What do you get when you cross a grisly revenge thriller, the producer of Mötley Crüe’s The Dirt, performances from members of Five Finger Death Punch and a theme song written by Nikki Sixx featuring a host of hard rock royalty? You get The Retaliators: the ultimate heavy metal gorefest. Ideal for fans of everything from hardcore to The HU, the must-see movie is finally hitting theatres for a limited run on September 14, following a lauded tour of film festivals in 2021.
The Retaliators’ thrill-a-minute narrative tells the story of a moralistic priest, who endures the ultimate heartbreak when his daughter is brutally murdered. However, he gets his chance at healing when her killer is presented to him on a silver platter, and he can extract whatever kind of revenge he wants. What follows is a test of ethics that pushes a once-upstanding pillar of his community into a horrifying world of murder, bloody fights and impossible choices.
Sounds metal as fuck, right? Well, it’s not just the story that’s got serious appeal for heavy music fans. All of your favourite musicians show up on screen, alongside stars Marc Menchaca (Ozark), Michael Lombardi (Rescue Me) and Joseph Gatt (Game Of Thrones). Ivan Moody, Chris Kael and Zoltan Bathory of Five Finger Death Punch all appear together as a bloodthirsty gang, while Tommy Lee, Bad Wolves, Papa Roach, Escape The Fate, The HU and Ice Nine Kills get cameos.
All of these bands also contribute to The Retaliators’ gigantic 270-song soundtrack. The smorgasbord of hard rock and heavy metal hits features Asking Alexandria, In Flames, Tempt and Nothing More as well, guaranteeing a roster that every kind of heavy metal fan will find something to adore. It’s available for you to preorder right now.
The rock ’n’ roll pedigree extends behind the scenes, too. The Retaliators is directed by Bridget Smith – who helmed the music video for The HU’s viral hit Wolf Totem, which currently has a staggering 75 million views – and the suspense-filled score is by Kyle Stein and Michael Dixon of Stranger Things and Papa Roach collaborator Samuel Gonzalez Jr. Its co-producer, Allen Kovac, also produced Netflix’s hit Mötley Crüe biopic The Dirt.
The Retaliators made its worldwide premiere last August, at the Arrow Video FrightFest event held in London. Then, two months later, it made its United States red-carpet debut at Screamfest in Los Angeles, California. Rave reviews instantly followed, with the film currently having an enviable 100% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes. Dread Central called it “a viscerally entertaining film that makes us wonder how far we will truly go to protect what’s ours”, and ScreenAnarchy wants you to expect “a bombastic and bloody explosion of violence”.
After that flawless festival run, The Retaliators is getting its own theatrical run, starting on 14th September. Tickets are currently on pre-sale. Screenings will be extremely limited and the film will never return to cinemas, so you do not want to miss out on this blood-soaked, adrenaline-pumping, one-and-done opportunity.
The Retaliators has a limited theatrical release on 14th September. Get pre-sale tickets and preorder the soundtrack now at www.retaliatorsmovie.com.
