Ben Wheatly's previous film, High Rise, was a tremendously flawed film; One really only worth noting for its impeccable direction and editing. Free Fire is a similarly flawed experience, though this time for entirely separate reasons.
While High Rise suffered primarily from its underwritten script, Free Fire's writing is actually pretty serviceable, albeit a bit light on substance. The film does a decent job with characterizations before erupting into violence, and even then, there's enough clever banter inbetween the bloodshed to keep things interesting. On paper, Free Fire sounds like a perfect marriage of director and material, as Wheatly has typically always excelled at humor punctuated with violence.
What is surprising however, is that none of the technical prowess that Wheatly displayed in High Rise seems to have carried over to Free Fire, and herein lies the film's most major issue. For a film where its biggest selling point is the fact that it's essentially a feature length shootout, the action is nearly incoherent.
While it would sound like common sense to provide the audience with a view of the action from multiple angles, Wheatly instead chooses to shoot almost solely in terms close up action/reaction shots; It's rare that we ever get to see both the shooter and the intended target in the same frame. He's so frugal with his wide shots, that it's nearly impossible to tell where the characters are in relation to one another. It's this reluctance to establish any sort of space, along with the way the film likes to quickly cut from character to character, that makes it difficult to ever gain any semblance of clarity to the gunplay. What Wheatly is doing here, is in effect, handing us a box of pieces to a puzzle without ever revealing the image we're supposed to reconstruct.
This isn't to say Free Fire is a total misfire; The cast is terrific, (Sharlto Copely and Sam Riley, the standout performances) and the warehouse's art direction is fittingly dingy and dirty; a reflection of the ugly personalities that inhabit it. It's clear that there's some craftsmanship that went into Free Fire, it's just a shame that most of it got cropped out of the frame.
Extremely literal and painfully contrived. It's constantly trying to rationalize itself as something "genuine" when in reality it's anything but. Absolute garbage.
Excellent. When I first saw Jason Segal as DFW I thought it was a strange casting choice, but he really does disappear into the role. Fantastic film all around. One of the year's best.
A complete disaster. It's blatantly obvious the writer had no idea what he wanted his movie to be about and instead just slapped a bunch of ideas together in a melting pot of half baked gibberish. The ending is especially appalling in its outright stupidity. Absolute nonsense.
Comments 1 - 18 of 18
Movie comment on Los abrazos rotos
Marmalade
I don't understand how this hasn't made any lists yet. It's top tier Almodovar.Movie comment on The Company of Wolves
Marmalade
Went in expecting some cheesy 80s horror schlock, but walked out blown away. This is a tremendously nuanced little gem. The script is terrific.Movie comment on Bound
Marmalade
Hitchcock caliber thriller.Movie comment on Felidae
Marmalade
Solid noir. The kind of thing Ralph Bakshi could only dream of making.Movie comment on Rare Exports
Marmalade
That ending is absolutely incredible.Movie comment on Free Fire
Marmalade
Ben Wheatly's previous film, High Rise, was a tremendously flawed film; One really only worth noting for its impeccable direction and editing. Free Fire is a similarly flawed experience, though this time for entirely separate reasons.While High Rise suffered primarily from its underwritten script, Free Fire's writing is actually pretty serviceable, albeit a bit light on substance. The film does a decent job with characterizations before erupting into violence, and even then, there's enough clever banter inbetween the bloodshed to keep things interesting. On paper, Free Fire sounds like a perfect marriage of director and material, as Wheatly has typically always excelled at humor punctuated with violence.
What is surprising however, is that none of the technical prowess that Wheatly displayed in High Rise seems to have carried over to Free Fire, and herein lies the film's most major issue. For a film where its biggest selling point is the fact that it's essentially a feature length shootout, the action is nearly incoherent.
While it would sound like common sense to provide the audience with a view of the action from multiple angles, Wheatly instead chooses to shoot almost solely in terms close up action/reaction shots; It's rare that we ever get to see both the shooter and the intended target in the same frame. He's so frugal with his wide shots, that it's nearly impossible to tell where the characters are in relation to one another. It's this reluctance to establish any sort of space, along with the way the film likes to quickly cut from character to character, that makes it difficult to ever gain any semblance of clarity to the gunplay. What Wheatly is doing here, is in effect, handing us a box of pieces to a puzzle without ever revealing the image we're supposed to reconstruct.
This isn't to say Free Fire is a total misfire; The cast is terrific, (Sharlto Copely and Sam Riley, the standout performances) and the warehouse's art direction is fittingly dingy and dirty; a reflection of the ugly personalities that inhabit it. It's clear that there's some craftsmanship that went into Free Fire, it's just a shame that most of it got cropped out of the frame.
Movie comment on A Boy and His Dog
Marmalade
Nothing too noteworthy, although I must say; Without a doubt, one of the best endings in film history. Absolutely savage.Movie comment on Demolition
Marmalade
Extremely literal and painfully contrived. It's constantly trying to rationalize itself as something "genuine" when in reality it's anything but. Absolute garbage.Movie comment on The Animatrix
Marmalade
This should really be on some kind of list. One of the best anthologies ever made.Movie comment on Straight Outta Compton
Marmalade
Overlong, but excellent all the same.Movie comment on Submarine
Marmalade
It's a shame this isn't on any lists yet, but I have no doubts that this will one day go down as a classic film.Movie comment on The End of the Tour
Marmalade
Excellent. When I first saw Jason Segal as DFW I thought it was a strange casting choice, but he really does disappear into the role. Fantastic film all around. One of the year's best.Movie comment on O Homem Que Copiava
Marmalade
Absolute bile. Thoroughly unlikable, inept, and downright stupid characters and a plot that continues to reward that stupidity.Movie comment on OXV: The Manual
Marmalade
A complete disaster. It's blatantly obvious the writer had no idea what he wanted his movie to be about and instead just slapped a bunch of ideas together in a melting pot of half baked gibberish. The ending is especially appalling in its outright stupidity. Absolute nonsense.Movie comment on Bad Milo!
Marmalade
This is actually a lot better than it has any right to be, there's a surprising amount of genuine heart to it.Movie comment on Le magnifique
Marmalade
This thing is like a French Zucker Bros. movie before the Zucker Bros.Movie comment on The Babadook
Marmalade
Without a doubt, one of the best horror films in recent years. The writing elevates it far beyond the typical horror fare.Movie comment on Maps to the Stars
Marmalade
The best Cronenberg in quite some time. What a ride, it's downright vicious