Redux Redux (2025) Review

Irene Kelly (Michaela McManus) is a mother grieving for the loss of her daughter who was murdered by Neville (Jeremy Holm), an employee at a local diner. Irene’s not just out to get even, she’s out to get even over and over again, using a time machine to jump from one timeline to the next and mete out bloodthirsty vengeance. As Irene’s kill tally increases to an unhealthy level, is she about to make a fatal mistake? Even if she survives, is she about to lose the shred of humanity she has left or is there hope to be found in one of the multiverses?

Written and directed by Kevin and Matthew McManus, who also brought us the unsettling The Block Island Sound, Redux Redux taps into a very different, more action based, but equally intriguing vein of sci-fi horror. The opening act follows Irene as she arrives at the latest version of a specific reality, where most things stay the same but certain details are noticeably different. One constant is Neville ending up very dead indeed, his assassin then making her escape to her transport, occasionally having to run the gauntlet of local law enforcement who have been alerted to one of their townsfolk being blown away.

A hundred and eight minutes of this loop, over and over again, might have been fun – repetitive fun, but fun nonetheless – in a Looney Tunes kind of way but the story is far more concerned with Irene’s struggle to come to terms with her loss and to avoid becoming an even more remorseless destroyer of life than the twisted Neville. Details of Irene’s previous life are carefully, gradually shaded into her character, including the fading touchstone of the family home and her awkwardly sweet romance with Dale (Jim Cummings in a role all the more effective for his screen time being rationed).

In addition to the logistical issues of keeping your time machine in good working order and in a handy place at all times, there’s a major, unexpected kink in Irene’s plans as her path crosses with that of Mia (Stella Marcus), a potential victim of Neville’s who manages to survive his lethal intent for her. The two form the time-honoured uneasy alliance, Mia out for blood and Irene, based on a wealth of recurring personal trauma, trying her best to advise Mia not to head down that route but also aware that Neville is still at large and has to be stopped.

Various influences are writ large across Redux Redux, but the McManuses, both in front of and behind the camera, stamp it with more than enough of their wit and style to make a large proportion of the runtime a novel, exciting experience, balancing the grungy violence and seat of the pants escapes with insights into the human condition and a growing cloud of grief than threatens to envelop the dealer of so much vengeance.

We’re introduced to Irene mid-kill, casually watching her quarry expire in a prolonged, horrible way in a bold move that possibly foreshadows her fate as a blank-faced annihilator. After spending time with her, the expectation is that she will take that road to redemption but the increasing efficiency in which she performs her exterminating angel act is troubling enough to plant the seed of doubt as to how the final act will play out.

Much credit must go to Michaela McManus, who nails the role of driven assassin forced into being a somewhat unwilling protector and carries the film with the authentic weariness of knowing that there are so many more Nevilles to take care of in so many other timelines. The addition of Marcus gives the tale the most offbeat of spins on the buddy movie as the reluctant team-up aids and abets each other in pursuit of Holm’s outwardly inept but inwardly devious bad guy. The climax may opt for a more conventional showdown, especially considering what’s led up to it, but it’s still poignant, satisfying and, above all, nail bitingly tense.

Intelligent, inventive, darkly comic and bracingly violent, Redux Redux is a near-perfect blend of lo-fi indie sensibility and propulsive storytelling. The clever subversion of all those well-worn action tropes, coupled with a strong emotional undercurrent, results in a thriller which genuinely thrills. Redux Redux deserves to be a massive hit all across the multiverse.

Movie Rating:

Redux Redux trailer