Jason Statham’s ‘Redemption’ From ‘Peaky Blinders’ Creator Is So Underrated

Jason Statham is without a doubt Hollywood’s go-to leading man when it comes to starring in thrilling action flicks, and in 2013, he joined forces with Steven Knight for his criminally underrated directorial debut, Redemption. The writer-director is famous for having created the small-screen masterpiece Peaky Blinders and has written for shows like See and Taboo, as well as penning the screenplays for acclaimed movies including Eastern Promises, Spencer, and Maria.

This action crime drama features Statham as an ex-special forces soldier plagued by the horrors of his past who gets swept up in London’s criminal underworld, stealing a man’s identity and becoming an enforcer for the Chinese mafia while also forming an unlikely friendship with a nun (obviously). Released under the name Hummingbird in the UK, Redemption failed to make a splash at the box office and with critics, but is nonetheless worthy of a re-watch thanks to Statham’s dominating presence. Let’s take a closer look at the movie.

Redemption

Release Date

May 17, 2013

Runtime

100 Minutes

Director

Steven Knight

Steven Knight’s Thrilling Directorial Debut

Lionsgate 

Haunted by the sins of his past and the horrors he witnessed during his time spent in Afghanistan, ex-Special Forces soldier Joseph Smith spends his days roaming the streets of London in a drunken stupor, struggling to cope with his crippling PTSD and rebuild his life. Redemption follows Joseph as he breaks into and squats in a luxurious apartment while the owner is away, assuming a new identity and calling himself Joey Jones in an effort to track down his close friend Isabel, who was forced into prostitution by a gang.

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After fighting off a group of rowdy patrons at a Chinese restaurant, Joseph impresses its manager, Mr. Choy (Benedict Wong), who has connections with the Chinese crime syndicate and hires him to become his personal enforcer and driver. When Joseph learns that Isabel has been brutally murdered, he sets out on a vengeance-seeking mission to hunt down the person responsible, taking justice into his own hands as he subsequently uncovers a dangerous human trafficking operation she was caught up in.

Statham Showcases His Range as a Haunted Veteran

Lionsgate 

While there’s no denying that Redemption is exactly what someone would expect from a Jason Statham spectacle, the action drama nonetheless delves into serious subjects like PTSD and mental health issues, with the actor preparing for the role by interviewing veterans about their own personal experiences in war. The film explores the emotional imbalance Statham’s character Joseph endures and highlights the treatment veterans face after returning home from battle, with many becoming homeless after having trouble integrating back into society.

In an interview with Shock Ya! in June 2013, Statham discussed how he enjoyed the challenge of playing a more broken and sensitive character as opposed to his usual emotionally hardened, tough-as-nails protagonists, revealing that he was immediately drawn to Steven Knight’s script and the complexity of the storyline. The A Working Man star called the filmmaker a “brilliant writer” and added that “when you have a script he’s written, it’s inevitable that you’re going to want to do it,” before further commending Knight:

“He had the composure of someone who made 50 movies, or someone who’s been working for 20 years. He was very, very calm and relaxed. I think that makes everyone else relaxed. There are a lot of directors, and I don’t want to mention names, who do get carried away and lose their composure… But with Steven, it was smooth sailing.”

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2013 proved to be quite an influential year for Knight, as he went on to make his directorial debut with Redemption while also helming the Tom Hardy-led psychological drama Locke, which was a modest box office success and garnered rave reviews from critics. It also marked the debut of the fan-favorite period crime drama Peaky Blinders, which Knight both created and wrote, and famously featured Cillian Murphy as the cunning crime boss Thomas Shelby; the lauded series would run for six sensational seasons and spawned the upcoming feature-length film The Immortal Man.

Redemption may not be Knight or Statham’s most revered movie, but that doesn’t mean it’s not an entertaining way to spend 100 minutes, especially for fans of the action superstar. Though the film may only have a lackluster 49% Rotten Tomatoes score, both audiences and critics were in agreement that Statham’s commanding presence was the best thing about Redemption and praised the actor for elevating the script and bringing emotional depth to the role. The Chicago Daily Herald praised Redemption in their glowing review, writing:

“It’s a dark, tough and unyieldingly violent movie that disdains action movie cliches and gives Statham his most dramatically complex, challenging movie character so far, one executed with surprising compassion, even vulnerability.”

Stream Redemption on Prime Video.

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