24: Redemption
24: Redemption brings Jack Bauer back to screen with some solid action, but tries to get a conscience in just two hours too.
- Published by David Knox
- on
- Filed under Programming, Reviews
Clocking in at just two, rather than twenty-four hours, this adventure takes place between the hours of 3pm and 5pm. “All events take place in real time” says the Kiefer Sutherland voice-over.
The telemovie (to air in the US this Sunday), is positioned to tantalise viewers before the delayed premiere of the seventh season next January. It’s certainly exhilarating to have Jack Bauer back on our screens, but given we’ve been waiting a year it’s odd to think they went to all this trouble when the real thing is now only two months away.
Aside from the time excisions, there is a lot that has changed here. There’s no CTU. No Chloe. No Bill Buchanan or Audrey Raines. Instead of being set somewhere outside Los Angeles, Jack finds himself in the fictional African country of Sangala. Here to visit a friend Carl Benton (Robert Carlyle) who runs a school for rescued child soldiers, Bauer keeps insisting he has no intentions of returning to the USA. He’s just looking for a bit of time out as a missionary. It ain’t gonna happen.
Sangala is in the middle of a military overthrow. Primary school-aged boys are rounded up by guerillas and trained to fight the enemy, which is anything that represents the west. You get the feeling that the 24 writers were planning on another outcome from the recent US election. One of the war-lords reminds the black children of Sangala that America makes slaves of their kind. Guess he hadn’t heard they also make presidents.
Running parallel with the African story is the inauguration of American’s next president, Allison Taylor (Cherry Jones). With her Hillary-style hairdo, it’s another indicator the writers expected the election to take a different turn.
Bauer is soon swept up in the rescue of children from violent war-lords and helping his friend Carl to get his children to the American embassy before a helicopter leaves. Touches of the fall of Saigon here….
In other minor roles are Jon Voight, the enigmatic Powers Booth and, ever so briefly, Peter MacNicol. Carlyle is effective in a supporting role, while the boy who plays the helpless Willy (pictured) is excellent.
With its sepia-soaked filters, the dusty, African scenes are brutal and necessarily hollow. With children wielding rifles, and screaming women and children, there are echoes of Blood Diamond and Hotel Rwanda. One can’t help but wonder after Hollywood has splashed Africa’s plight as popcorn entertainment whether it will resonate with any real world effect or not (the official 24 website does have links to “Stop Child Soldiers”, “Malaria No More” and “UNICEF”).
The action scenes for Jack Bauer are what the audience is here for, and they do deliver even if there is a moral lesson on the human condition along for the ride.
The political intrigue set in Washington drops the ball of what should have been an effective action flick. 24 is always ripping for its conspiracy theories, and Machiavellian characters. Spliced into a two hour (90 minute) telemovie, they have no breathing space, and serve as little more than set-up for the forthcoming seventh season. America is getting a new president, but something’s rotten in the District of Colombia.
For all it ambitions, 24: Redemption is entertaining enough, but really only serves to remind us why we love Jack Bauer and why we want him back for an extra 22 hours. If you can’t wait until 2009, it’s worth stopping your clock for.
24: Redemption airs in the first week of December on Seven.
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16 Responses
oh, been meaning to ask; are their promos on 7 yet? I’m yet to see any but I’m not a big 7 watcher but you’d think they’d start trying to ring in some interest…
cant wait cant wait cant wait cant wait cant wait cant wait cant wait cant wait cant wait cant wait cant wait cant wait!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Man i wish it wasn’t just two hours 🙁 but given I haven’t seen Jack for almost a year I’ll take what I can get!!! :):) I love them for making this; definitely a fan rewards. Kiefer says in pretty much every interview I’ve seen that he thanks the fans first for letting them be on the air for so long so I feel like they did this with us in mind :):) Can’t wait!! :):)
Mike I don’t mind if you disagree with the review, but I didn’t make any claims about the inclusion of President Palmer (or his brother) in earlier seasons, both of which I’ve seen. I was alluding to the fact that Redemption’s plot seemed to be mirroring the inauguration of a Hillary-style winner, which didn’t happen in real life. It’s great to have Jack back and will be even greater when it’s a full series.
Typical Australian reviewer, being sceptical about it’s political motives, and letting it get in the way of a good story!
“You get the feeling that the 24 writers were planning on another outcome from the recent US election. One of the war-lords reminds the black children of Sangala that America makes slaves of their kind.”
…that doesn’t make sense. That was said by one of the warlords? So that’s clearly made out to be an enemy of America, a character the viewer is made not to like, and yet you’re saying that the writers were trying to make the viewer empathise with him here???
“With her Hillary-style hairdo, it’s another indicator the writers expected the election to tak a different turn.”
…Oops, silly mistake, hairstyles are supposed to be off limits!
You obviously haven’t seen 24 before, they’ve had an african-american president long before it happened in reality! 😉
24’s brilliance is that it addresses issues of both left and right without bias. You need to learn how to do the same! Or are you being judgmental just because it’s from ‘Fox’?
David – There is no should apart it… trust me… I’m a huge 24 fan… season 7 WILL be 24 episodes…
I can’t wait for this!! I didn’t read the whole story either, just skimmed it.
Finally, 24 is coming back.
Yes, I can’t wait new series of 24 and I have been watching season 1. I saw the preview of Redemption and its looks good!! Yay thank you C7 for fasttrack from US.
That’s it, we’re all going to David’s house for a BBQ and screening
Having had to live through most of this year 24-less I hope that Redemption is worth the wait.
S7 should be 24 eps. The “extra 22” line refers to the fact the telemovie is 2 hours in his day, we enjoy the full 24.
Rich, yes having a review ahead of the US was a good get -and all with network approval.
Africa; yawn.
Marco – No, season 7 is still 24 episodes long. this telemovie is going meant to be served as a prequel to season 7 to fill in the gaps between season 6 and 7… like they have done in the past but only had the prequel exclusive to the DVDs…
I for one think it’s great they decided to make this telemovie for the fans, as they said they wanted to do something for the fans seeing as it’s been so long since we last saw Jack on our screens.
David, nice review, only a couple more days! By the way, how did you manage to score this before all the yanks?
“For all it ambitions, 24: Redemption is entertaining enough, but really only serves to remind us why we love Jack Bauer and why we want him back for an extra 22 hours. If you can’t wait until 2009, it’s worth stopping your clock for.”
Is S7 22 eps long or 24?
For a second there looking at the photo i was wondering if it was a parallel universe where Jack Bauer was only 3ft tall.
I can’t wait, I didn’t read the whole story as I don’t want to be spoilt too much, good thing ch7 decided to air it this year and not just before the next season.