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Gary Dourdan deserves higher. The previous “CSI” star, additionally identified for “Alien: Resurrection,” has a robust display screen presence that implies one thing deeper beneath the floor. Sadly, his star flip within the abduction thriller “Redemption Day,” the function directing debut of Moroccan producer Hicham Hajji, isn’t the device to excavate that one thing. Though Hajji has assembled a formidable supporting solid, together with Andy Garcia, Martin Donovan, Ernie Hudson and Canadian actress Serinda Swan, the script by Hajji, Sam Chouia and Lemore Syvan is dreadfully uninteresting and underdeveloped, ridden with bland, limply delivered dialogue. There’s not a thrill to be discovered on this ostensible thriller, a rote kidnapping train taped along with digital blood spatter and an excessively dramatic rating, vaguely gesturing at world crises from 5 years in the past.
Dourdan is Brad Paxton, a former Marine haunted by nightmares of an support mission gone awry in Syria. His spouse, Kate (Swan), is an archaeologist who has lately found an historic metropolis below the Moroccan desert she’s hoping will reveal essential discoveries in regards to the origins of human life. Brad encourages Kate to make the journey, nevertheless it’s not 24 hours earlier than he receives the decision that she’s been kidnapped by a French Algerian terrorist impressed by the Islamic State, Jaafar El Hadi (Samy Naceri), after she wandered throughout the Algerian border. For Brad, a hostage negotiator, meaning it’s time to mount up and rescue his spouse.
It’s your fundamental save-the-girl story, with all of the obstacles and allies alongside the way in which you may anticipate, together with the sheen of a cheapie direct-to-video motion flick. The fight sequences have all of the intrigue of watching another person play “Call of Duty”; the few battle scenes are profoundly leaden. Even the tech dude who must be the comedian reduction by no means delivers any jokes (other than referring to himself as “XL Neo”). The wildly inconsistent manufacturing values from scene to scene make it really feel like two completely different motion pictures. There are computer-enhanced explosions, in addition to many, many, lengthy, intensive drone photographs of assorted autos driving throughout the desert, however the State of affairs Room appears like they stole a shot within the nook of a mid-budget lodge enterprise heart, after which doubled that for the press briefing set.
You retain ready for a twist that by no means comes, or one thing extra to be revealed (and there are alternatives), however no, it’s easy the entire means via. Kidnapping, ransom, movies of bloodied hostages quaking earlier than swords, Navy SEALs capturing the place up, and many others. There’s some opaque dialogue in regards to the affect of the oil foyer on the rescue, because the cigar-chomping American ambassador (Garcia) and a sniveling diplomat of kinds (Donovan) hesitate to behave as a result of it would assist some sort of oil deal. It’s by no means fairly defined, regardless of opening title playing cards proclaiming the facility and significance of oil, and an inexplicable Eleventh-hour look from a Foghorn Leghorn-accented oil lobbyist in full Colonel Sanders get-up who confirms its undue affect.
It’s straightforward to harp on the manufacturing points that plague “Redemption Day” as a result of there’s not a lot else to consider with a narrative this flat. There aren’t any character arcs for these heroes. They act as you anticipate them to, leaving you to marvel if any important private development occurred earlier than the occasions depicted within the movie. Even the title is confounding: “Redemption Day”? For whom? For what? These are the existential questions you may be asking your self because the credit roll.
Katie Walsh is a Tribune Information Service movie critic.
‘Redemption Day’
Rated: R, for violence and language
Operating time: 1 hour 39 minutes
Enjoying: Jan. 8 solely, Enviornment Cinelounge Drive-in, Hollywood; begins Jan. 8 in restricted launch the place theaters are open; obtainable Jan. 12 on digital and VOD
