180. Retaliation; movie review

 

 

RETALIATION

Cert 18

91 mins

BBFC advice: Contains child sexual abuse theme, self-harm

Until five or six years ago, I would have been as guilty as anyone in judging a book by its cover.

So, when people had carried out acts of violence I would have been convinced that they would have no excuse for their actions.

Only when I became involved with YMCA Derbyshire, did I understand a different dimension to bad behaviour.

This is when I learned of physical and mental abuse and the way scars endured in childhood can manifest themselves as violence in later life.

In  Ludwig Shammasian and Paul Shammasian's Retaliation, Orlando Bloom's character, Malky. is such a man - he has kept sexual abuse as a child secret for nearly three decades but the shame has moulded his personality.

Therefore, he cannot give his girlfriend (Janet Montgomery) the emotional attachment she craves and has a very subservient relationship with his frail mother (Anne Reid).

He is also prone to extreme violence when put into a stressful situation.

His behaviour becomes even more exaggerated when he sees the man (James Smillie) who was responsible for the crime against him all those years ago.

Retaliation is graphic - a scene during which Malky abuses himself is particularly grim watch - and relentlessly downbeat.

Even the attempts of his best friend (Alex Ferns) to lighten the load with tales of their tough past fails dismally.

And none of those around him understands what he is going through so can't bring him into their perception of the real world.

Ironically, only a Catholic priest (Charlie Creed-Miles) has the ammunition to help Malky but, ultimately, he must also want to help himself.

Retaliation will sit in the memory for a while because it reinforces how little we may know people and their history.

Everyone has skeletons in their closet and they can often dictate our future actions but some are more haunted by them than others.

Bloom successfully portrays a man who cannot handle his.

Reasons to watch: Hard-hitting drama

Reasons to avoid: Upsetting scenes

Laughs: None

Jumps: None

Vomit: None

Nudity: Yes

Overall rating: 7/10

Did you know? In 2020, the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse released a report which stated that the Catholic Church of England and Wales "swept under the carpet" allegations of sex abuse against numerous Catholic clergy in England and Wales. According to the report, Vincent Nichols, now a cardinal and senior Catholic cleric in England and Wales protected the reputation of the Church rather than protecting victims and lacked compassion towards victims.

The final word. Orlando Bloom: “To be honest, I’d given up on whether this movie was ever going to see the light of day. It is lightning in a bottle getting movies made and this one was made for around £1 million, and it wasn’t an easy thing to get done. There were complications across the board but, thankfully, it seems everything was resolved in one form or another.” Irish Examiner

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