Free Fire is an action comedy about an arms deal that went sideways,
prompting everyone to start shooting at each other… Aaaaand that’s about it.
Seriously, the movie is simply a long gunfight until everyone has killed everybody. In a way, the concept and look have the makings of a cult classic. However, its execution didn’t turn out being as fun as it should have been.
I was able to have a sense of what director
Ben Wheatley was going for. Unfortunately,
he didn’t quite get there. I feel this
movie could have been amazing if he had pulled it off. Or if it had been in the hands of Guy
Ritchie, Shane Black, or (especially) Quentin Tarantino.
It takes 28 minutes before it gets
to the shootout. During that time
period, the build up should have been done much better so that there would have
been more impact. A superior script –
masterfully peeling off the characters and providing clever, memorable dialogue
– would have done the job. Furthermore,
the thrills from the action aren’t consistently sustained, as there are parts
when the whole thing gets dull. The attempts of
surprise and compelling conversations amid the action are mostly mediocre, too.
The cast has some notable names
in Brie Larson, Arnie Hammer, Cillian Murphy, and Sharlto Copley. But their presence never truly elevated the movie.
Free Fire is by no means bad. It’s competently made, has some cinematic
stylishness, and offers decent entertainment overall. But it’s ultimately underwhelming and
eventually forgettable.
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