Derek Winnert

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This article was written on 02 Jul 2013, and is filled under Reviews.

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Hummingbird [Redemption] *** (2013, Jason Statham, Agata Buzek, Vicky McClure) – Movie Review

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The writer of Eastern Promises and Dirty Pretty Things, Steven Knight, makes his director debut in this typical, would-be smart London low-life thriller starring Jason Statham – so you know exactly what to expect.

Statham tries some acting, but he’s far better in the action scenes, which are plentiful, brutal and well staged. He plays Joey, a tormented, on-the-run ex-Afghanistan soldier, who returns to London as a down-and-out, gets beaten up by homeless pimps, but breaks into a swanky Covent Garden apartment, conveniently empty for the spring and summer.

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Luckily he finds the absent owner’s suits, identity and lifestyle fit him exactly, and soon he’s trying to get his health then his life back with the help of a troubled and apparently strangely sexy nun (Agata Buzek) who’s running a food kitchen in St Paul’s churchyard.

The actual plot then kicks in: a rich banker is murdering innocent street girls, and soon Statham’s on his case. He’s looking for redemption, and this is going to be it of course.

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As the nun falls for him, this central romance is way beyond unbelievable and the writer-director fails to make the details of the film credible – and with this kind of movie it’s all about the details. A series of script contrivances, it’s hard to believe a word of it, though a serious movie’s a good change of pace for Statham. Just think what Viggo Mortensen (star of Eastern Promises ) could have made of the role, a great actor as well as convincing tough guy.

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With fantastic Covent Garden and Soho location filming throughout, a swift-moving pace and some good punchups, it’s tolerable, but I don’t think you’d miss too much if you didn’t see it.

© Derek Winnert 2013 Movie Review

Check out more reviews on http://derekwinnert.com

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