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.
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.