Retribution (1987)

Too much of everything

The acting in this movie is really good.

It's easily one of the freshest, sharpest and most enjoyable films of this year.

An old-fashioned movie made with new-fashioned finesse.

Depressed painter George Miller (Dennis Lipscomb) chucks himself off a hotel roof, his suicidal act most likely prompted by either his terrible haircut (I'd want to die too if I sported that style) or his complete lack of artistic talent. As medics bring him back from the brink of death, George is possessed by the vengeful spirit of gambler Vito Minelli (Mike Muscat), who was shot and burnt alive by the men to whom he was in debt.Retribution could have been a fairly reasonable supernatural potboiler, but George Miller is such a dour, whiney loser that it makes for seriously hard going. I found myself increasingly irritated by the man's persistent hang-dog expression, so-much-so that I began to wish that the emergency team who revived him had been held up in traffic.The film does deliver one or two reasonably well-executed scenes of violence-the brutal demise of Vito, the manager of an abattoir being cut up the middle by a circular saw, a guy having his hand removed with an acetylene torch-and there is an impressive sense of style throughout, director Guy Magar making particularly good use of colour and lighting. However, the unbearable protagonist and an overlong runtime of 107 minutes means that the film as a whole is far from great.

I first saw this movie years ago when it was released on Virgin Video and I seem to remember that it was a pretty scary movie. Years later, in 2006, I finely get to see it again and unfortunately it wasn't as good as I remember it. The premise is a man called George (Lipscomb) decides to commit suicide on Halloween night. He jumps off of an apartment building and barely survives. After spending 3 months in a hospital, George has a new lease on life and kind of starts off with a fresh new start. The problem is when George falls asleep his body is taken over by a spirit with demonic powers and the spirit is out to kill the people who murdered him in life. This is actually a well directed movie with some great acting and good cast. The problem I had with the movie was for one, it is a very dated film. For instance, the music for the movie was so typical of the era it takes away from the seriousness of the story. And the ending seemed way to rushed. This movie runs almost two hours with some great build up to the climax but in the end the movie falls on its face. It is to bad because this really had some great potential and the makers of the film probably could have easily made this a 2 and a half hour movie and still keep your attention. I do, in the long run, recommend this movie because it is still an enjoyable experience. 6/10 stars

Retribution may look a little bit dated compared to up-to-date films, with it's cheesy 80's feel, but that was just the sign of the times.Dawn of the Dead by Romero, is just the same in the out-dated department-but anyone who's seen it will agree it's still one of the best Zombie films to date! Retribution still has an un-beatable original story-line. It is a little known, rare classic. If you enjoy the horror genre, and have not yet seen this classic- try and get a copy. It is an absolute must see for ALL horror enthusiasts.Well recommended. Everyone i have shown it to was well impressed.It's a treat-especially with todays appalling excuses for Horror films. I really do highly rate and recommend this film, and so does everyone i know.

Manic depressive artist George Miller snaps one Halloween night, decides he wants to end it all and jumps from the top of the inner-city fleabag motel he calls home. Across town, small-time gangster Vito Minelli finds out the hard way, what happens when you don't pay off your gambling debts, as his vengeful cronies blow out his kneecaps, then douse him in gasoline and set him on fire.Somewhere between life and death, George's and Vito's lives intersect, and both will be changed forever. This is not a good thing for George, and even worse for Vito's assailants, as they will each discover to their horror and dismay...As low-budget supernatural thrillers go, RETRIBUTION manages to strike a nice balance between the yen of those horror fans who like character-driven stories, and the gorehounds who like to see "folks git blowed up real good." TV and movie vet Dennis Lipscomb, who very rarely gets to carry a picture, delivers a scary and sympathetic performance as the troubled George. He has the chameleonic ability to disappear into his character, which is both a blessing and a curse to the best character actors. They make it look so easy, most people don't even consider what they do to be "work," and that's the trouble.Another out-of-print, hard-as-hell-to-find but worthy entry into the B-movie hall of fame.