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Retribution opens with a succession of grizzly scenes depicting a gunman assassin enacting a number of drug debt murders across an otherwise sleepy suburb of Edinburgh.

The killings are witnessed by two unfortunate onlookers who then become key parts of the prosecution case against both the killer and the drug cartel he is a part of.

The cartel then hires a top-level assassin from Serbia to track down and kill the witnesses who are now an unwilling part of a police protection scheme. After he succeeds, the detective in charge of their protection vows to hunt the hitman and his clients down — despite being taken off the case. Naturally, this being gang-territory Edinburgh fighting over drugs, things aren’t that simple and when the Serbian hitman is double crossed by his own client, the scene is set for a three-way battle.

While Retribution’s storyline might appear to be a bit grittily depressing, it’s not quite the horror-fest that it sounds.

Following the unnamed Serbian hitman as he tracks down his prey does keep you in suspense, but despite his psychopathicly violent and torturous streak, the film portrays him, at least at times, in a sympathetic light.

Compared to his fellow crooks, for instance, he seems almost humane — better groomed and far more professional than his bungling Scottish counterpart crooks, it’s hard not to be impressed with the ruthless efficiency with which he hunts down his prey — partly because the director pays little attention to the hitman’s victims. You’re not invited to empathize with them— whereas in one scene you watch the hitman step in and defend a single mother from her violent boyfriend.

The result is slightly strange, as to all other intents and purposes, he should be the villain, and the cop, supposedly the hero of the piece, is shown to be not-averse to taking backhands.

There are also a couple of unbelievable moments — such as when Detective Miller tracks down the drug’s hideaway by attaching a leaking paint bag to the exhaust of a car — slightly too ‘Boy’s Own’ to fit in with the rest of the film.

Overall it’s a decent watch, but don’t go expecting too much.[[In-content Ad]]

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