Crazy Joe

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.

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.

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

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.

Agata Buzek as Cristina, a love interest role which couldn't be any farther than Jennifer Lopez's in Parker, is an altruistic nun who cares for Joey in his darker times. She is not the typical cinema beauty, yet she is humbly charming. Her acting is impeccable, often giving eerily sympathetic moments that could silence the audience. Statham benefits from her presence as well as he gives more to acting than the majority of his movies. That doesn't mean he will be getting awards soon, but it is a good direction on his part.

Cinematography utilizes London cityscape in a very rustic fashion, it's the opposite from the well-advertised side of the city. Streets and alleyways seem more in touch with reality, nothing grandiose about them, while prettier settings ooze some illusion of eminent cosmetic. With sleek scene transition between them, the movie appears to be very grounded. Story and script are great, despite having a few coincidental twists. It's somewhat a stark contradiction from the grimy visual, a bits of fantasy to escape the harsh prospect. Smart ways to evoke more mature theme is appreciated and it makes Hummingbird more subtly artistic.

Statham's character is a vigilante, a crowd-pleasing broken man whose past never lets him go. He does this part to his best, enough to at least differentiate him from his other tough guy role. However, people who purchase ticket to see Statham delivers knockout punches or staggering kick might be slightly disappointed. The action is brutal and punishing, but there's considerably fewer scenes from what might be expected from his type of movie, although these few are choreographed and done well in a more street brawl kind of way. Having a genuine martial artist couldn't hurt either.

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. That being said, Hummingbird is clearly superior than most of his movies. It doesn't rely simply on muscle, but it takes the audience to a more private look into these likable characters. I feel that the role of Joey Jones could be played by Jeremy Renner or Tom Cruise. If Jason Statham can continue in roles like this, he'd be bigger than just the guys who beats people up.

Rate 7.5/10

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.