The Retaliators (2021) Review

Growing up, I was the awkward goth kid that listened almost exclusively to metal. I mean.. I suppose not a lot has changed. So it stands to reason that I was on board with The Retaliators straight away from the brief synopsis. A high octane horror described as ‘hilariously gory’, with cameos from rock stars? Hell yes.

The Retaliators was heavily promoted at Frightfest, with tote bags and hats emblazoned with the name popping up everywhere during the festival. With the recognisable title and imagery looking like the logo for a metal band, its probably not surprising that The Retaliators leans so heavily into its musical connections.

The film stars Michael Lombardi as young pastor Max, who is trying to uncover the truth of his daughters horrific murder. The rebellious man of God isn’t a new concept, with Lombardi seemingly channelling Jesse Custer of ‘Preacher’, but the result felt forced and at times I found myself literally cringing. There are a number of elements of the feature that feel cliche, and something about the dad/daughter relationship in particular feels entirely unconvincing, but I have a feeling the film isn’t trying particularly hard to be realistic.

The Retaliators has gore pretty much right out the door. It’s definitely what you’re looking for going in to a film like this but unfortunately the FX is a little ropey at times. For a feature that is relying on extensive bloodshed as a key selling point, it really needs to be spot on.

Despite this, there are aspects that redeem things somewhat. Any metal fan is likely to enjoy the soundtrack. Given the extensive cameos from familiar faces in rock, it’s probably not too surprising that the feature from director Samuel Gonzales Jr. has the feel of a music video from the mid 2000s. Scenes from the feature have already been extensively included in a number of music videos from bands linked to the production. Music fans can play metal bingo with cameos from Five Finger Death Punch, Escape the Fate and Tommy Lee. Papa Roach frontman Jacoby Shaddix also has a role as twisted predator Quinn Brady.

The film has ambitious intention and compelling elements though something about The Retaliators didn’t really work for me, feeling instead like a strangely low budget extended music video (which in many ways actually feels exactly what they were going for). Whilst the music scene itself is notorious for attitudes towards sex, drugs and rock and roll, The Retaliators felt a little too ostentatious, taking itself too seriously to work as intended. I may have been more forgiving had it leaned into the comedy and embraced the tongue in cheek absurdity, but instead I came away feeling the film pretentiously thought it was something that it was not.

I really wanted to love this as on paper it ticked so many boxes for me. Honestly, therein may lie some of the problem, as it can be tricky to live up to expectations when there is any kind of hype. Horror fans may benefit from lowering expectations on this one, but sadly I couldn’t really get on board.

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