24: Redemption

Before I go into discussing the movie I have to warn you that I have never seen the TV show 24 despite it has some sort of cult following and it has even rebooted. Despite this it was still a nice TV action movie.

Jack Bauer (Kiefer Sutherland) is in Africa for finding some sort of peace with himself and works as a volunteer with his friend Carl Benton (Robert Carlyle) that built the school Okavango for helping war orphans: there is another reason why Bauer is in Africa and it's because he had to go the US Senate because he's been accused of violating human rights during some interrogations but he refused to go. In the meanwhile an undercover US organization is helping general Benjamin Juma (Tony Todd) and his army for organizing a coup d'etat, and Bauer has to stop them.

As I have never seen an episode of 24 I am naive. I didn't knew the events that supposedly happened in seasons 6 and 7 but kinda liked the movie nonetheless. The acting was very entertaining by all and it was nice seeing the African settings despite there were also some scenes tough to watch.

Not to be missed especially if you are into the show and if you never saw an episode of it like me, it's a good start.

"24: Redemption" was the result of the 2007 writers strike, designed to be a prequel to season 7. As such, it has half its attention on setup (new president, conspiracy, etc) and that's actually its weaker half.

It's much better when it's focused on Jack Bauer, laying low in Africa and suddenly tasked with saving a school full of children from conscription into a dictator's army. This, as he's sought to testify before a Senate subcommittee.

Without the confines of the clock (it's told from 3-5pm, but that's rather loose) there's actually more room for him to breathe as a character, as a person. Kiefer's scenes with compatriot Robert Carlyle are among the best and the price he pays to accomplish the mission (get those kids to the US Embassy) is profoundly sad. The argument still stands that he can't escape the life, but his sacrifice is real.

7/10

I must confess that I've never really watched the 24 television series too date, but that didn't in the least inhibit my enjoyment of '24 Redemption'. In recent years, a great many espionage-thriller films have been touted as being 'realistic' and gritty...the Bourne trilogy, Mission Impossible 3 and Casino Royale the most prominent among these. But '24 Redemption' goes beyond mere pseudo-realistic presentation by bringing us virtually as close to the real world as a documentary. The military coup that engulfs the fictitious African nation of Zangala is no campy world domination scheme...its the kind of situation you could very well find yourself staring at in the evening news.

But the realistic element reaches its zenith in the depiction of the protagonist Jack Bauer. Again, I'm not as familiar with Sutherland's character as I'd like to be, so I don't know how he's been portrayed in the past. But Jack Bauer as seen in this film, comes across not so much as a badass super-agent/action hero (ala Jason Bourne or Ethan Hunt) but rather as a very human character...a soldier weary of war, running away from the ghosts of his past and yet finding himself confronted by even more violence. He is both emotionally and physically a vulnerable individual. Quiet unlike the steely countenance of Bourne of the outward flamboyance of James Bond, Bauer's reactions to the situations he faces in this film are deeply rooted in his emotions. True, he is every bit the professional soldier too...but ultimately, a human being.

'24 Redemption' may not be the most entertaining thriller out there...but if you want to watch a movie about the kind of action hero who CAN exist in real life, defusing the kind of situation which CAN arise in the real world; if only for the novelty if nothing else...then this is the ideal film!

A full length episode of 24, but does it work? Well, I can't help it, but this seems to be kind of rushed. The script and story aren't as good as it should be. I felt kind of bored watching this.

Jack seems to be a bit "overpowered" and he seems to have a gift to dodge bullets. Okay I know this happens in a lot, but they kind of over do it here.

I like the way that it is real time. Unlike in the series, it seems like it is possible to do all the things they do in the given time period. It doesn't feel the 24ish though, one of the most vital part of 24 CTU is not involved in the movie at all.

With that said, it is not that bad. It seems like quite a nice start of the 7th season, and it is nice to get into more details about what has happened between the two seasons. They didn't max out the potential of the movie, the script and story was in my opinion a bit dull.

But if you like the series and plan to follow the 7th season, be sure to check this one out.

Redemption is fundamentally a prequel to season 7 . Set 18 months where Season 6 of '24' left off, two-fisted, former government agent Jack Bauer (Kiefer Sutherland) is in a self-imposed exile in the fictitious African country of Sangala where he hopes to escape from a U. S. investigation of him for his past methods , and to run from his past. Bauer works at a mission school for orphaned children run by his friend Carl Benton (Robert Carlyle) . The country is at the mercy of a villain warlord general named Juma (Tony Todd) who is plotting a coup to overthrow the government and his right-hand man , rogue Colonel Dubaku (Haakem Kazin) , is abducting orphan boys . Jack Bauer confronts nasty African general/aspiring dictator Benjamin Juma, whose forces have been ordered to capture the children Bauer oversees for malicious military training. Bauer and Benton must work together to save the dozen or so boys and try to get them out of the country before Juma takes over. Meanwhile in Washington D. C., it is Inauguration Day where the outgoing President Noah Daniels (Powers Boothe) is handing over the presidency to the first female president Allison Taylor (Cherry Jones). Hearing about the coup, Daniels wants to evacuate the country before it falls to the ominous general, while Taylor thinks otherwise. Elsewhere, Taylor's son Roger (Eric Lively) and his girlfriend Samantha (Carly Pope) get wind of information from a friend about suspicious money transactions where he works at a local brokerage firm. But neither he or Roger are aware that a corrupt corporate mogul, Jonas Hodges (John Voight) , is scheming with General Juma to overthrow the government for monetary purposes and will do anything to keep his nefarious plans under wraps. Save the day !. Hope has a fighting chance !. History will be made, a new enemy will rise, and the only hope to stop him has disappeared... until now !. To the world, he's dead. But soon, he'll become the most wanted man alive !. The terror alert level has just been raised !. Every Second Counts !. A new day begins !. He's tried to escape it. He's tried to silence it !. But for Jack Bauer...instinct never dies !. Who do you trust when the people who are sworn to protect you, conspire against you? !. To stop these attacks Jack Bauer has to be sacrificed !.

This 24: Redemption(2008) belong to 24 (2001-2010) series stars Kiefer Sutherland asJack Bauer (195 episodes, 2001-2010) , Mary Lynn Rajskub , Carlos Bernard , Dennis Haysbert , Elisha Cuthbert , James Morrison , among others . In this concept drama, each season takes place within one 24 hour period . In 24 Kiefer Sutherland gives a nice acting as counter Terrorism Agent Jack Bauer who races against the clock to subvert terrorist plots and save his nation from ultimate disaster. And in 24: Redemption(2008) Jack must face the toughest challenge and events of the film taking place between seasons six and seven of the series, and are continued in season seven , the opening sequence marks the first time in the history of the series events did not transpire in real time and it takes place between 3:00 p.m. GMT (10:00 a.m. Eastern Time) and 5:00 p.m. GMT (12:00 p.m. Eastern Time). Dealing with continuous coups in the ungovernable countries of Africa and a relentless denounce against the forcibly recruiting kiddies into African armies and their brainwashing and their obligation to kill enemies . Stars a very good cast , such as : Cherry Jones as President-Elect Allison Taylor ,Powers Boothe as ex-President , Bob Gunton , Colm Feore , Robert Carlyle , Jon Voight , Peter MacNicol , Gil Bellows , Hakeem Kae-Kazim , Isaach De Bankole, Kris Lemche , Eric Lively, Carly Pope , Sebastian Roché , Sean Cameron Michael , Tony Todd , among others .

This telefilm was lavishly produced by Brannon Braga, Manny Coto, David Fury, Paul Gadd , Alex Gansa, Howard Gordon and well directed by Jon Cassar (Forsaken, Terra Nova, Between , Nikita, Daybreak , When the Bough Breaks) who made several episodes of the successful series . While filming the first episode of the 24 (2001) fourth season, he filmed the opening CTU scenes in such a way that the audience first sees the changes made to the building at the same time Jack Bauer does. Cassar has a strong friendship with 24 star and fellow Canadian Kiefer Sutherland. After Sutherland won the 2006 SAG Award for best actor in a drama, he gave the trophy to Cassar as a sign of his appreciation.