Rédemption

Now i'm a definite fan of Jason Statham. After reading the reviews of this film iv'e realized that no matter what this man does he will not please the critics. Whenever he does what he is good at(action movies), he is just one note and doesn't do anything else. When he tries something different like in this movie, he isn't good enough for a dramatic role.Well I for one enjoyed this film as a welcome change of pace as this is his most serious/dramatic role which I felt he did a good job.

The story is dark, gritty and down to earth as many war vets suffer psychological problems and as a result end up homeless or drug addicts.The movie is very character driven, layered which adds some needed depth to a Statham movie. He plays Joey Jones, a homeless war vet traumatized by his experiences and much of the story is about his character's experience's in the underworld of London. The movie feels authentic, the way its shot on the dark London streets and also reading that their was research done on Statham's part preparing for the role.It's good to see he can do a dramatic role plus use his action strengths and kick ass when he does.

Overall, If your expecting an all out action film maybe you should watch Safe instead. However, if you want to see a darker, grittier film more deep than your typical Statham film and welcome the change of pace. I'd give it a watch and see how you like it.

Overall: 7/10

Given Jason Statham's recent track record in film, you might be forgiven for thinking that HUMMINGBIRD is yet another action-packed beat-'em-up, but it turns out to be something quite the opposite. The unusual title is a bit of a give-away, but this turns out to be a moody tale of redemption on the gritty streets of London.

Somewhat surprisingly, Statham shines as the down-on-his-luck former soldier reduced to a life of homelessness on the streets. This is a guy who rarely gets the chance to properly act, but who can be decent when given the opportunity. It helps that his story arc is well-handled, displaying sensitivity where needed and exploring the thematic elements with maturity.

Of course, there are one or two fight scenes tossed into the mix for the fans, but for the most part this is a thoughtful mood piece that tells an interesting tale and does so well. Congratulations to all involved.

*Warning. This review is only short, I don't like to write long reviews, so please don't hate this review because its short and everything in the film isn't summarized, thank you.

I'm a huge Jason Statham fan and when I first saw the trailer for this film I was a bit skeptical whether or not, he could pull a dramatic drama performance off. And after reading some of the reviews I wasn't putting my hopes up too much, when the credits showed up, I was shocked.

Jason Statham was excellent, he wasn't the best. But what a transformation from being a *badass action hero, into playing a dramatic war veteran. This movie rocked. There was plenty of great scenes in here, and you can really tell he tried to put on his best performance.You could really feel the emotions of what his character was going through. The directing was also good and the cinematography was also great at times. You could really feel the darkish atmosphere and the danger the homeless people were in. This was most definitely a powerful drama.

So if your a fan of Jason Statham and want to watch something different from him then I recommend this. But please don't expect to see another Transporter film, the class of this one is much higher then many of his previous films.

Im going to give Hummingbird(Or Redemption in the U.S) 3 1/2 Stars. (7/10)

*Hes still badass in this film.

Although it could of have been better and is far from perfect, but it was a joy just watching Statham take on this type of role.

The first 20-30 minutes will make or break the movie for you. Those who expect a crazy pace and action non stop, will be disappointed for sure. It is more than likely that people will say/write, that Statham should stick to action roles. But I think it's a good thing he tries to evolve a bit. He has the action thing down now, why not go out and dip/try something else? The drama part does work entirely as is true with the rest of the story, but it does have something to tell, whether you agree with the arguments or not, it is different! And after the initial (slow) beginning of the movie, it does have some action to deliver too. But is there "Redemption" (as the German title of the movie suggests)?

Redemption isn't quite as interesting as it wants to be and is somewhat unfocused, but thanks to a surprisingly ambitious screenplay and one of Jason Statham's better performances, it works as a perfectly watchable thriller.