Stylish but barely mediocre overall

A story that's too fascinating to pass by...

The first must-see film of the year.

It is an exhilarating, distressing, funny and profound film, with one of the more memorable film scores in years,

Sometimes I like to take a chance with a movie I never heard of when I shop the discounted DVD racks at my local Walmart or Target, especially if the cover reviews are good and the premise sounds interesting. In this case, my gamble on "Redeemer" paid off handsomely with a sort of Chilean Western-cum-old-school-Kung-Fu tale of vengeance and redemption.Of course, the violence is in the new vein of Krav-Maga with broken rhythms, joint attacks, grappling and gun-play that have come into vogue since "The Raid". It's well staged, high-energy and invigoratingly brutal. And we all know that's what you came here for (don't be ashamed, it's what *I* came for too), so that's good.But the director and screen-writer managed to work in a stark, elemental feel of Good vs Evil that works splendidly in the stripped down environment of an isolated town jammed up against mountains and sea coast. That allows for some wildly beautiful photography that allows the viewer to catch his breath (I say "his" because I can't imagine a typical female viewer wanting to watch this.) But it also throws the human actions and emotions we see into sharp relief. That's some careful and inspired film design right there. This is a "B" picture all the way, about as subtle as a shot of "Red- eye" whiskey. But even so, the actors here get the job done, in spite of an indifferent job of dubbing into English (I wish I could have watched this in Spanish with just English subtitles). Marko Zaror may not have a lot of dramatic range, but the movie showcases all his acting strengths and none of his (undoubted) weaknesses, so the end result is both enigmatic and instantly identifiable - he's the Hero on a Quest, and you know what drives him (because the movie shows you in flashback what happened), but at the same time you don't know him at all. Put the character in a tuxedo at a party, the actor might stumble badly - but here, in this, he's perfect.So, if you are looking for a fresh take on martial arts action, this is worth your time. If you are a fan of this kind of movie, you should seek it out and take the time to watch.

The Chilean martial arts film REDEEMER is a real treat for fans of the genre. I was expecting nearly nothing from this film given my previous experience with Chilean films and star Marko Zaror in the form of the horrible KILTRO, a story I thought was quite terrible. The good news is that REDEEMER is nothing like that film; instead it's a gritty thriller laced with endless fight scenes which are brutal and wince-inducing.The template here is obviously the likes of THE RAID and WARRIOR KING and the film is all the better for it. The fights are brutal and bloody and inevitably feature gruesome special effects. Zaror is a fine screen fighter and he really looks the part here, hulking and yet fluid with some incredible kicking action. The CGI blood is pretty realistic looking and my only problem was with the random slow motion moves which don't look good, but these aren't enough to detract from the excellent fights.The story is routine and involves the usual quest for redemption, with a lot of religious undertones as you'd expect from a Catholic country. The narrative basically sees Zaror going from one fight to the next although the action is never repetitive, instead feeling fresh each time, and the violence is incredible. Low budget films like this one are the type that restore my faith in action cinema.

Redeemer (2014) is fantastic.It is missing the Hollywood bells and whistles, and has a low production cost, but that does not make a movie watchable.This movie is watchable and has a somewhat mysterious hero. We see glimpses of his past as the movie unfolds, to see what made him the Redeemer.This is a solid action movie, which I always search for. I want those awesome 80's action flicks back. Small budget gems like Perfect Weapon and No Retreat, No Surrender 1-3 and so on.This movie while not in the same vain, as it is somewhat serious throughout, makes me happy that Chile, can produce movies, that Hollywood forgot how to make. The acting is okay, but we are here for the really nice fight scenes. Very well done! I gave it a 8.5 out of 10! Very surprised and happy I gave it a shot, and you should too.

Action fans may remember Marko Zaror from "Undisputed III" . If you loved that movie and other great martial arts action films of the recent past like "The Raid" or "Ninja II", you will definitely enjoy "Redeemer". Marko Zaror further proves how underrated of an action star he really is in this solid B-movie which features wall-to-wall action packed, violent fights from start to finish that will have you saying holy sh*t at least once. The action and fights are inventive and feel fresh, gritty and realistic compared to most PG-13, shaky cam and CGI bloated action films that come out of Hollywood. Fans know that in these types of low budget B movies, story/character typically come secondary. surprisingly enough, the story is engaging and plays out like a classic western. The character is also given a little more depth and back story than you'd typically expect. This is one of the best and at the same time least known action movies you will see all year. Fans of such modern action stars like Scott Adkins, Donnie Yen and Tony Jaa. Welcome Marko Zaror to the club as he proves he can kick some serious ass. Overall, for the real action fans out there, your faith in modern action movies just may be redeemed after watching this !8/10