 Adam DiLeo of IGN gave "Retribution" a mixed review, saying that the films is worth seeing despite it is not on par with Kiyoshi Kurosawa's previous films such as "Cure" and "Bright Future".Derek Elley of "Variety" praised Kōji Yakusho's performance, saying he "makes an ideal protagonist, one with whom the audience is never quite sure whether it can identify".As the ghost of the film, is seeking revenge from past events of which every protagonist is apparently responsible, the horror in "Retribution" has been seen by some as expressing some kind of social illness and collective guilt in our contemporary world.