Redemption Day (2021)

Plot of Redemption Day: Kate Paxton is an archaeologist who discovers a ruined city buried under the desert. Goes to it with a group to excavate it. But she and others stray into Algerian territory and are captured by some insurgents, led by a man known as El Haji, wanted by Interpol.  They send a message to the Americans that she and her assistant, Jean, will be killed after evening prayer unless $10 million is paid. Jean’s husband, Brad, who is a well known hostage negotiator, and former special forces solider. He flies to Rabat and meets with the US ambassador, teaming up with another former solider, and with some help from the intelligence services locate the terrorist’s hideout and go in by themselves to rescue Kate. Jean the assistant is killed but another assistant Amir Jadid is released. American Navy Seals are activated and kill all the terrorists, and fly away with Kate. The compound is blown up, but do Brad and his friend survive?

Content: No sex or nudity, although a rape is implied, or is it? It is possible that Kate was being ultra-sounded and finds that she is pregnant. Brad suffers from flashbacks relating to an event in Syria where he is involved in a fire fight. He negotiates with the US Ambassador in Rabat. The ambassador talks a lot to his CIA man. The two former soldiers shoot lots of people in the terrorist compound. The Navy Seals shoot a lot of people. The compound blows up. The CIA meet people.

A View: From the moment this outing started I suffered from a sort of sinking feeling that I was not going to enjoy it, despite the fact that I am quite enthusiastic about well crafted shoot’em ups. No-one has said much about this film but you know straight away that all is not well, when you see that Hicham Hajji is director writer and producer. His strength may be as a facilitator in Morrocco, so perhaps that’s what he should stick to. There is a twist, but I did not like it.

Fun Fact: Only one trivia item in IMDb.