Free Fire probably has the most simplistic premise for an action movie of all time. In 1970s Boston, two gangs meet up for a weapons sale. One group, led by Frank (Michael Smiley) and Chris (Cillian Murphy) are there to buy a stack of AR-15 rifles to supply the IRA from Vernon (Sharlto Copley) and Ord (Armie Hammer). After the discovery that the dealers brought the wrong weapons, and as tensions between the groups grow, the deal quickly goes south. Everyone in the warehouse tries to survive and fight their way out, with the money sitting in the middle.
When described simply, the plot of Free Fire feels like the opening act of a crime drama. You would expect the characters to escape the warehouse, and be hunted down one by one as the gang members search for the money. Instead, the entire story unfolds inside the warehouse, delivering a violent, grounded shootout that plays out in real time. As a premise, it's a very interesting idea, and one with a lot of potential. Unfortunately, Free Fire is very underwhelming in its execution, and while it's never quite boring, it does feel like a story that's extended past the point of necessity.
Ben Wheatley is a director who brings a lot of flair and visual style to his films, and Free Fire is a departure from that by existing in a very gritty world. That aspect of the film is the strongest; the action has impact and feels real. Bullets slow people down, injuries incapacitate characters at a consistent and believable rate, and death has meaning. People move and react like real people, and it's been a while since I've seen such a realistic, bare-knuckled approach to action.
Since the story is so streamlined and contained, the characters are relied upon to carry the film, and they just barely scrape by in that regard. The cast is charming and committed, and while the characters may not be complex, they are engaging. Sharlto Copley delivers the stand-out performance, but even his shtick gets old after a while. Inconsistency is the biggest pitfall; the characters go back and forth sporadically between focus and detachment in the midst of the action. It would be impossible for the plot to maintain a constant, energetic forward motion, because there has to be some downtime. But when the film slows down, the events that kick the film back into high gear feel somewhat contrived.
Visually, the film is definitely interesting. The characters are outfitted in bright, vibrant outfits in a dusty, dirty old warehouse, and the personalities are equally as distinct in such a monochromatic environment. Armie Hammer brings a smarmy, confident charm to the forefront of the group interactions. Brie Larson - for whom I have an eternal, unrequited love - is unfortunately fairly bland, occupying the generic "strong female character" role. When the film begins, it's a lot of fun to just watch the characters work off of each other, but when it devolves into an hour-long firefight, the only question of the film is "who's dying next?" That question stops being compelling by the third death.
Individual elements of the film are executed very well, but the film as a whole feels constantly "bleh". Despite the great pains taken to maintain continuity, I found myself losing track of which character was where in the warehouse, which characters were alive, who was moving where, etc. There's a very fast pace to the editing in individual shootout scenes, which, coupled with shaky camerawork and dark lighting, makes the action lose some of their punch. There's only so many times that the film can cut around between a bunch of shots of people shooting at each other before it starts to get old.
Free Fire is missing something, but it's hard to tell exactly what it is. There are many attempts at humour, some of which work, but the endless quips wear out their welcome eventually. The cast is a lot of fun to watch, but they spend the majority of the film yelling the same things at each other as they're picked off. The story presents some interesting twists, but you spend so much time waiting for the eventual reveals of switched allegiances and secret betrayals that the actual story being told fades into the periphery. Since not much happens in the story outside of "people shoot at each other", it's not very engaging.
Overall, I was very disappointed with Free Fire. The creative team has turned out some amazing work in the past, but this outing feels misguided. The potential is there, and the cast certainly elevates the material beyond what a lesser cast could have delivered. Wheatley's directorial flair is present, but the story feels like a short film that was stretched out to hit feature length, and it all leads to a finale that brings out more of a shrug than anything. There are definite moments of creativity within the confines of the warehouse setting, but the film can't seem to decide whether it wants to be gritty or over-the-top. That tonal conflict makes the film fun, but also makes it stale long before it ends.
Comments
Post a Comment