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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Taut. Tense. Fast-Paced. Breathless., January 19, 2009
24 REDEMPTION is an engrossing roller-coaster ride of suspense, thrills, excitement, and drama.
The episode, which sets the stage for season 8, finds Jack working in a peaceful African village serving a boys' school for an old friend. The situation quickly grows tense when guerrila troops of a rebel army begin to threaten the region. Jack is called into action to protect and deliver the youngsters from danger.
But there is much more than this at play. Jack is looking for peace, for resolution for his life; for redemption. The country he loves has taken everything from him but his life - and now he is wanted in America to stand trial before the U.S. Senate.
Restless, lonely, haunted, driven...can Jack ever find peace? Can he find salvation?
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2.0 out of 5 stars
No Relationships = No Real Drama, June 1, 2009
To me, one of the real strengths of the TV series "24" has been the show's ability to weave romantic relationships into the complex plots, intense scenarios, and "oh-my-gosh!" cliffhangers. Sure, fans love to see Jack Bauer get all intense and save the day, but when it comes right down to it, the Jack/Audrey, Tony/Michelle, Chloe/Edgar, and Karen/Bill (including others) relationships are really what drive forward the drama of any given season.
This TV-movie, produced because of the TV Writers strike of 2007-2008, contains all the key elements (intensity, interesting plot, etc.) of "24"'s past seasons minus that one crucial element: relationships. Basically, the plot centers on Jack Bauer, now a sort of missionary in Africa, who is once again pulled into a political struggle when a group of revolutionist attempt a military coupe on the country he resides in. At the same time, he is trying to keep himself one step ahead of the subpoena he is being served from the U.S. government for his previous interrogation techniques.
While Jack's new "line of work" in Africa is much different than any previous character development, it falls flat simply because he is, by-and-large, alone (CTU doesn't even show up in the film) for the duration. He's just as heroic and eccentric as ever, but it really doesn't builds towards anything besides a contrived method to lead into Season Seven. In all honesty, I found the scenes involving the transition of power from President Noah Daniels to newcomer President-Elect Allison Taylor to be the most compelling of the entire two-hour period, as they really do set the groundwork for the upcoming season.
Thus, although I realize that the "24" production crew was hamstrung by the writers strike and may have hit a bit of a writing roadblock as a result, I still found "Redemption" to be uninspiring and little more than a place holder between seasons six and seven. Strangely, I like the implied direction that the show is taking heading into its seventh effort, but I just didn't enjoy this two-hour path to get there. I'm ready to get back to the CTU-driven, Jack Bauer-intensive, relationship-driven drama I have come to expect and love from this program.
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5.0 out of 5 stars
Catching up was great, April 30, 2009
I missed this one on regularly scheduled TV. Just wish I had realized it was available free on FOX website, but the show was still good.
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