The Retaliators | |
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![]() Theatrical release poster | |
Directed by |
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Screenplay by |
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Produced by |
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Starring |
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Cinematography | Joseph Hennigan |
Edited by | Randy Bricker |
Music by |
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Production company | Better Noise Films |
Release dates |
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Running time | 110 minutes [1] |
Country | United States |
Budget | $7.2 million |
Box office | $7,286 [2] [3] |
The Retaliators is a 2021 American action horror film starring Michael Lombardi, Marc Menchaca, and Joseph Gatt. [4] The film also features appearances by musicians Tommy Lee, Jacoby Shaddix, Zoltan Bathory, and The HU. [5]
The Retaliators premiered at the London FrightFest film festival on August 30, 2021, later released in theaters on September 14, 2022, in the United States, and on video-on-demand on October 21.
The film follows John Bishop (Michael Lombardi) whose daughter is brutally murdered and he proceeds to seek vengeance for her death. [6]
Additionally, American rock band From Ashes to New, makes a cameo appearance as "Church Band" in Bishop's church. Tommy Lee has an uncredited role. [5] [7]
With director, Bridget Smith of 'Sno Babies' [8] and Samuel Gonzalez Jr., the film began shooting in March 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic. [9]
They finished post-production with Kyle Dixon and Michael Stein to score the soundtrack. [10]
The theme song for the film "The Retaliators (21 Bullets)" was written by Nikki Sixx and James Michael [11] and was released on August 5, 2022 as a lead track of the movie with the track featuring Mötley Crüe, Asking Alexandria, Ice Nine Kills, From Ashes to New, and Eva Under Fire ahead of the soundtrack release on September 16, 2022. [11]
Jacoby Shaddix of Papa Roach, who stars as Quinn Brady in the film, announced to Allison Haggendorf of Spotify that their song 'The Ending' will feature in the soundtrack. "When I heard about this film last year, I spoke to the creative team and I felt I had a vehicle to see if I could expand my range as an artist. Truly, I couldn't have imagined how much I enjoyed this experience and can't wait to find another film in the future" [12] . Shaddix collaborated with Mongolian band, The HU, on their song, "Wolf Totem," also featured on the soundtrack.
The Retaliators had its world premiere on August 30, 2021 at the FrightFest film festival in London, England, UK. [13] [14] The film made its American debut with a small screening due to COVID on October 12, 2021 at Screamfest held in Los Angeles, California and the film release was moved to 2022. [15] The film was released in theaters on September 14, 2022, in the United States [16] and on video on demand on October 21, 2022. [17]
On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes , 86% of 44 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 5.9/10.The website's consensus reads: "It may not offer much they haven't seen before, but strong-stomached exploitation enthusiasts will savor The Retaliators." [18] Metacritic , which uses a weighted average , assigned the film a score of 48 out of 100, based on six critics, indicating "mixed or average" reviews. [19]