‘Indemnity’ Review — Familiar-feeling South African crime thriller still packs a punch [Fantasia Film Festival]

A review of the new action movie, at the Fantasia Festival now

South African crime thriller Indemnity, which premiered today at the Fantasia Film Festival, feels familiar. You’ve seen movies like this before: a guy is accused of a crime and must go on the run, dodging police while he tracks down the shady underworld criminals who might be able to clear his name. There are corrupt cops and numerous shootouts, frantic car chases and loud explosions. Our hero is certain of his innocence, and we know it’s only a matter of time before other people realize he’s being framed, just like he said all along. But, as formulaic as it sometimes feels, Indemnity succeeds precisely because it delivers on all the expected beats very well. Incredibly well. Show-stoppingly, heart-poundingly, how-did-they-do-that-ly well.

In this version of the story, our wrongly-accused man is Theo Abrams (Jarrid Geduld), a heroic firefighter who has saved more than a hundred lives over his career. When we meet Theo, he is out on leave, prevented from going out on calls after a tragic incident leaves him wracked with survivor’s guilt and suffering from severe PTSD. His flame and smoke-filled nightmares cause him to wake with a…