Retribution (1987)

Simply A Masterpiece

Absolutely the worst movie.

The film's masterful storytelling did its job. The message was clear. No need to overdo.

Like the great film, it's made with a great deal of visible affection both in front of and behind the camera.

Co-writer / director Guy Magar offers up a sufficient amount of razzle-dazzle in this low budget revenge saga. It's got plenty of atmosphere and special effects, plus an always grim feel to its story. It also gives a rare starring role to Dennis Lipscomb, a veteran of supporting and character parts (in movies like "WarGames", "A Soldier's Story", "Crossroads", and "Under Siege") who'd previously headlined the independent productions "Union City" and "Eyes of Fire". While his performance might not be to all tastes, it can't be argued that he truly gives his all to the role. He plays George Miller, a wimpy, depressed painter who survives a suicidal jump off a building only to find out that there's a scary reason that he survived. Somebody else who perished at the same time (on Halloween night, no less) is determined to get back at those that messed him up, using George's body as his instrument of revenge. Magar makes this a visually arresting experience at all times. For one thing, staging the opening sequence on Halloween night is great because it's a weird image to see a bunch of Halloween masks taking in the spectacle in front of them. Some strong violence is suggested without being shown in any great detail, which could understandably frustrate and disappoint some genre fans, especially as there's a little bit of invention here: one victim is shoved inside an animal carcass and sawed up. The score by John Carpenter associate Alan Howarth is very nicely done. Overall, the story is still reasonably entertaining no matter how familiar its theme may be. Better performances than usual for this sort of thing help, with Leslie Wing as a caring psychiatrist, Suzanne Snyder as your friendly neighbourhood hooker-with-a-heart-of-gold, and singer / actor Hoyt Axton as an investigating detective. (However, if you're an Axton fan, be advised that he doesn't get to do all that much and doesn't even show up until over an hour into the movie.) You may also recognize George Murdock ('Barney Miller') and Harry Caesar ("The Longest Yard" '74) among the supporting cast. At an hour and 49 minutes, this does go on longer than your typical horror movie, but it's nice that Magar actually cares about his characters, making them more than one-dimensional and focusing on adult protagonists and antagonists instead of teenagers. This is a true horror movie, and a fairly intense one, and deserves another look from devotees of the genre. Eight out of 10.

One really good episode of TALES FROM THE DARKSIDE that I remember is "Dead Man's Shoes," where an average Joe finds a pair of shoes and decides to put them on. The shoes, however, belonged to a recently deceased mobster, who decides to possess the man and seek revenge on those who sent him to his grave. RETRIBUTION is just like that, only a lot bloodier.George is a depressed painter who's had it with life. On Halloween night, he jumps off the roof of his apartment building and dies. However, he is brought back by some paramedics, but something isn't quite right with him. Whenever he falls asleep, he has dreams of killing people in gruesome ways, and when he awakens, these people are actually dead. You see, he is now possessed by a mobster who not only shared his birthday, but he was gunned down at the same time George realized he can't fly, so now, the mobster is killing those who killed him. Can George stop him before the killing begins again? RETRIBUTION is a decent enough watch, but it could have been a whole lot better. Considering this was released in the trash-tastic year of 1987, they managed to have a really intriguing plot, great actors, and good gore effects. Unfortunately, they underplay everything except the actors.Yes, there is a lot of talking and a lot of character building, which is both a good and a bad thing. Good, because we actually begin to like and connect with the characters. Bad, because it keeps us away from the good stuff.The kills in RETRIBUTION are all gory, all inventive, and there aren't many of them. There are only four people who gunned down Vito (the mobster), and he doesn't even get his revenge on all of them. There is some great build-up and suspense with the deaths and the "possessed George" is frightening enough to work.There are a lot of scenes where George's possession takes hold, like when they go to a spiritualist, or when he paints several portraits of the charred Vito (which looks eerily similar to Freddy).Don't get me wrong; RETRIBUTION is from being a bad movie, it's just not all that great. I liked all the characters, I liked the gore, and the scares were good, it's just that each of these is either underplayed or overplayed. It's "technically" a lot better than most late-eighties direct-to-video garbage; it's just not as entertaining as it should be.Still, it's worth watching.

The plot centers around introverted artist George Miller, wonderfully portrayed by Dennis Lipscomb, who reminds me of a good friend in the military, and his failed attempt to commit suicide. The paramedics save him, but he acquires a link with the tortured soul of a hoodlum who was brutally murdered. This dampens George's new lease on life, with a courtship of a friendly prostitute, played by B-Movie Queen Suzanne Snyder. Every time George falls asleep, the tortured spirit tales control of his body, and exacts revenge on the people who killed him.This is a very entertaining film with believable everyday characters. Dennis Lipscomb does a splendid job transforming himself from bumbling loser George to a possessed force of destruction.Night of The Creeps and Killer Klowns From Outer Space star Suzanne Snyder, who owns the sexiest smile in cinema history, was sensual and caring all at the same time. This role allows Suzanne to wear some crazy looking, yet rather revealing hooker outfits.I recommend this film to people who like a little substance with their horror, but keep in mind, there is plenty of gore to go with the superior genre acting.

WARNING: POSSIBLE SPOILERS CONTAINED HEREIN. This one teeters on the edge of pure cheesiness, and does fall wonderfully overboard into it, but is saved by Dennis Lipscomb's magnetic performance. I couldn't help myself chuckling at much of this movie- and really, that's a good thing. I was especially tickled by its portrayal of streetwise hookers, whose attire resembles that of circus clowns. I also enjoyed the fat lady in curlers with her dog dressed up in human clothes. The plot of someone being possessed by someone else from beyond the grave to exact revenge is as clichéd as they come, but it's still a fun ride here- and that's what I'd compare this movie to: a fun ride. The ride could've been quite unbearable if Dennis Lipscomb did not make it worth getting through. Something about his performance reminded me of Barnabas Collins. Perhaps, it was his walking stick, or maybe his strange haircut. The beating of a dead horse ending was truly ridiculous, and was the perfect way to end this affair. I have to give everybody an A for effort here. I'll definitely be checking out more efforts by Lipscomb and the director. Enjoy!