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One of my all time favorites.

Just perfect...

There are moments in this movie where the great movie it could've been peek out... They're fleeting, here, but they're worth savoring, and they happen often enough to make it worth your while.

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.

This film is magnificent, it's on par with a studio film as far as the technical aspects. It's lit flawlessly, it's shot beautifully and the score is powerful. The wardrobe, props, hair and make up are all on point. It really brings you back to the civil war period. Now to the story, although intense, this is not an action film. What I mean by that is you have to be patient and let the story unfold and you will absolutely be rewarded. It's raw and dirty in a great way and it will pull at your emotions. The characters are fleshed out brilliantly, the writing is stellar all the way through. Now to the highlight of this film, the cast. I'm very familiar with Bill Oberst Jr. and I was once again pleased with what I saw. There is a certain genuine rawness to his performance and his turn in this film was no different. The entire cast is simply brilliant! I look forward to checking out what they do next. Under the guidance of writer/director Chris Eska, this journey cannot help but suck you in. Eska is someone definitely worth following. Bravo to the producers, keep your bar high.

It's 1864. Burrell is the harsh leader of a gang of bounty hunters tracking down runaway slaves. Will is a 13-year-old negro who is used as bait and spy to uncover the underground railroad. He relies on his uncle Marcus who is Burrell's slave. Burrell is looking for Nate who is digging graves for the Federals near Petersburg. Marcus and Will set off across the lines and trick Nate by telling him that his brother is dying. He agrees reluctantly to join them back across the lines but he doesn't really trust the two strangers.This starts with a compelling, murky, complicated relationship between Burrell, Marcus and Will. I would have loved to stay with the three of them together. The road trip offers some interesting complications of its own. However, it's not as great as the opening fifteen minutes. Nevertheless, it's an unusual compelling journey.

The rich, complex themes in this film gave me a heaping, helping of food for thought. I left the film with greater compassion for the hard lives some of us are born into. Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation was issued in 1863. It hasn't been long since our fellow Americans lived as slaves. We, their recent descendants, have a long way to go to fully appreciate this history. This is the kind of story that moves us forward.In the film, the will to survive fights with the powers of love and goodness. In less dramatic ways, these are our daily conflicts. I was deeply moved by the film's complex ending. I will be thinking about it for a long while. The actors are completely believable. The main characters were neither heroes nor villains. They were complicated, like us. It's one of the best films I've ever seen.

This has to be the most beautiful movie I've seen in a long time. It's pitch perfect in almost every way.I saw this film at the 13th Phoenix Film Festival, where it received much deserved awards for directing and the ensemble acting, as well as being voted the audience favorite.D'JANGO UNCHAINED was about slavery, its brutality, the violence, the humiliation, and the nightmare. THE RETRIEVAL addresses slavery and allows it to be a thread to its story by neither shying away from it nor allowing it to overwhelm the narrative. It's about the bond between two characters and the sacrifices they make.Every character is rich and real. There's humor, tragedy, a riveting story and beautiful cinematography. This film deserves to be seen, and everyone connected to it deserves an opportunity to continue their work.