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I had pretty high expectations for Retreat because:

 A. I'm a big fan of both Thandie Newton and Cillian Murphy.

and...

B. I like thrillers in general, and it's been a while since I've seen a good one.

And does it live up to those expectations? Not particularly. It's certainly a tense movie, with a menacing stranger showing up at the remote island vacation cottage of a couple, bringing with him frightening tales of a global pandemic. They mustn't leave and they must seal themselves away inside the cottage to avoid the certain death that outside contact and infection brings... according to him. But, is he telling the truth? Is the threat really the world outside, or the man in their home?

There's a twist or turn near the end that keeps Retreat from being strictly as predictable as my description might have lead you to believe, but whether that makes the story any better is up for debate. Personally, I found it to be somewhat underwhelming once it was all revealed. 

Retreat does keep you guessing about what to believe, to a certain extent, but I can't say that I "enjoyed" watching the movie. The characters are all flaws and bad decisions, with no real reason to invest in them and hope they survive whatever threat, be it viral or human, that may endanger them. 

The acting is nothing special,  thanks to a pretty pedestrian script that lacks any semblance of nuance. The tragedy that brings the couple to the cottage has no real relevance to the story, which makes it nothing more than pointless backstory. Their history is brought up in careful detail, only to never lead anywhere. Murphy's character is written to be such a weak and passive man that it borders on caricature and Newton's has two emotions, unhappy and afraid (though she still manages to be absolutely beautiful). Jamie Bell goes overboard on the menace and danger, when some ambiguity would have served both the character and story much better. 

This was definitely a flawed experience for me. I didn't dislike the movie, and as I said, it can be quite tense at times, but it just seemed off in several ways. The word "underwhelming" comes to mind.

As a debut writer/director, Carl Tibbetts' "Retreat" is a well made psychological thriller with steady increase in pacing that generates an atmosphere going from brooding to disturbing. Only accessible by ferry, the story unfolds on a little island off the coast of Scotland where a married but childless couple rents a rustic cottage. Soon after their arrival on the island, it is evident that Kate and Martin have seen happier times. A journalist, Kate is withdrawn but reveals through her writing that a previous miscarriage has caused a rift in their relationship. In an effort to rekindle their marriage, Martin tries to put the past behind, hoping happy memories of their previous stay on the island will seal their marital wounds once and for all. But as it seems, things get from bad to worse when their only contact with the mainland – a CB radio – malfunctions, and the cottage's power generator chokes out. Amongst all this, an injured soldier arrives on the island and amplifies their predicament, stating that an air-borne virus is rapidly sweeping across Europe. Claiming the outbreak to be extremely lethal, Jack proceeds to board-up the cottage from the inside, even as it dawns on Kate and Martin that their strange guest is becoming increasingly hostile.

Although widely comparable to the Nicole Kidman-Sam Neill thriller "Dead Calm", Tibbetts' work here is mostly captivating, relying heavily on portrayals from Thandie Newton and Cillian Murphy as the couple, and Jamie Bell as the antagonistic intruder. As such, acting is the pivotal structure steadily holding up the plot build-up. Bell is particularly impressive as an alpha male that goes on to challenge Martin's manhood right before his wife. As soon as Bell's character enters, we know the premise calls for psychological confrontation as two men try to outsmart each other. Add to that a fragile and hurting woman in between, and the stage is set for a tension built battle for survival. Tibbetts' screenplay also affords equal opportunity to Newton and Murphy as they each share moments of power in trying to outsmart Bell's Jack. This is evident that although there is a growing wedge in their relationship, previous problems diminish in size when faced with what they must now do to protect each other and their marriage.

With a good part of the plot carried out within the confines of the cottage, Tibbetts succeeds in holding on to the viewer's attention despite the fact that single locale films can become boring. Besides the aforementioned acting, what works for Tibbetts is the premise – a broken married couple alone on an island, faced with a life threatening situation where they are forced to reconcile their past, or die trying. With all the twists and turns in the second half, Tibbetts gives hope to the audience while simultaneously tightening the noose around Kate and Martin. This alone reduces viewer predictability while also giving the ending a disturbing albeit open-ended finish. Personally, I was hoping for a satisfying ending, but as it seems, Tibbetts may have had other things in mind like connecting the viewer with his characters and then brutally severing that connection; its like saying hope is as useful as a missed opportunity.

All things considered, this movie is a decent attempt for a film maker writing and directing his first movie. For a thriller, plot twisters keep gnawing at the nape of your neck, with some good acting swelling said plot with tense moments. Curiously, the ending may disappoint some viewers, especially those who are optimistic about feel-good endings.

"Retreat" is a three-hander, starring Thandie Newton, Cillian Murphy and Jamie Bell (although there is one other character with a brief speaking part). Kate (Newton) and Martin (Murphy) have gone off to an island retreat to regroup after Kate miscarries; they return to a solitary cottage on a remote island where they had been happy years earlier, thinking it might help their relationship. But Kate is withdrawn and Martin doesn't know what to do, and the whole thing might not have been a very good idea after all. One day, they stumble upon Jack (Bell), an injured military man to whom they are quick to offer shelter. Unfortunately, the generator in the cottage has shorted out, and the CB radio seems not to be working, so when Jack tells them that a fast-moving and lethal air-borne infection has been sweeping the world and the only way to protect themselves from it is to barricade themselves inside the cottage, they have no way of knowing whether he's telling the truth or not. But Jack's decisive (and bullying) behaviour convinces at least Martin that something is going on, and although Kate initially resists and suggests that they just leave the cottage to the "crazy" man, she too is more or less bullied into submission. And it is true that something is going on, but whether they can figure it out in time to save themselves is an open question....

This is writer/director Carl Tibbetts' debut film. I expected it to be a very tense psychological thriller, and to some extent it is, but there are flaws that perhaps a more experienced scriptwriter and director could have smoothed out. Largest among these is the simple fact that if Martin had listened to Kate right after Jack shows up, they wouldn't have gotten into this mess. It's hard to swallow disbelief when some plot points are so, well, silly. This is not to pan the film at all – it's sharp, has some beautiful cinematography (it was filmed in Gwynedd, Wales), and a lot of the twists and turns (especially at the end) are unexpectedly rich. But really the best reason to see this film is for the acting; our three leads are just outstanding, with Thandie Newton's performance serving as the focus that holds the whole film together. Definitely recommended.

I don't understand the bad critics,it is a good movie. I watched it after I read the reviews here and was expecting something worse.I must say I was pleasantly surprised by Retreat. It is a psychological thriller,the acting is very good (Cillian Murphy is a remarkably good actor,but also Jamie Bell and Thandie Newton are a pleasure to watch)and the story kept me guessing until the end. Retreat slightly reminded me of 28 Days Later,but it is a totally different story and captivating in it's own way.I liked the pace and the atmosphere of the film,and I would recommend it to everyone interested in this genre. Retreat definitely deserves better critics and a better rating!

Could have been a 7, instead is a solid 6. The twist is impressive, don't believe it has been done before. The 2nd half is much better than the first, I'm glad I stuck with it.

The journalist Kate (Thandie Newton) and her estranged husband, the architect Martin (Cillian Murphy), rent an isolated house in Fairweather Cottage in the Blackholme Island expecting to rekindle their love and save their marriage after a miscarriage of Kate. The owner, Doug (Jimmy Yuill), brings the couple in his boat and they have only a Citizen Band (CB) radio to communicate with him. Soon they have problem with the generator and Doug helps them, repairing the equipment. When Kate sees a wounded stranger in the island, she calls Martin and they bring him to the house. They note that the man is dressed with military uniform and has a weapon, and Martin hides the gun. The stranger wakes up and tells that he is Private Jack Corman (Jamie Bell) and he is fleeing from a pandemic in the continent. Further, they must isolate the house to protect themselves against the deadly airborne virus. Kate does not buy his story but Martin gives his gun back. Who is Jack? Is he telling the truth?

"Retreat" is a boring and annoying psychological thriller, with a terrible story and unlikable characters. There are many flaws in the plot and stupid reactions and plot points. Thandie Newton's character is irritating and she has histrionic performance. The final plot point with the truth about Jack is kind of absurd. My vote is three.

Title (Brazil): Not Available on DVD or Blu-Ray

Despite the presence of the wonderful Cillian this movie was an absolute disaster. The wife irritated me from the very first scenes and she never got any more sympathetic. The husband was weak & pathetic but I did have some liking for him until he gave the lunatic the gun. There was absolutely no sense in that scene - why would he believe there were people "out there" when he hadn't seen any? And even if he believed it, why give the crazy dude the gun? Why not just keep it yourself? And on that subject, why did the crazy guy keep giving the axe to the husband if he was supposed to be the macho army bloke surely HE'D want the axe and be the one doing the main defending.

Things went from bad to worse when we were stuck with long sessions of people talking about themselves and relationship woes while nothing else happened and boredom set in with a vengeance. There was almost no action or suspense or anything interesting happening in this movie at all, at any point.

Very disappointing. There really isn't anything to recommend this movie for, not even Cillian, unless you're the kind of person who just likes to watch a whole film about people being tense and whiney with each other while one of them messes with the other two people's heads.

"Retreat" started out as a tight, minimalistic indie thriller, maintained the well written characters, and then added in some intriguing mind games played out beneath the surface. And then it devolved into a blood-fest of science fiction diseases and government conspiracies. I was riveted for the first hour and twenty minutes and then sat agape in frustration for the last ten minutes.

Martin (Cillian Murphy) and Kate (Thandie Newton) are a married couple seeking an isolated retreat. A log house on a remote island which they have been to before but not since their marriage has deteriorated. Kate thinks it is irreparable; Martin thinks he just has to apologize one more time and everything will be perfect. Then an injured soldier arrives at their door and they proceed to take him in.

Before they know it, he has locked them inside the house. Not to kill them, but to save them, or so he says. We're pretty sure he's crazy, husband and wife are pretty sure he's crazy, until sleep-deprived Martin starts falling to his insane argument. Something about there being a disease outside and if you breathe the air around an infected person, you die. Well, you cough up blood and then you die. As I said, we're pretty sure he's crazy, and this is just the type of thing that crazy people say.

The fascinating parts of this film involve the soldier convincing Martin and Kate that the threats are real, Martin seeming to believe him, Kate getting angry, and then Martin just wanting to take care of his wife and save their marriage. The majority of this takes place inside the house with only three characters. Let the mind games begin as each character tries to figure out what they want, how to get it, how to do it alone or with somebody else.

When we approached the end, I was playing along with their game, trying to predict each twist and turn that would take us to the satisfying conclusion. I did not guess correctly as I was not predicting the many twists that each character would take with their final, almost final, maybe final, and then their final final dying breath. If that sounds ridiculous, wait until you hear what was really going on. The ending would suggest that "Retreat" was one of those stupid horror movies built for blood and laughs. This is extremely disappointing because the rest of the movie suggested that it was one of the best indie thrillers around.

I'm excited to see Cillian Murphy as one of the cast but boy his character is so weak, unwise and annoying in this one.. Thandie Newton as the wife is also a very unlikeable character.. The silly decisions made by the characters just to keep the plot going is so irritating.. What a waste of good casts and what could've been a good movie.

An above average virus movie, very enjoyable. I am not sure why some people that appear to not enjoy horror or virus/plague movies insist on watching them then complain when they do not like it. That would be like me eating my least favorite food then complaining how the meal sucked. It makes no sense, this movie was great for those that enjoy this type of movie. The acting was good and it keeps you guessing to the very end.

Worth your time to watch. Good acting, very nice location and good plot.

Give it a shot, it is worth it.

One might think this movie was inspired by the Covid-19 pandemic, until they notice it was made in 2011. Married couple Kate and Martin find themselves stranded on their island retreat with a man claiming a deadly virus is spreading across the world. Is he telling the truth? That's the mystery presented by this movie. Kate and Martin must decide whether to listen and bunker down with this stranger or try to leave and risk the dangers of a possible pandemic. The frustration with this movie is how dumb Kate and Martin are. They can't seem to do anything right. Is this bad news bearing stranger a dangerous liar? Or is he a survivor trying to get some cooperation out of this helpless couple? Needing the answers to these questions kept me engaged until the end.

Residing on a remote island for peace and quiet, a couple are interrupted by a stranger who claims that a virus has been unleashed. He attempts to convince the couple to barricade themselves in, but with this comes a struggle for power and control. Is the stranger telling the truth? Obviously that question is the purpose of the film, and it is explored thoroughly. Paranoia is an easy trait to use in psychological thrillers, we've seen it multiple times. Retreat is no different, but the scale feels far more personal and thus results in a more affecting story. You feel emotionally invested with the couple who clearly have no choice but to believe the stranger to prevent themselves getting harmed. But aside from that, they are also going through their own personal troubles which assists in making them more relatable. The first act sets this up excellently, watching a couple struggle to find what they once had together. Acting was solid from Cillian Murphy and Thandie Newton, however I do not believe there was much chemistry between them. They didn't really suit each other. Jamie Bell playing the elusive stranger was excellent. Both menacing and mysterious. What are his true motives? The drama and suspense was well crafted and it certainly is enjoyable to watch. The ending...well, it happens. I personally did not like it, but it's an ending atleast. The production occasionally feels like a British TV show. By that, I mean the direction feels rather simple and clinical. Nothing outstanding or memorable. It's like watching Broadchurch or Happy Valley (literally the first two shows that come to mind). The location of a remote island was a clever choice for enhancing the feeling of being trapped and lonely. So whilst Retreat is absolutely fine to watch and does contain some thrilling performances, it's just underwhelming and feels all too familiar. But Cillian Murphy...the guy is underrated!

I wanted to give this a 7 by the end but the painfully melodramatic scene preceding it stayed my hand and all the little yawn moments along the way, paired with what I understand as plot holes to sustain suspense, helped concrete my decision. Acting wise everything is on par, I love Cillian Murphy and enjoy seeing Jamie Bell is a more assertive role than usual. Still, some scenes were a pain go get through but I'd be lying of I said I wasn't in suspense. So the writing and story were pretty solid but much of the execution felt a bit off. Would recommend for a free rental/stream.

I went into this film with no expectations as I'd never heard of it before. It was a random rental (it was between this and Shark Night!) but had a strong cast so gave me a bit of hope it might be decent.

Firstly... if the idea of three people alone in a house together for an entire film sounds dull then this one is not for you.

I have to say I was pleasantly surprised with this film and enjoyed it more as it went on. Thandie Newton was very annoying early on in the film and Cillian Murphy wasn't far behind her. The characters also made some stupid decisions which is always annoying. But having watched it though it was actually a well acted and clever little thriller.

One thing I liked about the film was that it keeps you guessing throughout... is he lying? is there a virus? should they trust him? The audience was in the same position as the characters not really knowing what was going on outside the door. And the conclusion was satisfying without leaving questions hanging.

Not massively exciting, but all round a pretty decent film.

The couple deserves to die.

Nan one of their decisions is good.

It's 90 minutes of pure disappointment. Every decision they make is worse than the last.

The end makes sense, though.

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!

Tons of twists and turns. Incredible acting. Great script with only 3 actors and a simple set. This is how low budget is done right.