Retreat

Woah! Billy Elliott grew up handsomely, didn't he?

In this, Jamie Bell is army private Jack that ends up on an island in rather rough seas (off the British coast). He is all bloody and unconcious when a married couple finds him and takes him in.

The wife, Kate, has recently had a miscarriage and she and her husband Martin are staying at the island to work through their marriage troubles, brought on not only by the loss of the child but also by the fact that Martin apparently didn't want it in the first place because he didn't feel ready for it.

As if the situation weren't bad enough, Jack tells them a horrific tale of a virus outbreak that affected, and virtually wiped out the population on the main land. He makes them board up all windows and doors to stay as safe from the airborne virus as possible. Kate and Martin are never quite sure about whether to believe Jack's story or not.

So we have a grieving couple locked inside a house on a remote island with a total stranger (armed, no less). So far so average.

What pulls Retreat onto an above-average level is undoubtedly that it features three of the finest British actors of their generation. You have Thandie Newton as Kate, Cillian Murphy as Martin and the aforementioned Jamie Bell as Jack. The latter has the most interesting role of the trio and is consequently the most impressive one to watch.

The film itself is ok, with some nasty splattering of blood (the disease makes you practically cough out your lungs if you've contracted it) and a couple of nice twists towards the end.

Not bad at all, despite its mediocre critical reaction.

5/10