The Retrieval (2014)

Expected more

Best movie ever!

A lot of fun.

I enjoyed watching this film and would recommend other to give it a try , (as I am) but this movie, although enjoyable to watch due to the better than average acting fails to add anything new to its storyline that is all too familiar to these types of movies.

This film is magnificent, it's on par with a studio film as far as the technical aspects. It's lit flawlessly, it's shot beautifully and the score is powerful. The wardrobe, props, hair and make up are all on point. It really brings you back to the civil war period. Now to the story, although intense, this is not an action film. What I mean by that is you have to be patient and let the story unfold and you will absolutely be rewarded. It's raw and dirty in a great way and it will pull at your emotions. The characters are fleshed out brilliantly, the writing is stellar all the way through. Now to the highlight of this film, the cast. I'm very familiar with Bill Oberst Jr. and I was once again pleased with what I saw. There is a certain genuine rawness to his performance and his turn in this film was no different. The entire cast is simply brilliant! I look forward to checking out what they do next. Under the guidance of writer/director Chris Eska, this journey cannot help but suck you in. Eska is someone definitely worth following. Bravo to the producers, keep your bar high.

The American Civil War remains one of the most profoundly monumental events in world history. Over 200 years after the first cannon shot rang out in Fort Sumter, signaling the start of hostilities, the scars remain in the collective psyches of Americans from sea to shining sea. For many Southern-born Americans, the Civil War had its origins in Northern aggression; the oppressive federal government appeared to actively be engaging in tactics meant to usurp and undermine Southern culture and their right to self-govern. To Northern-born Americans, the issue was and remains quite simply black and white; the Southern states were slave-trading and benefited from an economy formed by evil and racist means. Morally, this could not be allowed any longer. While the guns have fallen silent and the Civil War debates are definitely more civil than war now, the four year struggle for control of the fate of an entire nation has produced outstanding books, award winning documentaries, and a handful of fine films set in this most turbulent of times. 'The Retrieval' is both an outstanding film set in the American Civil War, as well as a further example, if one were still needed, of the maturation of the acting skills of Bill Oberst. Jr. My first exposure to Bill Oberst Jr. as an actor was his starring role as Abraham Lincoln in 'Abraham Lincoln Versus Zombies', a rare 'mockbuster' genre entry that surpasses the quality of the bigger-budget film it was made to chase the success of; in that instance, the morose and direction-less 'Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter'. I was struck by the seriousness by which Oberst chose to portray Lincoln; unlike the over-the-top, cartoon superhero found in 'Vampire Hunter', the Abe Lincoln in 'Zombies' was a sombre leader of men who soberly assessed the unnatural threat that has literally arose around him. Even while dispatching zombie hordes with a scythe, Oberst's artistic choices to stay true to the dignity and poise that Lincoln embodied as an historical character of great import rose 'Zombies' above the dubious quality of other mockbuster fare. Here was an actor who displayed gravitas towards a film role when he didn't have to; here was an actor who brought 'Honest Abe' to life by being honest to him. Oberst's earnest delivery of the Emancipation Proclamation at the film's conclusion was the final deciding factor; I was a Bill Oberst Jr. fan, because here was an actor's actor who would do his utmost to respect the characters he portrayed. In his film and TV career, Oberst has continued to approach characters, many of whom have been irredeemable, evil characters, honestly. He doesn't try to sugar-coat them, he doesn't try to get the audience on his side by blunting or downplaying what these people are and what they are capable of. As a fan, I of course sought out other films in which he appeared, and was delighted to discover that, more often than not, his performances would invariably be the highlight of many films he appeared in. In the case of 'The Retrieval', a film in which as a fan I am permitted to come full circle upon, having been so impressed with his previous Civil War-era work, he benefits from a stellar cast around him. Given the opportunity to work with others of his acting caliber, armed with a strong script, an engaged director, and isolated outdoor locations that give a much broader sweep of area for him to work, Oberst delivers another strong performance. The character in which Oberst portrays, the bounty hunter Burrel, is definitely the 'heavy' of the piece. He frames the film, appearing both in the opening minutes as well as the last, and his presence informs the work throughout. He is inarguably the most important character, by virtue of the simple fact that every decision taken by every other character is as a result of his words and deeds. Will, an orphaned slave whose only remaining familial connection is an opportunistic collaborator of an uncle, is both forced into a life of turning members of his own race in to Burrel as well as subsisting on the scraps of financial rewards for doing so. His story is thus one of being sold out himself; as a white slave profiteer Burrel is at least honest about what he does, while Uncle Marcus fools himself and attempts to convince Will that what they do is a temporary measure in order to gain the necessary resources to escape. T he moral complexity of 'The Retrieval' makes for fascinating viewing, buoyed by strong performances throughout. Given such meaty material to work with, the cast in general and Bill Oberst Jr in particular are afforded the opportunity to delve deep into their characters. Ashton Saunders as Will reveals an acting depth far above his youth, as he makes fine use of facial expressions and simple but meaningful glances to convey the character's confusion and sadness the adult burdens fostered upon him by his circumstances. Tishuan Scott is wonderful, lending weight to a character that becomes a father figure to Will, as well as a counter-point to Keston John's Marcus, providing a moral guidepost for Will to follow. He brings a deep sense of dignity to the part, conveying a man beaten down by life yet still capable of providing kindness to a young boy trapped in the moral hell of the American Civil War.

It's a good film whose screenplay probably deserves a 9. While watching, however, I had the impression of a TV movie: unknown actors, poor locations, a non-original story… movie's magic, in other words, didn't work for me.Dialogues are really good and acting is utterly convincing: Bill Oberst Jr in particular plays a perfect bad guy. But I never really believed the story or truly cared for characters' fate.I read that Chris Eska both wrote and directed the movie (and even did the editing) and I can imagine how hard he worked on this production. Thus I feel quite guilty while writing these lines. Fortunately enough, my opinion is less than worthless and the chances that someone will read me lines (or agree with me) are less than for a camel (or a rope) to go through an average needle's eye

I saw this film at the Ghent (Belgium) film festival 2013, where it was part of the section American Independent. You may wrongly assume this is Django Unchained II, given the key words in the synopsis, but it is something completely different. Its main topic is not about slavery nor its embedded violence. Of course, the environment is unmistakeably derived from the end of the US Civil War, and bounty hunters looking for escaped slaves are present in a prominent role too. Nevertheless, the civil war is not the main issue in this film, but rather the unsettling circumstances and the chaos resulting from it, in which process everyone has to make difficult decisions.The whole film kept my attention throughout the full 94 minutes running time. It perfectly showed dilemma's that are prevalent in times of war, like who to follow and who to trust. Not the ending you'd expect, however, which is a surprise until the last 5 minutes.All in all, I cannot say I enjoyed this movie, as "enjoy" would be not the appropriate word for the subject at hand. But casting and acting are spotless, and developments are evenly paced over the time, among which a few you did not expect. I certainly felt drawn into the story along with the main characters, neither of them completely good or bad, just trying to cope with the sorry circumstances. This film ranked 11th for the audience award, score 4.28 out of 5.There was a Q&A after the screening with director, editor and writer Chris Eska, Below paragraphs are not a review, but only reflect some notes I scribbled down during this Q&A.Given the uncommon combination of functions, the very first question was how it is to be a director and an editor in one person. His reply sounded logical, since editing is actually where the final film is made. He admitted that it is not easy to cut away good footage. It still is a very difficult process, but marketing pressure dictates rules for the optimal feature film length.About the writing process: It was not exactly clear from the outset that the US Civil War would become the main subject. Still on the lookout for power structures as a central theme, like in his previous films, and given the 150 years anniversary of the civil war, the chosen subject seems a natural choice only in hindsight. The additional element of black people being used to catch other blacks, just emphasizes the power structure theme, power hierarchies never being simplistic and straightforward.About casting, especially the amazing young boy, 14 years old at the time, and his first time on screen. Looking for a suitable boy, he went to many schools 200 miles around to finally have him. Subsequently he found out what type of character the boy wanted to be. Everything he needed to play such roles, was taught him on the set. It is a delicate process since you cannot easily unlearn things.About the obvious realism in this film, the reply was that he attempted to make a more mainstream film. Maybe the art-house variety, but still making a move in the mainstream direction, where it is most important to grab the audience. At all cost, he avoids to be constrained by a genre, like coming of age.About filming locations: All parts of this film are shot in places that are somewhat symbolic, in the direct neighborhood of the last hold of the confederacy. It proved difficult to find natural spaces, without obvious symbols of modern times, like noises of airplanes or automobiles, or electricity poles and street lights.