''The Reckoning'' is an Australian crime thriller feature film written and directed by

John V. Soto John V. Soto is an Australian film director. Soto won Best Director for his film ''The Reckoning'' at the 2014 British Independent Film Festival, where the film had its UK premiere at Leicester Square on 9 May 2014. He has written and directe ...

and starring

Luke Hemsworth Luke Hemsworth (born 5 November 1980) is an Australian actor who is known for his roles as Nathan Tyson in the TV series '' Neighbours'' and as Ashley Stubbs in the HBO sci-fi series ''Westworld''. He is the older brother of actors Chris Hemsw ...

Viva Bianca Viva Bianca (born Viva Skubiszewski; 17 November 1983, ; ) is an Australian actress best known for her role as Ilithyia on the Starz network series '' Spartacus: Blood and Sand'' and '' Spartacus: Vengeance''. Bianca graduated from the Weste ...

Jonathan LaPaglia Jonathan LaPaglia (, ; born 31 August 1969) is an Australian actor and television personality. He has hosted Network 10's revival of ''Australian Survivor'' since 2016. As an actor, LaPaglia is known for his roles as Frank B. Parker in the tel ...

Hanna Mangan-Lawrence Hanna Mangan-Lawrence (born 5 March 1991) is an English-Australian actress, best known in Australia for her role as Holly in the drama series '' Bed of Roses'', for which she received an AFI Award nomination in 2008 and a Logie Award nomination ...

, and Alex Williams. The film premiered at the British Independent Film Festival in London on 10 May 2014, where it won Best Director and Best Music.

Synopsis

When Detective Robbie Green (

) is called in to investigate the murder of his colleague Jason Pearson (

), he discovers at the crime scene a SD card from a video camera. The card contains footage shot by two runaway teenagers, Rachel (

) and AJ ( Alex Williams), who are making a documentary about the drug related death of Rachel's sister. Robbie and Detective Jane Lambert (

) start to retrace the teen's journey and soon the pair begin to uncover a trail of the dead. Video footage reveals Jason being connected to the drug operation and he later gives Robbie up as being involved in the death of Rachel's sister. Robbie is discharged from the investigation and sent home late at night, only to find his family being held hostage by AJ and Rachel. After a gunfight, and with the police approaching the home, Rachel takes Robbie up onto the roof at gunpoint, with nothing but revenge on her mind.

Cast

The cast includes: *

as Detective Jason Pearson *

as Detective Jane Lambert *

as Detective Robbie Green *

as Rachel Saunders * Alex Williams as Andrew "AJ" Jamison * Tom O'Sullivan as Connor * Amanda Dow as Maxine * Chelsea Williamson as Abbie Saunders * Kelsie Anderson as Sarah * Renato Fabretti as Alex * Katie Dorman as Renee * Priscilla-Anne Forder as Officer Sally Franklin

Production

''The Reckoning'' was written and directed by

, Filming took place in

Perth Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia. It is the fourth most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a population of 2.1 million (80% of the state) living in Greater Perth in 2020. Perth is ...

, Western Australia.

Release

The world premiere of ''The Reckoning'' was held at the British Independent Film Festival at the

Empire, Leicester Square The Empire, Leicester Square is a cinema currently operated by Cineworld on the north side of Leicester Square, London. The Empire was originally built in 1884 as a variety theatre and was rebuilt for films in the 1920s. It is one of several ci ...

in London, on 10 May 2014. The film made its Australian premiere at CinefestOz on 23 August and had a limited national release across five Australian cinemas, two in

and one each in

Sydney Sydney ( ) is the capital city of the state of New South Wales, and the most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Sydney Harbour and extends about towards the Blue Mountain ...

Melbourne Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a met ...

and

Brisbane Brisbane ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the states and territories of Australia, Australian state of Queensland, and the list of cities in Australia by population, third-most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a populati ...

on 5 September.Oz international deals for The Reckoning
/ref> The thriller opened in limited release in

and

on 5 September 2014 following their Australian premiere at CinefestOz on 29 August 2014. The film was officially selected to screen in Cannes 15 May 2015 as part of the Antipodes collection for Cannes Cinephiles. ''The Reckoning'' was produced by Filmscope Entertainment's Deidre Kitcher. It had its Australian TV Premiere on 7 December 2015 on

Network TEN Network 10 (commonly known as Ten Network, Channel 10 or simply 10) is an Australian commercial television network owned by Ten Network Holdings, a division of the Paramount Networks UK & Australia subsidiary of Paramount Global. One of five ...

. Lightning Entertainment has sold The Reckoning in over 40 overseas markets, including Portugal (Media Page),the USA (Anchor Bay/Starz), South Africa (Ster Kinekor), Scandinavia (Atlantic Films), Turkey (Movie Box), Korea (SB), the Middle East (Eagle Entertainment), Mexico (Renaissance) and Thailand (IPA).

Reception

''The Reckoning'' has received mainly positive reviews from the media. Gavin Bond of the Perth newspaper ''

The Sunday Times ''The Sunday Times'' is a British newspaper whose circulation makes it the largest in Britain's quality press market category. It was founded in 1821 as ''The New Observer''. It is published by Times Newspapers Ltd, a subsidiary of News UK, whi ...

'' praised the film as "an accomplished, refreshingly gritty and thoroughly entertaining thriller." Philippa Hawker from ''

The Age ''The Age'' is a daily newspaper in Melbourne, Australia, that has been published since 1854. Owned and published by Nine Entertainment, ''The Age'' primarily serves Victoria (Australia), Victoria, but copies also sell in Tasmania, the Austral ...

'' stated that ''The Reckoning'' was "an intriguing thriller that interweaves two accounts of guilt and revelation". Andrew Urban from Urban Cinefile said, "A strong screenplay, coupled with an interesting cinematic structure and great images make this an engaging film with tension and texture." ''Who Weeklys Andiee Pavious remarked that "From seemingly foreseeable beginnings, his (

) deceptive screenplay ricochets through a bloodied thicket of hoops that one by one call everyone's integrity to account. Prepare to be unprepared." Erin Free from Filmink lauded the film, saying "Writer/Director

delivers his best film yet with this tight, taut and compelling thriller".Film Ink

Awards and nominations

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Reckoning (2014 film) 2014 crime thriller films 2014 films Australian crime thriller films Films shot in Perth, Western Australia 2010s English-language films Films directed by John V. Soto