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STAR RATINGS EXPLAINED
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Tragic 1 Star

FILM DETAILS
Certificate
15
Cast
Cillian Murphy
Thandie Newton
Jamie Bell
.
Directors
Carl Tibbetts.
Screenwriters
Running Time
90 minutes

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Retreat
Deceptively ingenious...


Plot
Kate (Newton) and Martin (Murphy) take a holiday in an isolated island, but before long a soldier washes up on shore (Bell) and tells them the rest of the world is suffering from some sort of airbourne plague...

Review
Retreat
A glum mood envelops this deceptively ingenious thriller, and though it may deny Carl Tibbetts’ film a wider audience, genre fans will enjoy seeing a hokey interloper story getting not only a thoughtful treatment but classy performances. Cillian Murphy and Thandie Newton play a married couple recovering from the death of their unborn child, who, somewhat unrealistically, rekindle their love by returning to an old holiday destination on an uninhabited island. The awkward idyll is shattered by the arrival of Jamie Bell’s soldier, who claims a virus has all but obliterated the outside world. Is he telling the truth or is he a psycho? Tibbetts plays with tension to create a plausible no man’s land of logic that’s sure to keep the most jaded viewer guessing.


Verdict
Excellent performances from the cast elevate this otherwise slightly flawed a hokey interloper story.


Reviewed by Damon Wise

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Average user rating for Retreat
Empire Star Rating

Retreat

Rented this after seeing it on LoveFilm and never seeing anything about it on its theatrical release. It was ok, but I was very impressed with Jamie Bell who was genuinely creepy as the paranoid and semi-psychotic visitor. Shame the ending was a bit contrived. Still, a nice little thriller. ... More

Empire User Rating

Posted by Timon at 12:13, 10 January 2012 | Report This Post



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