MADE FOR TV SPOTLIGHT: 24:Redemption

24: Redemption

Rated NR
Running Time: 2 hrs (on TV)
TV Premiere Date: November 22nd

Cast:

Kiefer Sutherland
Jon Voight
Cherry Jones
Colm Feore
Powers Boothe

The Premise:

While helping his old friend Carl Benton (Robert Carlyle) build houses for the poor in Africa, Jack Bauer (Kiefer Sutherland) gets caught in the middle of a military coup. Back in the United States, Allison Taylor (Cherry Jones) prepares to be sworn in as president. Filmed on location in South Africa, this stand-alone movie serves as a bridge between the sixth and seventh seasons of the popular show "24" and co-stars Gil Bellows and Jon Voight.

MY REVIEW

Oh gosh, SO glad this show is back! This is technically a Made for TV movie and that qualifies for a review from me. You don't like that I count made for TV movies in my movie tally...that's just way to bad. This isn't an official site, I'm not a paid reviewer, I do this for fun. Get over it! So with that in mind...I LOVED this movie!!

This film covers for us what happened after the season six finale of the hit action-drama "24" aobout a year and half ago. The show's seventh season was given the boot last January due to the dismal writers strike, so we haven't had any 24 since May of 2007! WAY to long! I will be the first to admit, season 6 was probably the weakest of the shows running. Season 5 wasn't all that better. The first 3 seasons were simply unbelievably great, and the 4th was pretty awesome itself. What "24: Redemption" has done...has redeemed the show. It made up for the cruddy past couple years. And it did it in just 2 measly real-time hours.

To those who don't know, the first few seasons of 24 is an action-drama that follows Agent Jack Bauer (Kiefer Sutherland) who works for CTU (Counter Terrorism Unit) as he tries to foil terrorist attacks on US soil, mainly in Los Angelas. Each season takes place over the course of just one single day. Each episode takes place in an hour of real time for that day. So we have 24 episodes, hench the name...24. We have a ticking clock that pops up periodically through each episode letting us know what time it is. At the beginning of each episode it tells us what current hour the following episode will show us.

Jack Bauer is this generations Chuck Norris, but a whole hell of a lot cooler! He does whatever he can to save the day, even if that means shooting innocent women in the kneecaps. Yes, he has done this. Or excecuting his own boss to delay an awful attack on the city. The man has been through a lot, and has received nothing in return for the government he works for. Last we saw Jack he was fed up with the people that used and abused him over the years (or days??). They let jack get taken prisoner for a 18 months by the Chinese government. They used Jack as bait several times, and were prepared to have him killed. Because of these people he works for, he lost his wife (who who shockingly killed at the end of season one) and has become estranged from his daughter (Elisha Cuthbert) Now Jack isn't all that innocent. He's brutally tortured some mean people to get information. He shoots people on a constant basis, I think he's killed over 75 people over 6 seasons (days). The guy is a mad man, he's freakin' nuts...but simply put he is a true American hero.

To watch the 24 movie you actually need no real background to the previous seasons. I mean you will need a slight tutorial on the life of Jack Bauer (which I just explained above) and a bit about the governmental characters. Speaking of which, 24 breaks ground when it comes to Presidents. They just don't care. The now assasinated President Palmer (Dennis Haysbert) from seasons 1-4 was the real first black president! And now we are introduced to a new president...a woman (Cherry Jones). Meanwhile we learn Jack is in Africa helping his good friend with a school while the Sengala (a fictional city in Africa) army threat is growing as they start to recruit child soldiers. Blah blah blah...and Jack is forced to help save the day. And boy does he! This comes with a price though. He's also forced to return to the US to stand trial for the acts of torture he commited many years ago.

This movie kicked butt! Such a great story, perfectly fit for 24. I feel like this movie brought the show back to it's roots, maybe even better. I'll tell ya, when Jack blew up a car for the first real action scene, I was pumped! THen he took out six or seven soldiers all by himself with his little gun. Oh gosh then he snapped a guys neck with his legs while he was tied up by the arms. I'm not kidding guys, this show and this movie is intense and action packed! Kiefer Sutherland rocked it as Bauer once again! This character has gone through so much and Sutherland is excellent at playing this role. I cannot picture anyone else doing it.

This movie is now on DVD actually, and I think you guys should check it out even if you have never seen the show! You may very well become a fan, and start watching when the show itself premiers in January! I for one and freakin' excited!

Mikey @ The Movies Official Rating: ***** out of *****

*This is the 149th new film I've seen and reviewed this year.

*This film is now on DVD.