Liam Neeson is back with another one of his lean and easy to digest action-thrillers. This one is called “Retribution” and like most it features a very straightforward story with a few late movie twists thrown in to give it a kick. These modestly budgeted creations have become a Neeson staple. You could almost designate them as a genre all their own and they usually find themselves a pretty accepting audience.

“Retribution” won’t go down as one of the better ones but it does hold your attention for its brisk 90 minutes. It’s based on the 2015 Spanish film “El Desconocido” and is adapted by director Nimród Antal and screenwriter Christopher Salmanpour. Unlike the more physically demanding movies in Neeson’s action-thriller catalog, “Retribution” doesn’t ask much of its 71-year-old star. The vast majority of his time is spent behind the wheel of a car. But there’s actually some good tension. Just not not enough of it to cover the more noticeable issues.

Neeson plays Matt Turner, a financier living in Berlin with his wife Heather (Embeth Davidtz) and their two children, Zach (Jack Champion) and Emily (Lilly Aspell). Matt, along with his best friend and boss Anders (Matthew Modine) have made a lot of money managing hedge funds. But they’ve hit a bit of a skid lately and Anders has Matt working overtime to persuade investors to stay onboard.

Meanwhile at home, Matt’s preoccupation with work has made him a neglectful husband and father. He’s impervious to how it’s impacting his marriage and his lack of investment has hurt his relationship with his kids, especially the rebellious Zach. In an effort to help out (more out of obligation than conviction), Matt agrees to drive the kids to school. Boy did he pick a bad day to try to be a father!

While driving along in his classy black Mercedes SUV, Matt and the kids hear a strange ringtone from a phone they track to the vehicle’s console. The distorted voice on the other end warns him of a bomb under his seat that is pressure activated. If he attempts to get out of the car the bomb will detonate. Suddenly he finds himself at the mercy of a mad bomber who seems driven by his or her own mysterious motivations.

As expected the hazy picture quickly comes into focus, especially after revelations arise of slush funds, emergency collateral, and off-shore accounts. There also seems to be an attempt made to show Matt reconciling with his children and finally being the father he’s supposed to be as things unfold. Unfortunately the movie clumsily tips its hand and the ‘big twist’ turns out to be both predictable and silly.

As for the family stuff, it turns out to be woefully underserved and never feels organic. Even worse is the inclusion of an upright police detective admirably played by Noma Dumezweni. She tries to be as convincing as possible, but the material paints her (and the police in general) as strikingly inept and laughably slow at getting anything done. It’s a thankless task for Dumezweni.

Neeson has a knack for making even the most middling of these action-thrillers at least somewhat entertaining. He does it again with “Retribution”, a movie with too many unmissable flaws to qualify as good, but with just enough of that tried-and-true Neeson formula to keep you involved. At least for one viewing. “Retribution” opens in theaters tomorrow (August 24th).

VERDICT – 2.5 STARS