Despite its moniker, “Retaliation” isn’t the revenge movie its title suggests. While the trailer for Ludwig and Paul Shammasian’s sophomore feature definitely set you up for Orlando Bloom in a Clint Eastwood mode vengeance, what the movie actually morphs into is actually much different—a much darker and taut thriller, and an examination of trauma anchored by “The Lord of The Rings” actor’s surprisingly powerful performance.
‘Retaliation Trailer’: Orlando Bloom Has A Long Buried But Quite Personal Score To Settle
The movie sets up its religious overtones from frame one. In close-up, a statue of Jesus shakes violently while construction workers tear down a church. The cloud of dust clears and the statue still stands. Then, the filmmakers thrust the audience into a vicious sex scene, followed by a street preacher trying desperately to get people’s attention. The statue of Jesus remains silent throughout, but the filmmakers don’t stand with Jesus.
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A sledgehammer to religious hypocrisy, “Retaliation” uses symbolism to recreate, visually, the trauma a child endures when molested by a priest. Bloom plays Malky, a construction worker whose job is to tear down a church where, we later learn, he was sexually abused at the age of 12. His hunger to destroy his past is seen in the smashing of steeples, but this catharsis is not nearly enough.
In a way, “Retaliation” is “Spotlight” from the victim’s point of view, giving audiences a despairing look at how a priest’s actions can ruin lives. At a pub, Malky spots the priest who abused him. The encounter sends Malky into a panic that manifests itself in shocking self-mutilations that include lube, scissors, and a wooden rod (thank God for fast-forward buttons!). The filmmakers’ approach to the material is not to sugar-coat it, instead, leaning into the darker aspects of Malky’s life sometimes to gruesome and oppressive effect. We learn how the rape affects his relationship with Emma (Janet Montgomery), his girlfriend; his buddy Joe (Alex Ferns); and his elderly mother (Anne Reid).
His loved ones don’t know how to react to his troubling behavior, or why Malky is a shell of himself. “I mean, you look like you, but you’re not you,” says Emma. He doesn’t feel comfortable telling her, or anyone, about what happened, so most conversations are as sad and confused as their dilapidated suburb. Some of the Shammassian’s techniques—the deep shadows; the slow movements of the camera— are straight out of a horror movie about self-flagellating emotional suffering. For Malky, God is a ghost that cannot be seen, but is impossible to overlook. And Bloom makes that crisis engaging, even if you aren’t religious.
While perhaps best known for his supporting role in the ‘Pirates of the Caribbean’ or the ‘Lord Of The Rings’ movies,” Bloom’s searing, unexpectedly convincing, performance here will likely change that, at least for those who see it. “Retaliation” arrives at the screen under strange auspices considering it premiered in 2017 at the Edinburgh International Film Festival as a movie then called “Romans.” Perhaps it could not find a distributor until now, but for whatever, reason, three years later, it’s finally released under another name, which gives it the smell of damaged goods. Surprisingly, that’s not the case.
Either way, the essence of Bloom’s performance is internalization; it’s as if there are demons bottled up under his skin, waiting to break out and wreak havoc. And it’s as if, Orlando Bloom has been waiting for the opportunity to truly show what he’s capable of. The screenplay, by Geoff Thompson, gives Malky the opportunity to avoid violence in the form of another abuse survivor, a priest (Charlie Creed-Miles), and his push-pull between faith and revenge is a solid source of tension.
Guided by Bloom, “Retaliation” joins “First Reformed” in a canon of sorts: films about faith tested, and what can happen when faith is no longer something a man can lean on for support. It’s basically a Robert Bresson movie with sledgehammers. In other words, a movie inspired by Paul Schrader.
By now you may be asking, why pay seven dollars (on Vudu or ITunes) to see a rather dark, often dour movie that only enhances whatever feelings of alienation we may already have? Isn’t there enough darkness in the world already? Worry not. Though the narrative could use lighter brushstrokes, the Shammasians, and their leading actor, Bloom, create a courageously honest piece, tapping into abuse issues of shame, guilt, and salvation, not often rendered on screen with such depth and fiery passion. And at the very least, “Retaliation” could be a second act of sorts for the acting potential of Orland Bloom. [B]
