Redeemer (2014)

Sadly Over-hyped

Don't listen to the negative reviews

I am only giving this movie a 1 for the great cast, though I can't imagine what any of them were thinking. This movie was horrible

After playing with our expectations, this turns out to be a very different sort of film.

Chilean director Ernesto Diaz Espinoza, best known for his 2012 film "Bring Me the Head of the Machine Gun Woman," has helmed an exciting but complicated martial arts melodrama, "Redeemer," with actor and fight choreographer Marko Zaror, who earlier collaborated with Espinoza on both "Mandrill" (2009) and "Mirageman" (2007). Mind you, "Redeemer" is not your ordinary martial arts epic, and Zaror's acrobatic martial arts choreography elevates it above the formulaic standards. For example, the hero is a tortured individual. Pardo (Marko Zaror of "Mandrill") plays one-shot Russian roulette with himself on a daily basis. He loads a solitary bullet with a scorpion embossed on the cartridge casing into a revolver with a cross carved into the grips. Pardo's archenemy, Scorpion (José Luís Mósca of "Solteiros"), who stalks him, lives to undermine Pardo's search for redemption. You see, Pardo shot and killed Scorpion's young adolescent son with a bullet through his head. Written by Espinoza and producer Guillermo Prieto, this dubbed thriller develops an interesting storyline, features an entertaining variety of characters, but clocks in at a nimble 90-minutes. Initially, the protagonist Pardo has stopped killing for the cartel and turned himself into a vigilante. Like "The Equalizer," Pardo helps others who cannot possibly fend for themselves. He dresses himself inconspicuously and conservatively in a tattered jacket with a large hood that shadows his face. Typically, he approaches his adversaries and instruct them to bow and pray for forgiveness. Afterward, he knocks them down as if they were tenpins in a bowling alley. While "Redeemer" surpasses most hackneyed martial arts epics, Zaror distinguishes it with his looming, taciturn presence. The way that he stages close quarters combat sequences is often hypnotic and occasionally stunning. For example, an assailant attacks our hero from behind, and Redeemer slam-dunks the villain's head into a boat propeller blade! Espinoza often dilutes these skillful exercises in violence with slow-motion cinematography that aestheticizes their savagery. Pardo is the kind of guy who isn't afraid of contending with more than one opponent. Although his opponents arm themselves with a variety of weapons, they don't stand a chance against him. When Pardo isn't making life miserable for a happy-go-luck American who has come to Chile to become the equivalent of Scarface, he tangles with a worthy adversary, the Scorpion who has a long-standing complaint with him. Predictably, Scorpion and Redeemer resolve their mutual problem, but the resolution is surprisingly exhilarating!

I got nauseated early on by the use of religious imagery The use of it to sell violence.To present it as the proper answer To overlook that mostly it just breeds more violence.And I found the visual style suitable for junkies only.Trash, really.

Since Boondock Saints this isn't the first attempt to capture that formula. But this Spanish effort does have something in or rather up its sleeves that other knockoffs probably didn't have: decent stunts and action sequences to support the rather predictable story. Though it does surprise in the end I reckon.Whatever you think about redemption or if you're religious or not, the movie tries to cover a lot of bases. But never loses focus of what makes it great or at least good. The main actor may not have so say much with words, which may play in his favor, letting his actions speak louder than words. Whether you see him as anti-hero or something of a saint is up to you as the viewer. It's not the only challenge the movie gives you ... the humor is questionable for some I guess, but I did like it

REDEEMER is a Chilean action film, which isn't something you see often. The story is a classic Western: a hero with a dark past (and an impressive amount of Catholic accessories) comes to a small town being oppressed by drug lords and naturally decides to clean house one drop- kick to the face at a time. The locations are lovely - with plenty of Instagram style colour tints - and the narrative commendably brisk. The only problem is that the hero remains too much of an enigma and as a result there's a lack of emotional connection; it's cool to watch but you don't feel anything except during the most gruesome kills (thankfully these are largely set up and then happen off screen). It doesn't help that the guns are all CGI enhanced, meaning they lack any physicality. Still, the martial arts action is fantastic, with really well though out back-and-forth combat and stuntmen (including the hero) skilled enough that the scenes can play out in single steady shots which let you appreciate the skill on display. It's a small film but a good one and if Hollywood has any sense they'll be hiring the people who made this for a big budget remake.