By Mark Saldana
Rating: 3 (Out of 4 Stars)
This visually impressive martial arts, action flick will definitely keep audiences voraciously chomping on their popcorn with their eyes peeled open and glued to the screen. Written and directed by Ernesto Diaz Espinoza and starring martial arts expert/actor Marko Zaror, the duo responsible for Kiltro and Mandrill, Redeemer is an awesome and exciting movie with some of the most breathtaking stunts and fight scenes captured on film. Zaror stars as Pardo, a highly skilled fighter working as a vigilante with his sights on taking down all criminals in Chile. From the lowly petty criminal to the drug cartel leaders, Pardo hopes to serve crime victims and make up for the sins of his past.
I first watched this exciting rock ’em, sock ’em movie at Fantastic Fest last year. Because of the DVD/Blu-ray release of the film, I had the pleasure of viewing the film again to see how well it holds up for repeated viewings. I had a great time revisiting the movie and think it would make a great addition to any action flick fan’s movie collection. This is a movie that actually demands to be seen more than once. The incredible martial arts stunts by Marko Zaror and his on-screen challengers can be better appreciated when seen multiple times Even though Espinoza uses slow motion to highlight the stunning skills of Zaror and the other fighters in some scenes, some of the faster paced ones definitely require re-watching.
Espinoza, who collaborated with Gina Aguad and Guillermo Prieto on the script, has made a truly entertaining and thrilling action movie. Now, the story and plot don’t offer audiences anything dynamic or new, but one can’t deny how marvelous and exciting the action sequences are. Marko Zaror does an amazing job in his fight scenes and certainly has a charismatic presence on screen. The film also features fine performances by Loreto Aravena, Otilio Castro, Boris Smirnow, and Jose Luis Mosca. As the kingpin wannabe, Bradock. actor Noah Segan steals every scene in which he is featured. The hilarious comedic actor provides the necessary comic relief to lighten up some of the violence and carnage of the film.
Redeemer is now available to own on DVD and Blu-ray.