We often receive kids' DVDs to review with the Madhouse Mini-Testers but it's been lovely to get some more grown-up titles to review lately too. Last night, we settled down to watch Hummingbird. Now the word hummingbird immediately evokes beauty, smallness and above all fragility. That's certainly not a word that you would associate with Joey Jones, the central character in the film.
The action starts off in the bleak underworld of London's homeless population. Joey, who is an ex-serviceman on the run from a court martial, his girlfriend Isabel and his fellow street-sleepers are at the mercy of the Tax Collectors, who use violence and intimidation to take the few possessions (mainly drugs) that they own. After one particularly violent altercation, Joey breaks into an empty appartment in Covent Garden to escape the thugs chasing him.
When he discovers a credit card and PIN number in the mail, a wardrobe full of designer suits and some car keys, he gets an unexpected chance to reinvent himself. Despite being down on his luck, he's basically a good guy so he deserves a break. He doesn't get one though. When he goes looking for his girlfriend, enlisting the help of Sister Christina, a nun that he knows from the homeless soup kitchen, he discovers that she has been brutally murdered after being sucked into prostitution.
Instead of a happy ending, he finds himself set on a new path, hellbent on revenge and using his military training to become an enforcer in London's criminal underworld. Sister Christina acts as his mirror image - an incarnation of goodness with a sliver of blackness at the core, whereas he seems more of a ruthless thug with a nice-guy underneath trying to break free - so the two are drawn together in unexpected ways, trying to set each other on the right path to redemption.
The film offers a gritty, realistic look at life in the nocturnal underword of London. It has multi-faceted characters and a believable storyline and, although it is violent, it's not gratuitous or overly graphic. We really enjoyed it. Definitely not one for the kids though - the 15 rating is there for a reason.
star rating : 4.5/5
- Actors: Jason Statham (The Transporter, Expendables), Senem Temiz, Vicky McClure (Broadchurch)
- Directors: Steven Knight (Dirty Pretty Things, Eastern Promises)
- Classification: 15
- Studio: Lions Gate Home Entertainment UK Ltd
- DVD Release Date: 21 Oct 2013
- Run Time: 100 minutes
Disclosure : We received a copy of the DVD in order to write an honest review.
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Great review - I love Jason Statham's films.
ReplyDeleteI just watched it. A gripping story. It proves we all have a vulnerable side
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