# Retribution (2023 film)
**Retribution** is a 2023 action thriller directed by Nimród Antal and starring [Liam Neeson](https://www.edgepedia.org/liam-neeson) as Matt Turner, an American banker in Berlin who receives a phone call warning that a bomb is planted under his car seat while his two children ride in the back. The film is a remake of the 2015 Spanish thriller *El Desconocido* and was released in the United States on August 25, 2023.[1](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/retribution_2023) • [2](https://roadsideattractionspublicity.com/strapi/uploads/Press_Notes_Retribution_FINAL_082223_1e8f9b2f73.pdf)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Director / writer | Nimród Antal; screenplay by Chris Salmanpour[2](https://roadsideattractionspublicity.com/strapi/uploads/Press_Notes_Retribution_FINAL_082223_1e8f9b2f73.pdf) |
| Lead cast | Liam Neeson (Matt Turner), Noma Dumezweni (Angela Brickmann), Lilly Aspell (Emily Turner), Jack Champion (Zach Turner), Embeth Davidtz (Heather Turner), Matthew Modine (Anders Muller)[3](https://www.filmportal.de/en/movie/retribution_a651a45fdf3e4de0ba0a56290f38d264) |
| US release | August 25, 2023 (wide), distributed by Roadside Attractions; rated R for some language and violence[4](https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/Retribution-%282023%29) |
| Runtime / rating | 91 minutes; R[2](https://roadsideattractionspublicity.com/strapi/uploads/Press_Notes_Retribution_FINAL_082223_1e8f9b2f73.pdf) |
| Budget | $20,000,000 (estimated)[5](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt6906292/?bypassRefViewPref=1) |
| Box office | $6,937,696 in the US and Canada; $18,685,751 worldwide per IMDb, while The Numbers lists $13,564,201 worldwide[5](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt6906292/?bypassRefViewPref=1) • [4](https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/Retribution-%282023%29) |
| Critical scores | 30% on the Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer (92 reviews); Metascore 43 on Metacritic[1](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/retribution_2023) • [6](https://www.metacritic.com/movie/retribution/) |
## Spoilers
### Plot
Matt Turner, a successful American businessman living in Berlin, is driving his two children, Zach and Emily, to school when a phone call tells him a bomb is under his seat. The caller warns that the bomb will detonate if he leaves his seat and orders him not to stop driving.[11](https://www.subtitlecat.com/subs/551/Retribution_2023_English-ELSUBTITLE.COM-ST_71527512.html) A mysterious caller forces him to complete a series of increasingly dangerous tasks through the day while he tries to work out who is behind the plot and why; the police, led by Angela Brickmann ([Noma Dumezweni](https://www.edgepedia.org/noma-dumezweni)), pursue him in the belief that he is the bomber.[2](https://roadsideattractionspublicity.com/strapi/uploads/Press_Notes_Retribution_FINAL_082223_1e8f9b2f73.pdf) • [7](https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/retribution-movie-review-2023)
## Production
The Picture Company partners Andrew Rona and Alex Heineman produced the film through their overall deal with [StudioCanal](https://www.edgepedia.org/studiocanal), alongside [Jaume Collet-Serra](https://www.edgepedia.org/jaume-collet-serra) and Juan Solá through Ombra Productions. The Picture Company, StudioCanal, TF1 Films Production, Studio Babelsberg, and Vaca Films were among the production companies, with participation from Canal+, Ciné+, TF1, and TMC.[2](https://roadsideattractionspublicity.com/strapi/uploads/Press_Notes_Retribution_FINAL_082223_1e8f9b2f73.pdf)
Rona and Heineman first pitched the project to Neeson in his trailer on the set of *The Commuter*, and he committed on the spot, telling them he liked how fast the story moved. The film was shot in Berlin, with filming locations including [Potsdamer Platz](https://www.edgepedia.org/potsdamer-platz) in Mitte.[2](https://roadsideattractionspublicity.com/strapi/uploads/Press_Notes_Retribution_FINAL_082223_1e8f9b2f73.pdf) • [5](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt6906292/?bypassRefViewPref=1) Flavio Martínez Labiano was the cinematographer, [Harry Gregson-Williams](https://www.edgepedia.org/harry-gregson-williams) composed the score, and David Scheunemann was the production designer.[3](https://www.filmportal.de/en/movie/retribution_a651a45fdf3e4de0ba0a56290f38d264) • [8](https://www.fandango.com/retribution-2023-232369/movie-overview)
## Remake lineage
*Retribution* is the third screen version of Dani de la Torre's Spanish thriller *El Desconocido* (2015), following the German *Don't. Get. Out!* (*Steig. Nicht. Aus!*, 2018) and the South Korean *Hard Hit* (2021).[7](https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/retribution-movie-review-2023) • [5](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt6906292/?bypassRefViewPref=1) The original film received eight Goya Award nominations when it was released in Spain in 2015 and was compared to *Speed* for its premise.[2](https://roadsideattractionspublicity.com/strapi/uploads/Press_Notes_Retribution_FINAL_082223_1e8f9b2f73.pdf)
The film also continues a run of Neeson action pictures made by Rona and Heineman with StudioCanal, including *[Unknown](https://www.edgepedia.org/unknown-2011-film)*, *[Non-Stop](https://www.edgepedia.org/non-stop-film)*, and *The Commuter*, the latter two directed by Collet-Serra. The producers described *Retribution* as the third film in an unofficial trilogy, after crashing a plane in *Non-Stop* and derailing a train in *The Commuter*; in this one, as Heineman put it, cars are blown up all over Berlin.[2](https://roadsideattractionspublicity.com/strapi/uploads/Press_Notes_Retribution_FINAL_082223_1e8f9b2f73.pdf)
## Release and box office
The film opened in France on August 23, 2023, two days before its wide United States release on August 25.[9](https://www.boxofficemojo.com/title/tt6906292/) It opened in 1,750 US theaters and grossed $3,518,830 in its opening weekend, ranking eighth for the week, and finished with $6,937,696 domestically.[4](https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/Retribution-%282023%29) Against an estimated $20 million budget, the theatrical run fell short of profitability; IMDb lists a worldwide gross of $18,685,751, while The Numbers reports $13,564,201 worldwide, a discrepancy between the two trackers.[5](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt6906292/?bypassRefViewPref=1) • [4](https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/Retribution-%282023%29) The largest international markets included France ($1,627,274), Mexico ($1,938,303), and the Netherlands ($1,369,431).[9](https://www.boxofficemojo.com/title/tt6906292/)
Home release followed quickly: the film reached premium video on demand in the United States on September 15, 2023, and was released on Blu-ray on October 31.[10](https://fametown.com/en/movie/retribution-2023/)
## Reception
Critical response was unfavorable. On Rotten Tomatoes the film holds a 30% Tomatometer from 92 reviews, with a critics' consensus calling it strictly standard stuff, though audience scores were warmer at 67% on the Popcornmeter.[1](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/retribution_2023) Metacritic assigned a Metascore of 43, based on 26 critic reviews, indicating mixed or average reviews.[6](https://www.metacritic.com/movie/retribution/) Reviewers noted the confined premise: Peter Bradshaw of *The Guardian* gave it 2 out of 5, and James Dyer of *Empire* called it an inoffensive but inessential addition to Neeson's later-career thrillers, while Mick LaSalle of the *San Francisco Chronicle* was more positive, writing that the film was for everybody rather than just Neeson's action-film fans.[1](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/retribution_2023) • [6](https://www.metacritic.com/movie/retribution/)
## References
1. [Retribution (2023), Rotten Tomatoes](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/retribution_2023)
2. [Retribution press notes, Roadside Attractions Publicity](https://roadsideattractionspublicity.com/strapi/uploads/Press_Notes_Retribution_FINAL_082223_1e8f9b2f73.pdf)
3. [Retribution, filmportal.de](https://www.filmportal.de/en/movie/retribution_a651a45fdf3e4de0ba0a56290f38d264)
4. [Retribution (2023), The Numbers](https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/Retribution-%282023%29)
5. [Retribution (2023), IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt6906292/?bypassRefViewPref=1)
6. [Retribution Reviews, Metacritic](https://www.metacritic.com/movie/retribution/)
7. [Retribution movie review, RogerEbert.com](https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/retribution-movie-review-2023)
8. [Retribution (2023), Fandango](https://www.fandango.com/retribution-2023-232369/movie-overview)
9. [Retribution, Box Office Mojo](https://www.boxofficemojo.com/title/tt6906292/)
10. [Retribution (2023): Where to Watch, Trailer and Cast, Fametown](https://fametown.com/en/movie/retribution-2023/)
11. [Retribution 2023 English-ELSUBTITLE COM-ST 71527512 subtitles, 100+ languages (SRT), Subtitle Cat](https://www.subtitlecat.com/subs/551/Retribution_2023_English-ELSUBTITLE.COM-ST_71527512.html)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Films and standalone screen works › Individual films by title and year › Action and adventure films (individual works) › Action thrillers, 2020s › Crime, assassin, and vigilante thrillers › Titles M to Y*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 3, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 3, 2026; Oct 25, 2026; Nov 1, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
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