RedSin: Martyrs of Dissent (2024)

RedSin: Martyrs of Dissent

RedSin: Martyrs of Dissent is a reworked action-packed 18-minute proof-of-concept short named RedSin. This was first made by writer/director Christopher Ortiz. CIA enlists Jenson McKane when a group of ex-gulf war veterans are being killed off by an unknown terrorist organization called RedSin, due to his brotherly relationship with the head Nathan.

RedSin: Martyrs of Dissent takes that concept and adds an extra half hour onto it. Now complete with more impressive fights, some deeper character building and of course, much more drama a lot of which is incredibly melodramatic but given the high stakes and high concept here, its 24 vibe works well for the film.

Most scenes in this movie carry an incredible amount of tension. Usually somebody in each scene will become increasingly animated about something or other whether it be shouting about what’s at stake here or pointing fingers of blame. Heraghty’s CIA agent Burns looks like he could actually blow at any second but delights in his role stand out performance but really everyone gets the brief and again, it all fits that high-octane vibe that the film is clearly going for.

Pacing can be tricky when extending a concept short into a feature length film as well as making sure added scenes feel necessary rather than just padding out runtime however luckily RedSIn: Martyrs of Dissent does feel like it not only pads out but completes its story too. The film could have even benefited from being slightly longer if budgets had permitted some scenes to breathe a bit more and for some more backstory to be unfolded.

The film also lacks focus at the start we start thinking we’re following one character’s narrative then suddenly find ourselves following another meaning less time to get invested before climaxing and catching up. But overall it’s an entertaining near hour that does pretty much everything it needs to do.

Some slight audio hiccups with the film, a change in score could have helped some of the later action scenes pack a bit more punch but instead they’re all too similar and audio mixing of the score muffles some dialogue in the final showdown which means it loses its impact. But it’s the fights that show Ortiz’s real strength as a filmmaker who clearly fancies themselves an action director and has the chops to do so these are the real highlights.

A story of redemption, revenge and remorse well told along with some great fight scenes on route to them, RedSin: Martyrs of Dissent demonstrates what a film maker can do when given their backing and investment.

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