Rent Hummingbird (2013)

Hummingbird (aka Redemption) review by Alyse Garner - Cinema Paradiso

Finding a good Jason Statham film is like looking for a needle in a haystack, it doesn’t help that he seems to shoehorn himself into the same role over and over again, essentially type casting himself as the tough guy with a heart for any low budget actioner looking for a lead (see Safe, The Transporter series and this years Parker).

That being said, Redemption finds him walking the same line as the aforementioned titles but director Steven Knight adds personality to this tale of vengeance and forgiveness as Redemption follows Joey Smith (Statham) as he walks the streets of an unknown city hiding from his past, one that gives him nightmares. However when he meets a kind nun named Cristina (Agata Buzek) he finds reason to reverse his downward spiral.

Unlike any of his other performances, Statham is fantastic as downed hero Joey, a man destroying himself for past misdeeds, actions so heinous he deserves to be punish. Knight pushes Joey through the ringer and Statham delivers thanks to a wonderful script full of ambiguity and debate about morality and how much bad you can do and still be considered good.

Buzek compliments proceedings as a woman forced into her position of piety due to her past, a woman whose choices were stripped from her, pushed to seek the same things as Joey, forgiveness for past transgressions, ones that proved to be outside of her control. A moving look at self loathing and punishment.

Redemption looks behind the curtain of big city living and the dirty secrets you find there from human trafficking to prostitution as it speaks for the everyman, the downtrodden and the beaten as Joey does his best to make a dent despite the many demons that haunt him. Clever, with a clear vision, Redemption is the film Statham was waiting for and one that is well worth your time. 4/5