Tymon Sutton The acting is good, and the firecracker script has some excellent ideas.

Zandra The movie turns out to be a little better than the average. Starting from a romantic formula often seen in the cinema, it ends in the most predictable (and somewhat bland) way.

Sarita Rafferty There are moments that feel comical, some horrific, and some downright inspiring but the tonal shifts hardly matter as the end results come to a film that's perfect for this time.

Dana An old-fashioned movie made with new-fashioned finesse.

Shannon Lush 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.

niutta-enrico 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

Red_Identity I sort of wanted this to be a lot better. It's definitely not a bad film, but it did test my patience together with the fact that it's not really doing anything all that original. Comparisons to 12 Years A Slave are bound to come up, and while the general setting is the same in terms of atmosphere (of course) it's really not the same film at all. The acting here is really good, even if so many of the characters come off as caricatures. Yeah, after the reviews I just wanted this to be better, but as it is, it's not bad. I think it's good, if just that, but the cinematography is really good for an indie and the overall production is too. The script has problems, but that's not entirely surprising.

xemiya I was initially hesitant to see this movie at first because I mistakenly figured this would be just another movie with the main focus on just the horrors of slavery , but I am glad I did. It does depict some of the aspects of slavery in America, but it also focuses on another aspect that was never or seldom covered in other movies. The interactions between the main characters; especially between Nate and Will, and their journey are what really make this film. It does have a couple of weaknesses in the story, but overall it is worth seeing.After the movie, we were treated to a Q & A session with Mr. Tishuan Scott, who plays Nate in the movie, which added more to understanding some of the background in the making of the movie.