Crazy Joe

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

Reviews seem evenly split between 'masterpiece' and 'disaster,' so let me cast a tie-breaking vote. You can look at Redemption as either a thoughtful action movie or a violent art film... but it's very good either way.

The acting is definitely worthwhile. Statham has always been better than the average action star, and here he's given more emotional material to chew on than in most of his vehicles. Buzek is equally solid as the Polish nun. She's far from a conventional beauty, and seems perfectly cast.

The production is excellent, with a gritty, super-saturated urban look to it. And the story? I think it holds up extremely well. This is a bit of a fable, a vignette out of the middle of a turbulent life. Joey made me think of a more-thoughtful, less self-assured Jack Reacher. He's a product of our violent world, who's trying to do the right thing and thereby buy back his soul.

The film doesn't pull back from the contradictions of his attempt to find inner peace through extreme violence. And it gives us many memorable vignettes along the way. The business with the red dress. The opera. The pizza parties at the soup kitchen. These build up a very effective portrait of Joey. The ending is unconventional, and, I think, extremely appropriate. It says something not just about Joey, but about the needlessly violent world we've built - or allowed to be built in our name.

Redemption may not be a timeless classic of the cinema, but it's hard to deny that it is a very good little film, with many admirable qualities. It's a film I'll certainly enjoy watching more than once.

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.

I never write reviews, but this time I was compelled to...

Don't bother reading the negative reviews from people moaning about how they miss Jason Statham being chased in a car or beating the crap out of everyone. If you want that and that only, then just go watch Transporter I, II and III.

If you want to see something different and refreshing, then simply don't miss this one. The story is good, there is plenty of action, and developed characters.

With a closed mind, expecting to see yet another copy of Jason's previous work, you'll be disappointed. But with an open mind, you will enjoy watching this very much.

This change of plan is simply the best thing Jason has done yet. He's convincing and manages to create quite some depth in his character. AND he still kicks ass. I can't see another actor having pulled this mixture of action, drama and psychology off better then Jason. He actually played a convincing 'human being' that has to take a hit like everyone, and he did it very well.

Amongst the better action/drama flicks of 2013.

8/10

Once someone see Jason Statham's name and face on the promotional materials, they will immediately think Hummingbird is another action film where the star runs around the city fighting bad guys. If you came expecting it to be like The Transporter or any typical Statham feature, it would be either disappointing or otherwise surprising. The plot is more of a Neo-Noir drama about a man who lives in the rotten side of society and faces real consequences. The film is unbalanced in handling two of its tones, but the context hits the right note in the end. Hummingbird has a better way to tell the story but it's already a fascinating film to watch.

The story is obviously about redemption, and as a Statham film it should have fistfights to show his enemies who's boss. But instead his character here troubles facing his demons and has to commit crimes to get what he needs. It's a much interesting story about people who have to deal with the unfair reality and beat it off with their skills. It surely has punching but they are used for torture rather than exciting action set pieces, though they may still remind you of a standard action film. The film suffers of balancing between tones. Example is the opening feels totally different from the rest of the movie. It looks like a complete thriller until it randomly jumps to art-house crime drama. Probably, it's a set up for the ones who came for the action by the main actor's existence in the film, but it goes again whenever Joey beats up someone for his job. Maybe the problem is these scenes are not grim enough. They should have shown an uglier depiction of violence.

The best parts are when it simply keeps the characters into their gloomy lives. Letting everyone understand the protagonist's motivation of being a Robin Hood. Jason Statham didn't standout much. His fighting is still impressive, though our familiarity to his moves kind of glosses the scenes that are supposed to be uneasy to watch, but his natural film personality buys the character, giving awareness to the choices he make and guilt he receives. The real talent that shines here is Agata Buzek, who genuinely presents her character's contrasting traits.

Hummingbird is a strange film with a classic kind of story, but it's the sort of strange that is rarely seen in cinema today. It's sort of hard to find the right type of audience to get appealed to this. It was all drama, then suddenly has fighting scenes that are supposed to be dark yet becomes the other way around. In other parts, it has an engaging exploration of the characters' bleak little world. The filmmaking is as magnificent as it needs and the performances are quite gripping. It still deserves a better portrayal of its conflicts and a set of tones that could decently fit together. In the end, it's a worth seeing change from the genre and the main actor.