A "tense" forgotten Cillian Murphy thriller has been added to Netflix today
Retreat, released in 2011, was the directorial debut of Carl Tibbetts starring Cillian Murphy, Jamie Bell, and Thandiwe Newton.
The tense psychological thriller tells the story of architect Martin Kennedy (Murphy) and his journalist wife Kate (Newton), whose relationship has become fraught after suffering a devastating miscarriage.
In a bid to reconnect, they visit Blackholme Island off the coast of Scotland owned by Doug (Jimmy Yuill) which is only accessible by ferry. Soon after arriving, a man named Jack (Bell) washes ashore and claims a deadly airborne disease is sweeping through Europe.
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Following its premiere at Fantasia Film Festival, Retreat received a limited release in the UK and US before falling largely under the radar – until now, finding a home on Netflix from today.
It holds a 62% rating from critics on Rotten Tomatoes and a 40% score from audiences on the Popcornmeter.
In its review, The Guardian called it a "neat, tense thriller from a first-time director that provides a decent role for Jamie Bell".
Total Film said: "Tense if rather monotonously bleak, it's a shame Jason Isaacs and David Tennant didn't co-star as originally planned."
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London Evening Standard added: "A well-shot and directed telling of a claustrophobic tale which turns from thriller to horror story by the end. Only if you can't suspend your disbelief will it fail to keep you watching."
Speaking to HeyUGuys, 28 Days Later star Murphy opened up on what attracted him to the film: "Actors love these claustrophobic dramas because they're very psychological, very character-driven.
"Retreat is all about the dynamic between the three characters, which is very appealing to any actor."
Retreat is available to stream now on Netflix. at sky.com at Pandora at at amazon.co.uk at at amazon.co.uk at digitalspy.com at amazon.co.uk at amazon.co.uk at Apple at digitalspy.com at disneyplus.com at amazon.co.uk at amazon.co.uk
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Fox News
31 minutes ago
- Fox News
Unearthed ‘Son of Sam' prison tapes reveal chilling details about serial killer David Berkowitz
Joe Berlinger wanted to understand how one man who seemingly came from a loving home went on to terrorize New York City. The Oscar-nominated director has launched a new true-crime docuseries on Netflix, "Conversations with a Killer: The Son of Sam Tapes." It features newly unearthed audio interviews between David Berkowitz and crime reporter Jack Jones, which took place in 1980 at Attica Correctional Facility. The three-part series also highlights a phone conversation Berlinger had with Berkowitz, 72, who is serving multiple life sentences for his murders. "David Berkowitz is very different from other serial killers," the filmmaker told Fox News Digital. "He wanted no human contact. He didn't want to know his victims. There's an anecdote about a snowstorm when he had a gun in his pocket. He came upon some people stuck in the snow, and he decided he'd rather be a hero than a killer, because he had a human interaction with those people. He is more about rage and alienation and having to express that rage." "I liken him to the school shooters of today rather than the sexual sadistic killer that most of these other serial killers are," Berlinger shared. "Serial killers, particularly Ted Bundy, John Wayne Gacy and Jeffrey Dahmer, needed to be intimate with their victims. Bundy and Gacy, in particular, got sexual gratification out of killing somebody and watching them die in their hands. Dahmer took that intimacy to the next level by consuming body parts. . . . But with Berkowitz, he needed to satisfy his rage." In the mid-1970s, Berkowitz, a postal employee, plunged the city into fear with a series of shootings using a .44-caliber revolver that killed six people and wounded seven. He appeared to target young women with long brown hair and couples canoodling in a lover's lane. The New York Police Department formed a 200-person task force to hunt down the killer, The Associated Press reported. Frightened women began cutting their hair short and dyeing it blonde, while many others rushed home before nightfall. He went on to send taunting letters to the police and the press, where he called himself the "Son of Sam" and claimed that a demonic-obsessed dog belonging to his neighbor had ordered him to kill. Berkowitz's reign of terror came to an end when he was arrested on Aug. 10, 1977. According to Berlinger, more newspapers were sold for the "Son of Sam" being caught than for the assassination of President John F. Kennedy. Berlinger said he wanted the film to also address rumors about the slayings that have persisted for decades. "There's still this belief that there were multiple Sons of Sams," Berlinger explained. "There's this conspiracy theory that there were multiple shooters, and they all belonged to a satanic cult. . . . It's preposterous. . . . It just further spurred me on to want to tell a clear-eyed, factual story about what happened. 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And when he did during their phone conversation, there was one comment that Berlinger said took him aback. "It wasn't his final comment in the interview, but it's the final comment in the show," said Berlinger. "His chilling admonition to the younger David Berkowitz to just run and get help, meaning run from that horrible decision to get a gun and kill people randomly. I felt it was just so chilling, because it could have been so different for him." "The deeply sick, psychological disturbances of these other killers who liked looking into the eyes of their victims as they were expiring or eating body parts … it exists, but I don't think it's common," Berlinger continued. "But I do think youthful young men feeling disconnected, feeling rage, feeling unfulfilled - that's not uncommon in our society right now. I found that comment so chilling because it could have been so different had he just gotten help. 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According to the outlet, New York State was the first to adopt a nationwide series of laws that take the proceeds a criminal earns from selling their story and instead gives them to a victims' compensation fund. It's unclear whether Berkowitz is sincere about being remorseful, but his message to his younger self has stayed with Berlinger. "When I asked him, 'If you could speak to the young David, what would you tell him? ' he said, 'Run, get help. I could have talked to my father,'" Berlinger recalled. "That touched me deeply," he said. "… If you're feeling rage or disconnection, and you're concerned about this level of rage that you live with every day, get help."
Gizmodo
34 minutes ago
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Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Stranger Things season 5: everything we know so far about the hit Netflix show's final entry (release date, trailer, cast, plot, and more)
When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission. Stranger Things season 5: key information - Will be the main show's final entry- Launching in three parts- First volume arrives in late November- Volumes 2 and 3 arrive in December 2025 and January 2026- First trailer released in mid-July- Core cast set to return- Major characters could die- Episode titles revealed in November 2024- Will answer big questions about the Upside Down- Animated spin-off's title revealed in June Stranger Things season 5 is still four months away (at the time of this article's latest update) from being released. Despite having to wait so long for the incredibly popular Netflix show's final entry, though, we've finally been given a trailer to pore over as we count down the weeks to its November 26/27 release on the world's best streaming service. You'll need to read this guide's trailer section to learn more about it, though. 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Stranger Things season 5 cast: confirmed and rumored Major spoilers follow for Stranger Things season 4. Here's the confirmed cast for Stranger Things season 5 as of July 2025: Winona Ryder as Joyce Byers David Harbour as Jim Hopper Millie Bobby Brown as Eleven Finn Wolfhard as Mike Wheeler Gaten Matarazzo as Dustin Henderson Caleb McLaughlin as Lucas Sinclair Noah Schnapp as Will Byers Sadie Sink as Max Mayfield Natalie Dyer as Nancy Wheeler Charlie Heaton as Jonathan Byers Joe Keery as Steve Harrington Maya Hawke as Robin Buckley Priah Ferguson as Erica Sinclair Brett Gelman as Murray Bauman Jamie Campbell-Bower as Vecna Cara Buono as Karen Wheeler Amybeth McNulty as Vickie Nell Fisher as Holly Wheeler Jake Connelly as Derek Turnbow Alex Breaux as Lieutenant Akers Linda Hamilton as Doctor Kay Established cast members notwithstanding, the biggest news is that Terminator star Linda Hamilton has joined the Stranger Things 5 ranks. She'll play a gun-toting scientist called Doctor Kay. 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We have no idea how it'll end, but Matarazzo told NME that fans can prepare to see a "satisfying" and "cathartic" final chapter, while Wolfhard told that he was "satisfied... confused... and sad" about it. David Harbour also told THR that the series' final episode is "the best episode they [the Duffers] have done" before teasing how tear-jerking it is. Have a box of tissues at the ready, everyone! The future of Stranger Things Season 5 of Stranger Things is the end of the mainline show, but there are other projects in the works at Upside Down Pictures, aka the Duffers' production company. The first of those – a stage play that's titled Stranger Things: The First Shadow – is set in 1959 and tells the tale of the Creel Family's arrival in Hawkins. It also shows us Jim Hopper, Henry Creel, and other notable characters in their teens. It's currently playing on Broadway, but it's a prequel that might mean Stranger Things season 5 hits the big Marvel and Star Wars problem. 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