A Jason Statham Movie Many Overlooked Just Hit Netflix
Jason Statham has had a healthy acting career, but even his most dedicated fans may have missed the latest movie from his catalog to reach Netflix. Redemption is a dramatic thriller set in London, and the directorial debut from writer-director Steven Knight. Redemption was met with mixed reviews and a poor showing at the box office, yet in Redemption, you can see a lot to like about this more dramatic role for the actor we mostly know as an action powerhouse.
In 2013, Redemption was released in the United States, but the film was released by different names in other countries. In the UK, it was called Hummingbird, and in France, it went by the name Crazy Joe. The story follows a veteran living on the streets of London who takes on the role of someone with much more fortunate circumstances, and falls into a seedy underground of criminal activity. In Jason Statham’s filmography, it stands out as one of his more serious roles, and one of the few films where you can see the actor with hair.
Every once in a while, Jason Statham will do a role where he reminds the audience that he’s a pretty decent actor. He may be the guy in Fast & Furious and The Expendables franchises, but he’s also the actor from the Guy Ritchie movies like Snatch and Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels. He’s an action icon, but Statham has been showing his range in movies for quite a long time.
Some of the critics who saw Redemption missed that he has these more serious roles sprinkled throughout his career. A reviewer from Times of India said, “Statham’s stony visage tries to emote, often successfully. If this film marks a new direction for Statham’s career, he’s on the right track.” The reviews from critics and fans have been mixed. Empire wrote, “An awkward mix of realist social drama and Statham actioner, this doesn’t quite convince as either.”
But after Redemption, Jason Statham continued playing the big action roles we know him for. He returned to playing Deckard Shaw in the Fast & Furious franchise, and he had a more comedic action star role in the movie Spy with Melissa McCarthy. While he isn’t in as many movies these days, he’s still the Jason Statham action hero we know him as, and fans are still waiting on news of Hobbs & Shaw 2 and other blockbuster action films from the star.
While critics may not have known what to make of it, it didn’t do great at the box office either, making little over $12 million worldwide. Domestically, the film had a paltry release, coming to only 19 theaters and making a total of $36,895. Even though reviewers have had mixed reactions, Jason Statham fans still, by and large, enjoy this movie. DenofGeek ranked it as the eight best Statham movie ever. The Guardian ranked all of his movies and put it at number nine. If you like Statham, and you enjoy dramatic thrillers, you’ll want to check out Redemption on Netflix for yourself.
