Please, please, please, Dolph. Pick your projects more wisely from now on. I realize you're stuck in STD land, but you have talent! Not Oscar winning talent obviously, but he has presence for an action star. This is virtually unwatchable garbage, which is tailor made for Steven Seagal. I don't like beginnings of a movie where the hero narrates the opening, and reveals what it is to come. I also had a feeling it wouldn't exactly end the way they claimed it would at the beginning, and I had to wait over 70 minutes for a couple of lousy twists at the ending? This was ostensibly filmed for 2 million. Did Dolph need the cash that bad? This clocks in at just over 78 minutes long. It honestly felt like over two hours with how bad it was. There were times I literally focused on other things, because I was so bored. It's utterly cheap, and it was filmed in L.A. We get plenty of boring shootouts with very little fight scenes. One fight scene made me feel like I was tripping with how bizarre it was. Dolph encounters a Cynthia Rothrock wannabe, in a dominatrix outfit. She uses a chain to fight with, because I guess they felt it would be kinky or something, I don't know. The ending is shot in what looks to be a junkyard of sorts. Instead of being filled with emotion, we get a few measly shootouts. Dolph Lundgren seems to be phoning it in here. I don't blame him one bit. His character also disappears for some stretches as well, which made my boredom even worse. His character is a bit of an anti-hero, but it's poorly written. When Lundgren seems bored, you know you're in trouble. Billy Zane looks like he wants to get this over and done with. He is supposed to be a main character, but he barely shows any emotion, and sleepwalks through his part. Vinnie Jones knows he's in a piece of crap, so he decides to ham it up like no tomorrow, and he got on my nerves. Robert Davi embarrasses himself with a laughable English accent, at least that's what it sounded like to me. Why was he in this film again? Paycheck talks and BS walks, I guess.

Final Thoughts: What was the point of this? It's boring beyond belief, and I can't see why anyone would wanna put themselves through this torture. I like Lundgren, but this is as bad as some of Seagal's STD stinkers. Even die-hard Lundgren fans will be bored.

DUD

What drew me into seeing 'Blood of Redemption' in the first place? The reasonably likeable cast, a potentially intriguing story and that it was part of my low budget completest quest and popped up in my recommended for you section. Was also a bit apprehensive, with a less than favourable rating and generally reviews that were lukewarm at best.

'Blood of Redemption', when checking it out, certainly could have been much worse. There are definitely worse films about, of the genre and overall. Is it a good film let alone a great one? Not even close. Did it use its potential? No. Is it that bad? Not quite. Does it has redeeming qualities? Yes, but not many. To me, while having learnt not to trust ratings and not worry about going against the grain (though am in the minority here who respects critics opinions and tend to be on the same, or slightly above or below, page as them),the rating is about right and do have to agree with the criticisms here.

Dolph Lundgren, Billy Zane and Gianni Capaldi do serviceable jobs and are the reasons as to why 'Blood of Redemption' wasn't any worse, Lundgren being the best thing of the film.

Some of the story intrigued, namely the early stages, and the music while not the most memorable is at least listenable.

Unfortunately, Vinnie Jones and Robert Davi are poorly served and used. Jones overdoes it and shouts his way through a stock character and Davi is saddled with a clearly fake accent and spends the whole time looking uninterested. None of the characters are developed enough and are very difficult to get behind. 'Blood of Redemption' looks cheap, especially the badly organised and sometimes incomprehensible editing and catastrophically awful visual effects, so fake looking and doesn't blend well with the setting at all. The action is both dull and chaotic, there is nothing exciting and it's choreographed with no enthusiasm or finesse.

The script is too talky and has no tautness, the pace is flabby and the story gets far too complicated with the twists not being that much of a surprise. The direction seemed indicative of lack of experience or ease.

Overall, not horrendous but severely lacking in many areas. 3/10 Bethany Cox

BLOOD OF REDEMPTION is one of those cheap, digital-looking B-movie thrillers that manages to amass an old-time cast and generally wastes them in a predictable and occasionally nonsensical storyline. The only reason I got any enjoyment out of it whatsoever is that I enjoy seeing once-great actors at work and I don't mind the action thriller genre either. This one starts out on a complex level, with an ageing Billy Zane betrayed by elders and forced to go on the run with the aid of an old buddy, as played by action hero Dolph Lundgren. Vinnie Jones pops up as the shouty villain of the hour while Roberts Davi and Miano play old-time gangsters. There's a wealth of violent action complete with CGI blood spatter and the like, while the film is generally dark and dingy and unsurprising.