I'm not the biggest fan of British crime dramas, especially those particularly depicting London...in fact I would say I'm not a fan at all. Purposefully gritty and all too similar to each other, it's a sub-genre that never offers anything new. Hummingbird does include typical gangster traits, yet its primary focus is of a character study. An ex-soldier pulled from Helmand Province in Afghanistan is attempting to restore his life back in London. From the cold damp London alleyways to illegally residing in a luxury apartment, he tries his best to set things right for, not just himself, but his closest friends. I must warn you, if you think this is an over-the-top action flick that Statham typically stars in then you will be disappointed. The marketing would lead you to that false conclusion. Instead, what we have is a personable study of a man who starts off with nothing and gradually builds himself back up again...albeit illegally but I'll that one slide for now. I find Statham is more competent and interesting in these small British thrillers (very similar to 'Blitz'). He isn't just going round obliterating every guy who wields a weapon, although there is some great choreography used in the infrequent fight scenes presented here. No, it's a rather nuanced performance and one that allows him to portray an emotionally complex and damaged character. One of his better performances. Well shot and directed by Knight who also writes what is unfortunately an inconsistent screenplay. It's just too messy. What is actually the main plot? Because what I see we are presented with is three subplots that are constantly being switched which, coincidentally, all somehow link together for the third act. The hunt for a man who kills a prostitute, a close relationship formed with a nun and contributing to an underground Chinese business. They naturally do not link and therefore the narrative is inconsistent. A real lack of cohesion, which consequently creates a slow pace.

This is by far the best movie with Jason Statham. Surely, it has its flaws, but you get classic Jason Statham killing machine pumped up on testosterone, plus a very dramatic story, with a lot more charisma and emotions than you got used to in Statham's movies. On the other hand, you do not have to be a Jason Statham fan to watch and enjoy this movie. It's a dramatic action movie, fighting actions are great and realistic, there is no much car chasing action though. If you liked "In Bruges", you will love "Redemption" even more. My girlfriend who hates Jason Statham loved this movie, so give it a shot, I am sure you will like it.

After I saw Wild Card, which has some of the most awesome fight-scenes ever, I thought maybe, just maybe this one too has fighting gold in it. But no. Well, it has some fighting, but not nearly the same caliber as Wild Card. (I knew Corey Yuen wasn't involved so I did not expect the violence to be that good, but I hoped)This more of a drama really, but with some action/violence sprinkled in. Actually it's a pretty decent movie. Jason Statham has this screen presence, he is just entertaining to watch. Also his fighting style is very cool.Hummingbird/Redemption doesn't reinvent anything, but it does what it tries to do, pretty well. It has a couple of great moments, but mostly it's OK, you know? Had IMDb had half stars, this would be a 6.5 for me.Overall the movie is entertaining and kind of interesting, but it just lacks a little something something to make it really good.

Evidently, this strange movie was Jason Statham's attempt to break out of his Transporter image and prove he can really, really act. Unfortunately, he is abandoned by a script that feels simultaneously plot less and over-plotted. There are too many story lines occurring to fully develop a character study of a man in mortal emotional meltdown. Statham wears fifty shades of his trademark stubble as he pivots between bum, street saint, seducer of nuns, muscle for the Chinatown gangsters, dishwasher, dead-beat dad, and Mercedes driver. You just assumed about a half hour into this stew of personas that he'd end up driving a fancy car. He does. He keeps his clothes on for most of the movie, which is the real surprise here.The various threads running through a ninety-minute running time (that feels like 2+ hours) aren't developed enough for you to care about anyone. His wife? Nope. His daughter (seen for less than a minute)? Nope. The nun who's having a crisis of faith and ends up sleeping with Jason? Nope. His cardboard box girlfriend? Nope. The real villain who killed the girlfriend? Nope. The mother superior who wants that stack of Euros Statham gave his nunfriend? Nope. The fish that Statham cuts the head off of? Nope.It's painful to watch Statham attempt to break out of an image that's been so successfully constructed for him. That's a backhanded compliment. He does unshaven action muscle so well that it's nearly impossible to to accept him any other way. He has some flair for comedy when allowed, and can do brooding intensity in his sleep, but this movie merely suggests he just might possess other acting chops. For every sensitive moment, he knocks the hell out of someone. We're constantly reminded of the Transporter, in both appearance and actions. His last vodka fueled soliloquy to his nunfriend is so mush-mouthed it's difficult to understand. And...he almost cries. Almost. One wonders what the discussion about that sounded like between the director and Mr. Whiskers. It was edgy enough to have the neighbors of the apartment he was squatting in think he was gay. There! Jason has dimension! The ending is conveniently non-satisfactory. By the time it's all over you don't much care. Four stars for Statham trying something different, but unless he shaves and figures out how to not beat the crap out of others every few minutes, he'll forever be trapped in the the persona he created.