try to reconnect on a secluded island off the cost of England. The island is a rich persons retreat and features one large cottage, that is occupied by one couple at a time. Martin and Kate think that it will be the perfect spot to reconnect, after the recent loss of a child, but the ideal retreat, soon becomes a hell on earth. A member of the army, a man named Jack (Jamie Bell) shows up in bad shape. When he wakes up, Jack informs the couple that a virus has taken hold over the mainland and if they leave the cottage, they could catch it. At first the couple goes along with Jack, but as his behavior becomes more irrational, the couple starts to question weather or not he's actually telling the truth. When you break the film down, it's three people in a cottage on an island, which doesn't sound very interesting, and the only reason this film works is Jamie Bell. The young star who got his start in Billy Elliott almost 15 years ago, has become a modern day Da Vinci in Hollywood, as he is seemingly everywhere and takes on all kinds of roles. Bell is as much an enigma as this film, as the last film I saw him in was some comedy, that was so bad I turned it off. A few months later, he's in this film and outshines everyone. If it wasn't for Bell's character and the fascination in finding out, what's in his head, this a film that would have gone nowhere. Jamie Bell is the key and really does give one of his best performances. Looking back and thinking about this film, it really wasn't anything special, except for one actor who makes all the difference. If you're into great performances, then Retreat is for you, but if you're more into the story then you might want to skip this one.
daggersineyes
Despite the presence of the wonderful Cillian this movie was an absolute disaster. The wife irritated me from the very first scenes and she never got any more sympathetic. The husband was weak & pathetic but I did have some liking for him until he gave the lunatic the gun. There was absolutely no sense in that scene - why would he believe there were people "out there" when he hadn't seen any? And even if he believed it, why give the crazy dude the gun? Why not just keep it yourself? And on that subject, why did the crazy guy keep giving the axe to the husband if he was supposed to be the macho army bloke surely HE'D want the axe and be the one doing the main defending. Things went from bad to worse when we were stuck with long sessions of people talking about themselves and relationship woes while nothing else happened and boredom set in with a vengeance. There was almost no action or suspense or anything interesting happening in this movie at all, at any point. Very disappointing. There really isn't anything to recommend this movie for, not even Cillian, unless you're the kind of person who just likes to watch a whole film about people being tense and whiney with each other while one of them messes with the other two people's heads.
matthewchermside
This film bears more than few similarities to another really bad film "Right at Your Door", which should send some potential viewers running from it. The characters are bland, the "plot twist" at the end was telegraphed from the beginning, none of it makes any sense whatsoever. What a waste of a talented cast this film was. Three incredible actors in Cillian Murphy, Thandie Newton and Jamie Bell are completely wasted in this tripe. As soon as Jamie Bell arrives in the film and starts barricading up the house without so much as any protest from Murphy's and Newton's characters I knew the film was going to be dreadful. The ambition of building tension is failed and the dynamics between the characters is completely screwed up, although Jamie Bell is very menacing, as the pretense is complete balls. Do not waste your time on this film, it is utter drivel.
AD
