Technical
assessment: 3
Moral assessment: 2.5
MTRCB rating:
R 13
CINEMA rating V 18
Jason
Statham is Joey Smith (or Jones), a damaged ex-Special Forces soldier on the
run from a military court-martial. The trauma of Afghanistan has left him hiding
in London’s dark underbelly, given to drink and drugs. While running away from some
thugs one night, he escapes into an apartment in Covent Garden, and finding
that the occupant will be away for some time, he assumes the owner’s identity
and decides to clean up his act and get a job. With the help of Sister Cristina
(Agata Buzek), a young nun who dispenses food for London’s vagrants, he begins
to redeem himself. But when his girlfriend Isabel (Victoria Bewick) is
viciously killed, he has to confront not only his demons but also London's
criminal underworld, and in the process turns into an avenging angel.
Although Jason Statham is identified as an action
star, Hummingbird (a.k.a. Redemption) is not your
run-of-the-mill gangster movie. Yes, you see Jason in some well-choreographed fight
scenes, but the focus here is a damaged man’s search for redemption in a
terribly cruel and broken world. Statham’s
Joey is conflicted yet can be tender, and is able to deliver more than punches. Agata
Buzek portrays Polish nun Sister Cristina adequately. The cinematography shows
the less known part of London with its own reality, texture and charm. The
music is passable, and editing is sharp, the story has a lot of
potential, but the film doesn’t quite gel. There
are too many implausibilities and underdeveloped characters, with the plot jumping
from one thing to another, preventing the film from becoming a truly
compelling opus.
Hummingbird is award-winning screenwriter Steven Knight’s directorial debut. It tries to be a
social commentary, among other things. War and its victims, including the
trauma and ordeal of soldiers after their tour of duty, drugs, human
trafficking, prostitution, broken homes, crisis of faith and religious
vocation, poverty and homelessness, sexual abuse, murder, the life of crime, violence,
etc., are shown in their ugly darkness.
The film can be an invitation to explore various
social problems for discussion, challenging the viewers to reflection and
consideration. One can also talk
about the Catholic faith and religious vocation while regarding with empathy the
actions of the two flawed and broken characters: Joey who has been through one
haunting hell after another and Cristina who is still rankling from a childhood
trauma. The “romance” between them
in fact springs more from a sense of gratitude in being heard and understood by
another soul than from the usual sensual attraction. Thus, their fleeting intimacy (prudently off camera) is
devoid of romantic notions, and does not at all suggest future encounters.
Hummingbird could lead viewers to
ask: Does a person’s past or
circumstance spell his present and future? Can it be an excuse for betrayal,
violence, revenge, despair, and questionable choices? Is doubt equivalent to
unbelief? Is integrity and truth opposed to love? Is chastity an option or a
gift? A nun is not once shown praying
or in communion with God; are nuns simply social workers with a veil? Is anyone or any situation beyond
change or redemption?
Hummingbird is a story of the
beginning of redemption, of recognizing one’s demons borne of the past and
shaping the present, and then moving on with resolve and hope for a better
morrow. In the Andes of South
America the hummingbird symbolizes resurrection. It seems to die on cold
nights, but comes back to life again at sunrise. If the choice of the movie title is any indication, then in
all probability the film means to give viewers the light of hope in the dark of
night. CINEMA rates the film V18 for
strong brutal violence and the delicate theme that could confuse morals.
