24: Redemption (2008 TV Movie) User Reviews (36)

Globe-trotting Bauer

[Mr-Fusion · 7/10 · 22 May 2017]

"24: Redemption" was the result of the 2007 writers strike, designed to be a prequel to season 7. As such, it has half its attention on setup (new president, conspiracy, etc) and that's actually its weaker half.

It's much better when it's focused on Jack Bauer, laying low in Africa and suddenly tasked with saving a school full of children from conscription into a dictator's army. This, as he's sought to testify before a Senate subcommittee.

Without the confines of the clock (it's told from 3-5pm, but that's rather loose) there's actually more room for him to breathe as a character, as a person. Kiefer's scenes with compatriot Robert Carlyle are among the best and the price he pays to accomplish the mission (get those kids to the US Embassy) is profoundly sad. The argument still stands that he can't escape the life, but his sacrifice is real.

7/10

A Realistic Look at the Political Thriller

[sanddragon939 · 8/10 · 30 January 2012]

I must confess that I've never really watched the 24 television series too date, but that didn't in the least inhibit my enjoyment of '24 Redemption'. In recent years, a great many espionage-thriller films have been touted as being 'realistic' and gritty...the Bourne trilogy, Mission Impossible 3 and Casino Royale the most prominent among these. But '24 Redemption' goes beyond mere pseudo-realistic presentation by bringing us virtually as close to the real world as a documentary. The military coup that engulfs the fictitious African nation of Zangala is no campy world domination scheme...its the kind of situation you could very well find yourself staring at in the evening news.

But the realistic element reaches its zenith in the depiction of the protagonist Jack Bauer. Again, I'm not as familiar with Sutherland's character as I'd like to be, so I don't know how he's been portrayed in the past. But Jack Bauer as seen in this film, comes across not so much as a badass super-agent/action hero (ala Jason Bourne or Ethan Hunt) but rather as a very human character...a soldier weary of war, running away from the ghosts of his past and yet finding himself confronted by even more violence. He is both emotionally and physically a vulnerable individual. Quiet unlike the steely countenance of Bourne of the outward flamboyance of James Bond, Bauer's reactions to the situations he faces in this film are deeply rooted in his emotions. True, he is every bit the professional soldier too...but ultimately, a human being.

'24 Redemption' may not be the most entertaining thriller out there...but if you want to watch a movie about the kind of action hero who CAN exist in real life, defusing the kind of situation which CAN arise in the real world; if only for the novelty if nothing else...then this is the ideal film!

Jack is back...But with a twist?

[SoloHero5 · 8/10 · 23 November 2008]

Of course 24 fans around the world were devastated with the writers strike and in turn the postponed "day 7" of 24, but instead of us fans having to endure another month of suspense and agony waiting on the arrival of the seventh season of 24, we were given a 24 (made for T.V.) movie known as 24 Redemption and yes Jack is back, but with some minute differences.

Some critics might say the fight scenes were "poorly" choreographed, the special effects might not have been special enough, or there just wasn't enough action. We need to remember the season finally of day 6 and how Jack literally now has nothing. The writers are clearly emphasizing on Jacks personal rehabilitation and personal change in other words even though we thought impossible they are in fact adding more drama to start us off which isn't necessarily a bad thing. The writers decided to aim at a different target and in a different location, but by God the hit the bull's eye.

Violence and surprises are defiantly a factor in the near "24" future and us fans can't wait...Also (I won't spoil it just in case you don't know, but you should already know) some of Jacks old friends are back, one important one in particular.

I hope this has been useful for you.

Thumbs up to Kiefer Sutherland for giving us a brilliant performance.

[maine_310 · 9/10 · 10 March 2009]

The opening sequence caught my attention and it was a completely different production style for "24", which makes this different from all the other seasons.

Jack Bauer has had many hectic days in his lifetime. Still Kiefer Sutherland manages to make you walk each scene with him.

!**(SPOILERS)**!

I loved the reveal in the beginning, when the boy stole his knife. In this short time I managed to care about Jack's friend and the children, which was why I loved this installment. Though I believed at first that his friend acted carelessly when he stepped on that land mine and it became obvious that they only placed him there to get rid of the army of men after Jack, but still, I felt Jack's loss. His expression when he realized that the blast he heard meant the end of his friend's life was beautifully played.

I actually love these kinds of story lines. I loved the color differentiation from Africa to the US. When in Africa there was the orange color and in the US-blue, which separated each location.

I loved this installment. The only thing I had a problem with was the short time used to warm up to some characters that died in the end and the boy that Jack refused to kill who kept repeating that one-liner from the opening scene; it was just too corny for me. Other than that I actually picture an interesting day. At some points I actually forget that all of these action sequences occur in one day. I am definitely looking forward for the next episode. This was actually a big risk for "24", taking on a different production style, set in South Africa, because at the end of the day it all comes down to whether or not the viewers would be able to adapt to this kind of plot line and I would say the writers pulled it off, I certainly enjoyed it.

___________________________ Four out of Five stars ___________________________

24 is back!

[craigy101 · 8/10 · 27 November 2008]

24 is back! 24 is back with this 2hour special 'bridge' between series 6 and 7, which sees ex CTU Agent Jack Bauer in a war torn African nation hiding from the crimes he committed whilst saving the United States in the previous seasons of 24.

The past is catching up with Jack after the US discover his location and subpoena him to the US court. However, strife and trouble are never to far away as the country in which Jack is hiding is facing a military coup, and he gets involved in helping the school children of an old friend to safety, played by a pleasant appearance of Robert Carlyle.

Jack must rely on his unique skills once again as things quickly turn bad, and the viewer once again treated to the intense flurry of suspense, corruption and pure action that can only be 24.

I won't go into anymore plot details, as not to spoil the film for anymore else, but be prepared for a fantastic 90min of fun that sets up very nicely indeed to the new 7th season of 24.

Craig

A 102-Minute Rendering of Material Inherently Designed for Hours and Hours of Television Over Months

[jzappa · 7/10 · 11 December 2008]

If Rodney Dangerfield were alive, hardened and seasoned as a government agent, he would be Jack Bauer. Jack don't get no respect. Without spoiling the sixth season for those who have yet to watch it, our world-class hero Jack, always the odd one out, is now in a fictional African country, helping his old friend, played by the wonderful Robert Carlyle, with missionary work, trying to heal his staggering emotional wounds with peace. He has been served a subpoena to appear before the U.S. Senate concerning torture charges, but declines to go. A U.S. State Department official hints that the Embassy will cut funding for the school if Carlyle goes on protecting Jack, so Jack decides to leave. If that's not enough, he winds up stuck in the middle of a bloody military coup.

Redemption is entertaining and well-acted, and it certainly primes us for the seventh season. Nonetheless I can see why it has been a very long process preparing the theatrical 24 film. Redemption maintains the real-time structural element, which the theatrical film reportedly will not have, but either way, 24 is a series that has transcended the conceivable scope of the feature motion picture. The character archs, gigantic sequence of unravelings and long-term investment in the characters is inherently designed for hours and hours of television. Redemption, on the other hand, is only an hour and forty minutes, which even still is twenty minutes longer than the version that was broadcast on TV not including commercials.

Also, I am unsure of whether or not the creators wanted to have the opportunity to do a lone Jack Bauer piece, but using this TV film as objectivity, one can easily tell that one of the vital elements in the show's scaffolding is its colorful, deeply observed and brilliantly histrionic characters.

However, I am looking forward to Cherry Jones being president and hopefully being rid of Powers Boothe's weak and uncompromising president. And I hope Jon Voight doesn't play essentially the same character as he did in Enemy of the State.

Improves on day 6 and is a solid film for fans

[bob the moo · 21 December 2008]

It has been some time since we last saw Jack Bauer. The writer's strike saw him run out of tough things to say and a generally negative response to a weak season 6 has seen him leave America and travel the world. We join him in a non-existent African country where he is spending time with former brother in arms Carl, protecting children at the orphanage he has set up. It is not all helping and healing though as his past pursues him in the form of a subpoena from the US Government to face questioning on charges of prisoner abuse (damn these liberals). However, just as Jack packs up to leave the country and move on again, a coup begins and rebels come to snatch up the children to be soldiers. Meanwhile in the existing country of USA , the first female President is being sworn in while, in the background, figures are covertly supporting the coup for their own reasons.

Everyone has been saying how long a wait it has been since day 6 finished, using words like "impatiently" etc but for me (as a viewer since hour 1) I felt that the break was a good thing. Day 6 was such a lacklustre season and played like an exaggerated pastiche of itself that the break does feel like an opportunity to send the makers away to sit in the corner and think about what they have done - and don't come back till you're sorry! With this bridging special I did worry that we would continue the trend of Jack being the hub of everything in the world, perhaps with the coup either being about him or with him preventing the entire thing - after all, the Bauer family are seemingly to blame for all evil deeds in the world. Fortunately the special harks back to the approach of season 1 and 2 which has dark deeds at a higher level and Jack thrown into them for reasons out of his hands, rather than being the creator and driver of all things.

This takes the form of a simpler plot where Jack is looking after the fleeing children in their short run to safety. It starts slow though, with a good thirty minutes of establishing material and scene setting before any urgency kicks in. After this we have the usual 24 material of action sequences, heroic/sacrificial deaths, neo-conservative subtexts (although that suggests they are subtle, which they are not), political going-ons and shadowy men doing hits on behalf of powerful men. All these are in place and, with the stripped down plot and Bauer influence, it does feel a lot more like the 24 I like. This is not to say it is perfect of course, because 24 never was - even when really good there was always plenty to make fun of it for. Here we have less that produced laughter but we still get handed a terribly clumsy attack on the UN in the form of a weirdly "European" character who is cowardly - clinging to "talking" like a weak-wristed liberal. Not only was this poor writing but it is a bit rich when you consider the real life conflicts in Africa and the level of US intervention in them, however even ignoring that it was a typically conservative piece of politics from 24 that must be a bit like a wet dream to Fox viewers!

Talking of real-life for a moment, I did find the setting and scenario of this special to be a little off-putting. The pace and "24-isms" of the film helped me keep my head in the world of fiction but there is no doubt that the world of child soldiers and African coups is a little too real to be purely entertainment and not have an edge of sorrow to it. The film mostly ignores the latter but it does manage to produce the former despite this, again by focusing on what the series does and just doing it. The cast are reasonable enough, all fitting into the classic clichés of the show. Sutherland is gruff and tough as ever and has a bit of chemistry with Carlyle, who doesn't have a lot to work with here other than hanging out with Sutherland for a bit. Bellows, Jones, Gunton, Feore and Voight all represent new faces in the usual characters. They do offer some hope though if Day 7 can keep the political mystery that this film had.

24: Redemption isn't a significant change to the series and those that do not like the series will not like this. However for those who found Day 6 to be a massive disappointment then it does represent a sort of redemption as it appears to be taking a slight step back towards what hooked us originally. This means the usual weaknesses as much as the strengths but it is still a quite entertaining film for 24 fans.

Jack Bauer, welcome back!

[Darwinskid · 8/10 · 23 November 2008]

It's been a long time since Jack Bauer was seen on television and the same could be said for 24: Redemption's setting. For years now Jack Bauer has been staying in Africa assisting teacher Carl Benton as they tend to a group of abandoned children in a large house. Somewhere near by a group of rogues are taking children and turning them into little killing machines for their new nation, that is being funded by U.S. Department officer Frank Trammel and Jonas Hodges, if they meet Hodges demands. Trammel gives a disc filled with information about this to Nichols, who disobeys orders and takes the files to his house. Nervous, he seeks the aid of his best friend Roger Taylor, son of the new President Elect of the United States of America Allison Taylor. Back in Africa, the children play a game of soccer but are disrupted by the rogue soldiers, who kill two of them. They arrive at the house but Jack has made sure that the children are hidden safely. Jack makes his moves and gets their attention, they track him down quickly and take him o be tortured nearby so he can tell them about the location of the children. Carl soon finds Jack and assists, before he does assist Jack lies about the location of the children, and kills a few men before they kill him. Before Taylor is inaugurated into presidency she makes her first act to send the military to Africa to keep a hawk eye on it, find any of it's rogue soldiers, and rescue civilians. One Jack and Carl find out about this they try to get the children to the city but encounter a handful of the rogue soldiers on their way, can they make it to the military and get them and the children away? It's great to see 24 return to television. I've waited so long.

It was also a nice treat to see Jon Voight( One of my favorite actors) make an appearance on Redemption, as well as the return of Colm Feore and Tony Todd. It was also great to see such an underrated actor like Robert Carlyle as Carl Benton, he did a great job.

24: Redemption is full of emotions but not filled with the most plot twists like the previous seasons have had. But it doesn't hold back the believability aspects and retains it's dark side pretty well.

Season 7 of 24 is looking to be a good one, I just cant wait till January of next year.

Peace.

Lacking the edgy inventiveness of its predecessors

[chris-1583 · 6/10 · 26 November 2008]

It is going to be difficult to maintain the exceptional standards "24" has set over the years, however this feature length episode doesn't quite deliver as hoped. Re-worked formulas shows lack of creative imagination, something previous Seasons have (mostly) avoided. The script isn't as sharp as normal, possibly targeted at a less astute audience, and the characters lack subtlety. Too many bullets miraculously missing Jack and a sense of deja-vu. Whilst Robert Carlyle puts in a very credible performance, less believable is the UN Aid worker who is so crassly portrayed. Hopefully Season 7 will see improvement.

Jack is back! 24 Season 7 starts with a great prequel

[fred-kolb · 9/10 · 26 November 2008]

It has been almost 1.5 years since Jack Bauer was on TV, a very long time for a series that can make you addicted. The producers decided to make the wait a little more worthwhile and shot a prequel for the strongly anticipated 7th Season. Now, the film doesn't play in L.A. or involves the CTU, but plays in the fictional African country of Sangala, where children are trained to become soldiers, to overthrow the government.

Since Season 6, 18 months have gone by and it is Inauguration Day in the United States, a historical moment as the first female President is about to be sworn in. But President Elect Taylor has to find out that a military coup is about to take place in Sangala and President Noah Daniels has decided to evacuate the US embassy there. Another plot line follows Taylor's son Roger, who is informed by his friend, about the dirty business his company is involved in. In fact, the company and its client Jonas Hodges (Jon Voight) provide the African general Benjamin Juma with weapons to become dictator of Sangala.

Jack, who is wanted for torturing a suspect in the US, aids his old friend Carl Benton at his school in Sangala. Then he becomes involved in the coup, as Juma's soldiers arrive to pick up the kids and to train them as soldiers. Jack has to face another major crisis as he and Benton have to take the kids to the US embassy to be evacuated to the United States.

It was great to see a change of scenery in 24, from L.A. to Africa. I was very happy to see Kiefer Sutherland as Jack Bauer again, and even though I had hoped for a little more action, the plot is logical (something that has been lacking during Season 6) and very intense, really focusing on some of the characters. Robert Carlyle does an excellent job as Carl Benton and Jon Voight steals every scene he's in, even though he doesn't appear that often in Redemption.

All in all, I'm really looking forward to Season 7 after the excellent prequel and am more more excited than ever to hear the clock again. Tick, Tick, Tick, Tick!

OK, but not good enough.

[AzaraT · 6/10 · 28 November 2008]

A full length episode of 24, but does it work? Well, I can't help it, but this seems to be kind of rushed. The script and story aren't as good as it should be. I felt kind of bored watching this.

Jack seems to be a bit "overpowered" and he seems to have a gift to dodge bullets. Okay I know this happens in a lot, but they kind of over do it here.

I like the way that it is real time. Unlike in the series, it seems like it is possible to do all the things they do in the given time period. It doesn't feel the 24ish though, one of the most vital part of 24 CTU is not involved in the movie at all.

With that said, it is not that bad. It seems like quite a nice start of the 7th season, and it is nice to get into more details about what has happened between the two seasons. They didn't max out the potential of the movie, the script and story was in my opinion a bit dull.

But if you like the series and plan to follow the 7th season, be sure to check this one out.

A simple, soulful reminder of everything we love about Jack Bauer and 24

[SgtLennon · 10/10 · 26 June 2014]

"24" loves themselves some prequels. Including Redemption, the creative team made five of them in the latter years of the series existence. Even the aborted feature-film got itself one!

However nice they are for the fans, the prequels made especially for the show were usually mixed bags of half-realized ideas in hindsight, shameless product placements or simply redundant little vignettes. Among those charges, "Redemption" is only guilty of one or two of charges, depending on who you talk to. Either way, it's a soulful reminder of the lead character we started watching about 13 years ago, who he is now and where he's going.

As much as 24 made great action set pieces, it didn't stop the show from losing sight of the human doing the shooting. What doomed the season that Redemption proceeded is that mostly everything about Jack Bauer (Kiefer Sutherland) felt too routine, given the circumstances. He returned from two years of torture by the hands of the Chinese government with barely a scratch on him it seemed after awhile.

Early on when African embassy worker Frank Trammell (Gil Bellows) corners Bauer with the subpoena meant to jail him for the numerous instances of torture he's perpetrated in seasons past, his natural reaction is to run.

He's sacrificed almost all of his livelihood for saving the millions of hypothetical Americans he's sworn to protect, yet the last thing he rations that he wants to surrender is his freedom. This early moment plants his feet firmly onto the ground. Jack Bauer is a dedicated hero, sure, yet he's not stupid, even if self-preservation rarely occurs to the character. When does the services of a grateful nation become greedy exploitation?

Of course, it's not as simple as that. Redemption's writer Howard Gordon, moves his troubles to the background of the more pertinent problem of a growing coup by an genocidal African warlord (Tony Todd).

Yet, the rapidly unfolding coup in Sangala somehow works in what it says about Jack Bauer without really commenting on it. The series format of CTU and Jack regularly chasing down shady terrorist collaborators precluded the threats from being the vague, "Stop this or innocent people will die and/or get hurt."

And Jack shepherding Benton's (Robert Carlyle) orphans — who are also running to avoid being child soldiers — to the American Embassy for asylum gives a great sense urgency that the series, frankly, hasn't had at least since season four. It also distills the character down to his essential elements: His conscience won't allow him to run away from conflict, as much as Jack wants to. Even it costs him his freedom, which he's forced to surrender by episode's end.

As result of having only two hours of screen time, the plots feels more tightly focused than usual. The script by Howard Gordon throws around a lot of talk about America acting as moral authority, especially by President-Elect Allison Taylor (Cherry Jones), to prevent reprehensible acts by monstrous people. That line of logic doesn't work in reality, yet within the shows context, it fits right in its mission statement.

Jonas Hodges (Jon Voight), the shady businessman funding the African uprising for-now unknown reasons, is real monster of the film. By the end, the democratic state of Sangala has fallen, leaving thousands left behind to become cannon fodder, as in the case of the child soldiers, or victims of genocide, as with everyone else.

Of course, this being "24," it features things that DO NOT work under any circumstances. The writers never properly determined how to provide actor's with definition to play weak- willed people, which befalls actor Kris Lemche who plays an unfortunate former addict and broker (See what I mean?) that uncovers Hodges plot.

At it's best, this show finds meaning in the chaos whenever it allows our heroes to lose a few rounds to the terrorists they're combating. With Redemption, the good guys lose a round to Hodges, whose not only kills Lemche, but also plots to eliminate the soon-to-be First Son.

Things don't look good for everyone as the film wraps up, yet with people like Jack Bauer and President Allison Taylor in the world, "hope has a fighting chance," to quote the tagline.

24 – Redemption

[Tweekums · 7/10 · 27 August 2017]

Set between seasons six and seven of the TV series this film sees former counter terrorist agent Jack Bauer in a fictional African country where he helps at a local school. He is still wanted by the US authorities but refuses to return home. His peaceful life is turned upside down again when local warlord General Benjamin Juma starts a coup and his underlings kidnap local children to force them to fight in his army. The country's president requests help from America but the timing could hardly be worse; it is only two hours till the new US president is sworn in and the incumbent has ordered the evacuation of the US embassy. One of the boys from the school is killed and another injured as Juma's men try to press-gang them in a nearby village. The injured boy is picked up by Jack's friend Carl Benton who warns Jack that the rebels are on the way to the school. Jack gets the children to safety but is captured and tortured; luckily when Benton gets back they overcome their attackers and head towards the capital hoping to get there before the last helicopter leaves.

This TV movie has a solid story that contains plenty of excitement and many elements that fans of the series are sure to enjoy. Of course given that the story is set over a much shorter time period than a whole series it does feel a little rushed at times and many plot threads remain unresolved; presumably as a set up for series seven; this is especially true of what we see happening back in the US. The African setting does make a nice change and even though it is set in a fictional country the idea of rebels forcing children to fight is all too depressingly realistic. The action is well handled and the final evacuation where desperate locals pressed against the gates of the US embassy while US personnel and their dependants board Hueys to fly them to safety was clearly inspired by the evacuation of Saigon during Operation Frequent Wind in 1975. Overall this is a solid '24' story; it isn't essential that one watches the series first but some knowledge would be useful and the number of unresolved issues would make it frustrating to anybody watching this as a stand-alone film.

Yurgh.

[creiss · 2/10 · 26 April 2009]

Spoiler free review / opinion.

First off, I am a huge fan of the 24 series. There were good seasons and not-as-brilliant ones *cough*season6*cough*. But at least every season got me caught up in the middle, and I always craved for just one more episode.

This movie should prove me otherwise. The first half of the movie I was trying to get to know the "real" storyline. I was waiting for serious threats, terrorists, bombs, data espionage... well, something. Then it hit me, this movie is really just about moving a bunch of kids around. It was so blatantly mindless boring that even the action sequences did not get my mind of tomorrows grocery list.

In the series there was always an imminent danger to something. A nuclear bomb, poison gas or some nasty viral stuff that put a large portion of the citizens in jeopardy. Granted, it can also be fun and extremely exiting if only one person is at risk, as it was on the first season. But you could feel with Balmer and you actually were worried for him.

This movie is just about a bunch of kids, so it's not the "mass effect". And since the kids did not really bond with me, that is, I never had the feeling of "knowing them" I never really cared. I was hoping the other plots in the movie would cause some excitement, but it failed at that too.

My recommendation: If you are interested as hell in Jack Bauer hauling a bunch of kids around AND if you are a hardcore fan, watch this! Everyone else: Watch the athletes foot of your best pal grow! Much more exciting. AND you care about the person, at least.

Jack's Back!

[Systreco · 10/10 · 25 November 2008]

24:Redemption does exactly what it says on the tin! The last season of 24 wasn't too great but this 2 hour special definitely redeems itself! If you loved the first few seasons, you will love this! Without giving too much away, Jack is in hiding from the US government and as he learns that he is requested to report to the US embassy to face his punishment, he decides it's time to move on! But.....just as he is about to leave he gets caught up in a civil war! If you are expecting a beautifully directed and written masterpiece, then you will be disappointed but if you are looking for the non-stop, cheesy, far-fetched action that the first few seasons gave us, then you will LOVE this! Matt

Between 3 and 5 p.m. in real time

[Galina_movie_fan · 9/10 · 27 November 2008]

"24:Redemption", two-hours long TV movie that premiered last night, is a "bridge" connecting the last season that ended 18 months ago and the new one which we, the fans of the show have been waiting impatiently and which is scheduled to open in January 2009. The film takes place in real time format, just like all episodes do. After watching it, I am exited about upcoming season and I hope that 24 - Season 7 will be more like season 1 than season 6. Judging by the movie, "24: Redemption", there are many reasons for hope. The film is exiting, gripping, it uses every one of its minutes effectively, and it is much more plausible with its plot and Jack's relations and intentions. It was a good idea to take Jack out of LA and place him in one of hot places on the planet, Sangala, the fictional country in Africa, with very real problems that look too familiar. Jack is back, and he is in great shape, still invincible, resourceful, the man of action who would not lose ability to think clearly and to make the right decision even when being brutally tortured. I am truly sorry that we may not see Robert Carlyle again - the chemistry between him and Sutherland was very real, and their last scene together moved me like not many scenes during all seasons did. But who knows, nothing is what it seems when it comes to 24. Jon Voight's presence promises a creepy dangerous villain, and if the writers of the series keep up with what they did for the movie, we are in for thrilling, entertaining, unforgettable 24 hours from the life of one very special Federal Agent, Jack Bauer.

Jack Bauer saving unfortunate children and trying to flee from the violent African militias

[ma-cortes · 7/10 · 10 April 2023]

Redemption is fundamentally a prequel to season 7 . Set 18 months where Season 6 of '24' left off, two-fisted, former government agent Jack Bauer (Kiefer Sutherland) is in a self-imposed exile in the fictitious African country of Sangala where he hopes to escape from a U. S. investigation of him for his past methods , and to run from his past. Bauer works at a mission school for orphaned children run by his friend Carl Benton (Robert Carlyle) . The country is at the mercy of a villain warlord general named Juma (Tony Todd) who is plotting a coup to overthrow the government and his right-hand man , rogue Colonel Dubaku (Haakem Kazin) , is abducting orphan boys . Jack Bauer confronts nasty African general/aspiring dictator Benjamin Juma, whose forces have been ordered to capture the children Bauer oversees for malicious military training. Bauer and Benton must work together to save the dozen or so boys and try to get them out of the country before Juma takes over. Meanwhile in Washington D. C., it is Inauguration Day where the outgoing President Noah Daniels (Powers Boothe) is handing over the presidency to the first female president Allison Taylor (Cherry Jones). Hearing about the coup, Daniels wants to evacuate the country before it falls to the ominous general, while Taylor thinks otherwise. Elsewhere, Taylor's son Roger (Eric Lively) and his girlfriend Samantha (Carly Pope) get wind of information from a friend about suspicious money transactions where he works at a local brokerage firm. But neither he or Roger are aware that a corrupt corporate mogul, Jonas Hodges (John Voight) , is scheming with General Juma to overthrow the government for monetary purposes and will do anything to keep his nefarious plans under wraps. Save the day !. Hope has a fighting chance !. History will be made, a new enemy will rise, and the only hope to stop him has disappeared... until now !. To the world, he's dead. But soon, he'll become the most wanted man alive !. The terror alert level has just been raised !. Every Second Counts !. A new day begins !. He's tried to escape it. He's tried to silence it !. But for Jack Bauer...instinct never dies !. Who do you trust when the people who are sworn to protect you, conspire against you? !. To stop these attacks Jack Bauer has to be sacrificed !.

This 24: Redemption(2008) belong to 24 (2001-2010) series stars Kiefer Sutherland asJack Bauer (195 episodes, 2001-2010) , Mary Lynn Rajskub , Carlos Bernard , Dennis Haysbert , Elisha Cuthbert , James Morrison , among others . In this concept drama, each season takes place within one 24 hour period . In 24 Kiefer Sutherland gives a nice acting as counter Terrorism Agent Jack Bauer who races against the clock to subvert terrorist plots and save his nation from ultimate disaster. And in 24: Redemption(2008) Jack must face the toughest challenge and events of the film taking place between seasons six and seven of the series, and are continued in season seven , the opening sequence marks the first time in the history of the series events did not transpire in real time and it takes place between 3:00 p.m. GMT (10:00 a.m. Eastern Time) and 5:00 p.m. GMT (12:00 p.m. Eastern Time). Dealing with continuous coups in the ungovernable countries of Africa and a relentless denounce against the forcibly recruiting kiddies into African armies and their brainwashing and their obligation to kill enemies . Stars a very good cast , such as : Cherry Jones as President-Elect Allison Taylor ,Powers Boothe as ex-President , Bob Gunton , Colm Feore , Robert Carlyle , Jon Voight , Peter MacNicol , Gil Bellows , Hakeem Kae-Kazim , Isaach De Bankole, Kris Lemche , Eric Lively, Carly Pope , Sebastian Roché , Sean Cameron Michael , Tony Todd , among others .

This telefilm was lavishly produced by Brannon Braga, Manny Coto, David Fury, Paul Gadd , Alex Gansa, Howard Gordon and well directed by Jon Cassar (Forsaken, Terra Nova, Between , Nikita, Daybreak , When the Bough Breaks) who made several episodes of the successful series . While filming the first episode of the 24 (2001) fourth season, he filmed the opening CTU scenes in such a way that the audience first sees the changes made to the building at the same time Jack Bauer does. Cassar has a strong friendship with 24 star and fellow Canadian Kiefer Sutherland. After Sutherland won the 2006 SAG Award for best actor in a drama, he gave the trophy to Cassar as a sign of his appreciation.

Long Awaited but Definitely worth it

[barra-5 · 9/10 · 24 November 2008]

Here are my comments while trying hard not to reveal too much of the show. I thoroughly enjoyed the show and felt that it was well worth the wait. The change in location was great and it was well filmed, emotions were clearly conveyed -- you feel the despondency and desperation in Sangala, I especially felt this when the last chopper left and the people rushed through the gates. Pacing was good without any moments of over indulgence and with nicely choreographed action scenes.

One goof that viewers can look out for is during the chopper attack on Bauer, Ben and the children. They ran for the tree line with the chopper in hot pursuit and firing at them, as they hit the ground for cover you can see a camera man filming and a photographer taking shots on the far left of the screen. This must either have been overlooked during the editing or perhaps they did not have a better take of the scene.

The new President looks like a promising personality too (although I did not agree with the choice of the actor/image, especially the hair). I really liked David Palmer and I hope we will see another engaging President in Season 7.

This is a great start and I definitely can't wait till Season 7 airs.

Meh

[tastyhotdogs · 6/10 · 14 February 2009]

"24:Redemption" is a movie version of the much loved TV series. It picks up the story with Jack in Africa, hiding from the Government who wants to bring him in and charge him with his use of torture on suspects. While in Africa Jacks hooks up (not in that way) with an old colleague (played by Robert Carlyle from that movie about the guys who become strippers) who is running a shelter to help young men and protect them from rebels who want to recruit them for their armies.

As normally happens, trouble finds Jack and soon the lives of his friend and the boys are under threat. Once again, Jack can't turn his back on baddies and helping victims, so he gets involved. Will he be redeemed? Will he risk all to save the innocent? See it to find out.

Not bad, but any "24" missing Chloe, Tony and Edgar is going to be up against it. Don't think the format really worked for the show, as it obviously all happened a bit quick. Keifer really seemed to mail it in too. It's a bridge to the next series, which will see Jack on trial. I caught the preview on the special features and it looks OK, will probably give it a go.

Nice introduction for the show

[bellino-angelo2014 · 8/10 · 27 July 2023]

Before I go into discussing the movie I have to warn you that I have never seen the TV show 24 despite it has some sort of cult following and it has even rebooted. Despite this it was still a nice TV action movie.

Jack Bauer (Kiefer Sutherland) is in Africa for finding some sort of peace with himself and works as a volunteer with his friend Carl Benton (Robert Carlyle) that built the school Okavango for helping war orphans: there is another reason why Bauer is in Africa and it's because he had to go the US Senate because he's been accused of violating human rights during some interrogations but he refused to go. In the meanwhile an undercover US organization is helping general Benjamin Juma (Tony Todd) and his army for organizing a coup d'etat, and Bauer has to stop them.

As I have never seen an episode of 24 I am naive. I didn't knew the events that supposedly happened in seasons 6 and 7 but kinda liked the movie nonetheless. The acting was very entertaining by all and it was nice seeing the African settings despite there were also some scenes tough to watch.

Not to be missed especially if you are into the show and if you never saw an episode of it like me, it's a good start.

Typical 24 stuff, although I'm no expert

[wellthatswhatithinkanyway · 7/10 · 22 February 2009]

STAR RATING: ***** Saturday Night **** Friday Night *** Friday Morning ** Sunday Night * Monday Morning

Jack Bauer (Kiefer Sutherland) is hiding out in Africa, trying to re-find his spiritual self after becoming disillusioned. However, he becomes involved in the plight of some children who are about to be forced to join guerrilla armies.

After watching the first series of 24, it failed to impress me that much and I never really became a fan. But this feature length episode caught my eye when it was advertised on TV, and when I saw it was possible to rent a copy, I gave it a try. In honesty, it was just what I was expecting and nothing more, a distracting, passable piece driven a bit more by human drama than the 'real time' factor. Sutherland is as bland as the material, and Robert Carlyle tries to add something in his supporting role as an impassioned aid worker. 'Candyman' Tony Todd also adds air as the villain, but this remains a standard, unremarkable piece that is best for when you just want to veg out and relax. ***

Everything you'd hope for

[JustDude · 10/10 · 24 November 2008]

To begin with, I'd like to say that I've been a fan of 24 since season 1 was first aired in my country. That being said, some might think that my judgment would lack objectivity, well, they might be right. As for a fan, there is everything you'd hope for, and all you hope for is Jack fighting. As usual, everything goes fast - conflict, conspiracy, innocent people dying etc. Nothing new, except where the war is, whose in conspiracy and what kind of people are dying. But, hey, what's new there to think of? Fine with me, as long as it is done right and gives you satisfaction. Of course, it is not as satisfying as a series, since there's only one episode but there is enough to keep you on track while waiting for season 7. Not everything is great though, for example I think that fictional country was a bad choice. What else could be better, I think, is the choice of cast. Some faces don't really add-up(like the new miss president - i find it difficult to believe her being elected) but again, it's just my opinion. What I wanted to say with all this, was that this show really delivers and if you liked 24, you will certainly like this one. I'd give 9.5, unfortunately I can't.

What the heck?!!!

[azrin-2 · 6/10 · 25 November 2008]

First of all, i'm quite surprised to see a camera crew in 1 scene while Jack & Carl escaping into the jungle with the children. It is in 01:06:30. Please check it out.

I never thought a good show like 24 could simply made a very silly mistake and risk their show's credibility. In that scene you can clearly 2 person, in black outfit & 1 of them is holding a camera & of course, we can see the camera. The other 1 is wearing a cap.

What i can say about 24 this time is, totally frustrated with the show. A show that full of credibility to stand for.

The storyline for me is quite good, lack of action but still full of surprises.

I thought the show is 2 hour television movie but instead only 1 hour 27 minutes? At least 1 hour 40 minutes, that would nice i think :)

in the gutter,compared to the quality of the TV series

[disdressed12 · 4/10 · 16 July 2009]

compared to the TV series,this thing is crap.i couldn't get through it,i was so bored.it's just not exciting.there's no real suspense or excitement,at least up to the point i watched.that's really surprising,given the quality of the series.it takes place after season six,and before season seven,so i guess it's a season seven prequel.if you can get through it,i would recommend it,as it does fill in some gaps between the sixth and seventh season.i only know this,because in some scenes they allude to events that must have happened in the movie.for me,though it was just too difficult to get through.my vote for 24:Redemption is a 4/10