Redemption (2013)
TOMATOMETER
Critics Consensus: While it certainly has more on its mind than the average Jason Statham action thriller, Redemption doesn't quite capitalize on its premise -- or on its star's strong, committed performance.
Critics Consensus: While it certainly has more on its mind than the average Jason Statham action thriller, Redemption doesn't quite capitalize on its premise -- or on its star's strong, committed performance.
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Movie Info
Notorious badass Jason Statham stars as an ex-Special Forces soldier who returns to London a damaged man, struggling to find justice in a world saturated with violence in this gritty, explosive story about London's criminal underworld written and directed by Academy Award nominee Steven Knight. (c) Roadside Attractions- Rating:
- R (for strong brutal violence, graphic nudity and language)
- Genre:
- Drama , Action & Adventure
- Directed By:
- Steven Knight
- In Theaters:
- Jun 28, 2013 Limited
- US Box Office:
- $35.0k
Cast
-
Jason Statham
as Smith/Joey Jones -
Agata Buzek
as Cristina -
Vicky McClure
as Dawn -
Benedict Wong
as Mr. Choy -
Siobhan Hewlett
as Tracey -
Ian Pirie
as Pimp
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Critic Reviews for Redemption
All Critics (49) | Top Critics (13) | Fresh (23) | Rotten (25)
Look beyond the generic shell, and this wildly imperfect movie appears to have a rare soul lurking inside it.
Nothing in "Redemption" quite adds up, including the paranoid hero's insistence that he's being watched by drones.
Knight seems to want to say something, but it comes out pretty garbled.
A flawed but still solid debut. And another strong step forward for Jason Statham, the man who won't stay still.
"Redemption" doesn't have the chutzpah to let loose and be as dumb as it needs to be, so it instead bores the audience comatose with long stretches of sad-face Statham putzing around an apartment to justify the too-brief bursts of giddy bone-breaking.
Its narrative continuity is so sketchy and the screenplay so haphazard that the movie doesn't add up to more than trash, seasoned with pretentious religiosity.
What could have been a film that advances Statham's career proves to be simply more of the same
One of these days Statham is going to realize that he needs to change things up a bit or get someone to start choosing better material for him. Until then, it seems he's doomed to be stuck in the rut he's dug for himself.
When it comes to playing impossibly lethal flint-eyed loners, no one can match Statham. Besides, who else could pull off, when confronted with a blade-wielding assailant, a surreal one-liner like this:'You've got a knife. I've got a spoon.'
Jason Statham breaks away only somewhat from his action-hero comfort zone.
The main achievement of this joyless mood piece is gutting a Jason Statham potboiler of anything resembling fun.
Doesn't quite come together, mashing a variety of plots and issue-based themes into a story that, while pointed, ultimately feels rather pointless.
Testing even my love of Jason Statham, Hummingbird is a fairly terrible showcase for the chrome-domed action star's brand of mayhem.
[A] flawed but ambitious (and rather peculiar) London-set thriller ...
Redemption fights against the conventions of the average revenge thriller and thanks to Statham and writer-director Knight, it wins more often than not.
Has a little more on its mind than a simple serving of beatings. Visually striking and marked by unexpected characterizations, the movie isn't perfect, but it's unusual, acting as a career multivitamin for Statham.
Compelling, if never entirely convincing.
...it's when he's quiet that Statham is the most powerfully devastating, like an undetonated bomb in a church square. The promise of violence is its own kind of allure.
Jason Statham is arguably the leading action star of his generation, but with Redemption, the feature directorial debut from talented screenwriter Steven Knight, he attempts to expand his range for the first time since The Bank Job.
Some of it is hilariously awful, and some is just plain awful. But Statham's attempt to be taken seriously as an actor is honest, at least.
Jason Statham takes a darker role than usual in a gritty London drama that never quite seems sure of itself, as writer-turned-director Knight mashes several huge social issues with a hint of action and a rather awkward romance.
Kudos to Statham for having a go, but this is fitfully successful at best.
It's really just an over-blown fashion shoot. Let's hope Jason got to keep the clothes.
This is the film that introduces us to the Stath's sensitive side. If that hasn't put you off, it should.
Taut and efficient at just 100 minutes, Hummingbird gains added atmosphere from having been shot mostly at night in London while Statham can even make a spoon resemble a lethal weapon.
Redemption nearly works. It's one of those truly frustrating films in that there are numerous scenes & moments that work but Knight can't quite fashion them into a whole that's not a disappointment. But he comes damn close.
Audience Reviews for Redemption
Hummingbird is beautifully directed, whether it's under the neon lit roof-top bars or the street light Soho back streets, every shot is full of colour and well composed. Maybe it's just a little bit too pretty, the word overcompensation springs to mind. On paper the story sounds great but the reality is that it just doesn't work. There is nothing wrong with the cast as such, what is wrong is London and how it's falsely portrayed. Shop keepers do not shout about their special offers in the streets, it isn't just homelessness and City bankers either, and where are the crowds, where is the traffic? You certainly can't hide in London and Soho isn't that big. London is an integral part of the story so this really matters. The emotional parts of the film are poorly handled too, what is supposed to be a big plot twist barely warrants the raising of an eyebrow, the characters are contrived caricatures of people that don't actually exist and they certainly don't evoke sympathy or respect. An hour in and I had completely lost interest. It does look pretty though!
MoreSuper Reviewer
An instant classic. I loved this film. It's an electrifying knockout. A gritty, tough, and gutsy British drama that delivers a powerful punch to the head and heart. It's unflinching, gripping, surprisingly effective and tremendously entertaining. Director-Writer, Steven Knight has crafts a fearless and riveting directional debut, he dives deep into the story and has great characters and develops them nicely. Its a powerful and exhilarating thriller that keeps you compelled and on the edge of your seat. An engaging, exciting and original film. The action is intense and the performances are terrific. Jason Statham gives his best performance to date, he's never been better. Statham is shown in a different light and forces us to see him more as an action hero, but as a man battered and broken and trying to better himself and then becomes a avenging angel. Very few action stars make that leap, I'm happy to say that Statham knocks it out of the park. This is such an absorbing movie, it grabs you and does not let go for an minute. British films have a different breed of grit and intensity and this film shows that wonderfully. A very dark and hard-edged brand of revenge story that puts the characters, substance and story very much at the top. It's truly one of the best films of the year. It's totally awesome
MoreSuper Reviewer
All roads don't lead to salvation.
Good movie! It's been quite a long time, perhaps for the first, that I was engrossed with Jason Statham's movie, not due to the sheer number of cracked skulls, but with his character and the ones around him. Hummingbird is another entity compared to his usual martial arts filled carnage, although his trademark of hurting people certainly didn't disappear. Jason Statham as Joey Jones, takes on a deeper and more emotional role, which with the help of director Stephen Knight, surprisingly works well. The movie takes some time to get its rhythm, and while it's commendable for Statham to try this new change, he's still rough in acting department. If Jason Statham can continue in roles like this, he'd be bigger than just the guys who beats people up.
Homeless and on the run from a military court martial, a damaged ex-special forces soldier navigating London's criminal underworld seizes an opportunity to assume another man's identity -- transforming into an avenging angel in the process.
Super Reviewer
Redemption is a typical Jason Statham film where he drives a car and kills people, and there's not much of a point to anything that happens. Here Statham plays a homeless vet named Joey who's on the run, but before long he's drawn into the life of an enforcer for the Chinese mafia. Poorly titled, there's no "redemption" in the story, as Joey remains a corrupt, amoral character throughout. An inane and rote thriller, Redemption is mindless tripe.
MoreSuper Reviewer
Redemption Quotes
- Smith/Joey Jones:
- When I'm sober...When I'm healthy and well...I hurt people. I'm lethal. I drink to weaken the machine they made.
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