'Retaliation' Trailer: A Vengeful Orlando Bloom Has A Cross To Bear

Orlando Bloom has a cross to bear and revenge to carry out in the new thriller Retaliation, which sees the former matinee idol take on a much darker and bloodier role than he has in the past. Bloom stars in the thriller as a demolitionist named Malky, who finds himself face to face with the man he holds responsible for a childhood trauma. Watch the Retaliation trailer below.

Saban Films has released a poster and trailer for the upcoming thriller Retaliation, which sees Orlando Bloom playing against type as a demolitionist named Malky who is on the path of vengeance. Covered in tattoos and wearing a grim look on his face, Bloom plays a man who enters a bar and encounters the man responsible for his trauma, and subsequently seeks revenge against him. But Retaliation adds another darker layer to the classic revenge thriller, loading the trailer with religious imagery and references to the church that Malky used to attend. The film appears to deal with sexual abuse within the church, which the trailer references during Malky's confession to a priest.

"Forgive me, Father, for I have sinned," Bloom's Malky says during confession. "I have to hurt someone. I have to hurt someone severely."

"What are you here for?" the priest asks.

"Revenge," Malky replies.

It seems like a dramatically different role for Bloom, who has recently been starring in the Amazon series Carnival Row opposite Cara Delevingne, and one that the trailer heaps tons of praise on, quoting reviews that call his performance "sublime" and "on the level of giants." Bloom has starred in serious action films before, but usually in the role of the noble hero and rarely one quite as jagged as this character in Retaliation appears to be. But it wasn't Bloom, but his co-star Anne Reid who won an award for her performance in this movie at the 2017 Edinburgh Film Festival, where directors Ludwig and Paul Shammasian premiered the film.

Here is the synopsis for Retaliation:

Orlando Bloom stars as Malky, a demolition worker whose life receives a seismic shock when, out drinking with friends at a local pub, he sees a disturbing figure from his past: the man he holds responsible for a traumatic childhood incident. Fueled by anger, Malky sets out on a path of vengeance—and discovers that no one can escape the consequences of their sins in this taut thriller.

Retaliation will be available digitally and on demand on July 24, 2020.