Retreat (2011)

Kate and Martin escape from personal tragedy to an Island Retreat. Cut off from the outside world, their attempts to recover are shattered when a Man is washed ashore, with news of airborne killer disease that is sweeping through Europe.

Director:

Carl Tibbetts

Writers:

Janice Hallett, Carl Tibbetts

Stars:

Cillian Murphy, Thandie Newton, Jamie Bell

Cast

Credited cast:
Cillian Murphy	...	Martin
Thandie Newton	...	Kate
Jamie Bell	...	Jack
Jimmy Yuill	...	Doug
Marilyn Mantle	...	Mrs. Doug

Storyline

In a last-ditch attempt to save their failing marriage after the stillbirth of their first child, Kate, a journalist, and Martin, an architect, escape London for a retreat to the beautiful, yet remote and unpopulated Blackholme Island, which is off the west coast of Scotland. Fairweather Cottage is a place where they once shared a romantic holiday and the island holds fond memories of happier times. Kate and Martin arrive by boat, it's autumn and the rocky barren moors are blown by freezing winds and the before they've even settled in, the generator and CB radio communication start to fail. Their relationship is already fragile and anxieties are pushed higher when they lose all contact with the mainland and after a heavy storm, an injured man is washed up on the shore. Dressed in military fatigues and carrying a gun, the mysterious stranger regains consciousness and identifies himself as a British soldier called Private Jack Corman and he soon reveals that he carries a deadly message ...

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Plot Keywords:

island | virus | strained relationship | infection | pistol | 

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Taglines:

No neighbours. No help. No escape.

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Genres:

Drama | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for violence and for language throughout

Details

Official Sites:

Official site

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

26 April 2012 (Bahrain)

Also Known As:

A Recuperação

Filming Locations:

Gwynedd, Wales, UK

Company Credits

Production Co:

Magnet Films,Ripple World Pictures,Ripple World Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

90 min

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Jamie Bell replaced David Tennant in the role of Jack.

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Goofs

As the sun shines through the gaps in the boarded-up window, the "sunbeams" through the dusty air diverge greatly. This would place the sun a meter outside the window. Compounding the error, the beams coming through the adjacent windows converge, meaning that there are two suns just outside the house.

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Quotes

Jack: Were you trying to be nice?
Kate: You're breaking my arm.
Jack: To get the gun? Or were you just desperate? How long has it been, Kate? How long since he gave you what you want?

User Reviews

Shocked that its IMDb rating is so low...

As the title says, I am genuinely shocked that Retreat has an IMDb score of 5.7 (at the time of writing). Whilst not a terrible score, it is below the average of scores I usually see on IMDb.

Retreat was, admittedly, rather slow to get going. However I did not see this as a negative element of the film as it served to provide the back-story of the protagonists, a much needed element to discover why they were on the island in the first place. The chemistry between Cillian Murphy and Thandie Newton was good, and as always they both acted their parts excellently (Jamie Bell, also, played his role brilliantly, although he will always be Billy Elliot to me!)

The film itself is brilliantly written. The dialogue is believable, and there is just the right amount of confusion and suspense building up to the twist ending.

Speaking of the ending, I genuinely did not see it coming at all, and for me it just made the film that little bit better.

In summary, it's a brilliantly acted film, it's a new twist on the whole "pandemic" concept that has come about during the last few years, and I think it definitely deserves a watch. Do not let the mediocre IMDb score put you off!