Directed by the trio of Michael Lombardi (who also stars), Samuel Gonzalez Jr and Bridget Smith, The Retaliators is an ode to the revenge exploitation films of the 1970s, starring rock and heavy metal musicians from bands including Five Finger Death Punch, Ice Nine Kills, Papa Roach and Motley Crue.
Michael Lombardi portrays John Bishop, a progressive pastor whose teenage daughter is brutally murdered in a completely senseless and random crime committed by a brutal member of the town’s seedy underbelly. Joining in on the vengeance game is local chain-smoking, whiskey-swilling cop Jed Sawyer (Marc Menchaca) who, as John soon discovers, harbours his own dark and twisted secrets. Alongside John’s journey into vengeance is the storyline of Vic Kady (Ivan Moody of Five Finger Death Punch), a crime gang member who is looking for his missing brother.
Even though his part is minimal, Shaddix (Papa Roach) plays Quinn Brady as disturbing and sinister
Despite attempting to imitate the aforementioned revenge themed 1970s exploitation films, The Retaliators lacks any real heart and authenticity, if it had fully leaned into the aesthetics and sentimentalities behind such a genre, it would have created a much more enjoyable experience. With a satisfying introduction and a completely wild and barely intelligible finale, it is the middle act of The Retaliators that really lets the film down. With a lack of any real solid main character energy or perspective, it becomes muddled as to which player the audiences are meant to follow and align themselves with. The treatment of women in the film is less than desirable, being delegated to murder victims or sexual objects that random “rockstars” can snort drugs off or spank, The Retaliators really suffers from a lack of a well-rounded fully formed character who is not male.
The one redeeming factor of the film is the flashback of Jed Sawyer’s which includes Papa Roach frontman Jacoby Shaddix as a deranged serial killer. Even though his part is minimal, Shaddix plays Quinn Brady as disturbing and sinister, and had his arc been the main storyline of The Retaliators, would have made an enormously more interesting and engaging film.
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