"the performances of the younger members of the cast are solid and Aaron Paul does his best at being moody and distant, Juliette Lewis is underused"

Retribution tells the tale of widowed father Hollis (Aaron Paul) and his two distant and somewhat rebellious sons. Youngest boy Wes (Deke Garner) is easily influenced by his far naughtier brother Jacob (Josh Wiggins), so when CPS step in and place Wes with his aunt (Juliette Lewis), the fractious family threatens tear apart even further.

For a family drama this is largely lacking in, well, drama. This wouldn’t be too much of a problem if the film had something to say thematically, but sadly it does little to captivate the audience. The characters, while not being exactly unlikeable, are not overtly interesting or compelling. And do we really care about them enough?

The film’s plodding pace hardly helps to keep you interested in their fates, either. When the story’s second plot point sets up an unrealistic and over-the-top climax, any hope of Retribution rescuing itself completely disappears.

While the performances of the younger members of the cast are solid and Aaron Paul does his best at being moody and distant, Juliette Lewis is underused and the overall net result is a well-meaning, but ultimately flat drama.