This Friday (April 6th) Redemption — written and directed by Tom Russell — will appear in select theaters. (The movie’s official site and Facebook page have more information)
Redemption is based on a true story involving a convicted criminal sent into exile and a lawman who is conflicted about how to treat him. How do you respect someone’s humanity while respecting the demands of justice at the same time?
Redemption originally screened at the LDS Film Festival in January — here’s my original write-up where I gave it a B at the time. (It’s a borderline B+, all things considering; some of the weird tangents and choppy editing rubbed me the wrong way, along with sound issues that probably weren’t the fault of the film.)
I’m moderately surprised the film got a PG rating, and apparently without any cuts. I thought the (admittedly limited) violence and general tone were more in line with a PG-13 film. Regardless, Redemption is an excellent film that’s worthy of support (even though I’d still consider leaving the young kids at home).
Below is the official trailer:
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This Week in Mormon Literature, April 20, 2012 | Dawning of a Brighter Day says:
April 20, 2012 at 6:14 pm (UTC 0)
[...] LDS Cinema Online: B. Redemption is a solid and moving film with a resonant theme, amply supported by some strong performances. As a writer, Russell plays the two main characters correctly: neither the “hero” or the “villain” are portrayed in black-and-white manner, and the ‘grayness’ of humanity, in fact, becomes the thrust of the story. Heath is a decent guy who does what is right, but he’s been involved in violent encounters where the “right” and “wrong” may be in question. Maybe he needs forgiveness and mercy as well? . . . Redemption is not perfect. Whether due to theater audio issues or a strong accent or both, a fair amount of Jean Baptiste’s dialogue was unintelligible for me; an obstacle when Baptiste’s dialogue forms a core part of the film’s message. Russell also uses some strange camera angles and haphazard editing that disrupt the flow of the film. Many scenes seem to start or end a second or two too quickly, while others linger two seconds too long without any reason behind it. The story and performances are strong, but to me the directorial and editing style detracted from the film rather than added . . . Flaws aside, Redemption is a solid, thought-provoking film that has a positive message about charity and compassion for everyone.” [...]