Looking for something fun to check out in theaters that doesn’t involve a tank battling a submarine? Let me give you a brief list of reasons why you should check out Free Fire this weekend.
Taking place in 1978 Boston, Free Fire finds two gangs in a remote warehouse building ready to make a deal. Of course, something goes wrong and the subsequent shootout turns into a game of survival.
THE ACTION
I’m familiar with some of director Ben Wheatley’s other work and even though most of it has been critically well received, I have a hard time connecting with it. He played with action before in the convoluted High Rise but has went full on genre flick with Free Fire. This film isn’t nearly as flashy but often plays with the camera in unexpected ways. There are plenty of send-ups to some 70s classics but this doesn’t feel like a Tarantino film. Tonally sure, but this film is much less concerned with having sleek packaging. It tries out all sorts of things and always keeps the action moving.
THE CAST
Hands down the #1 reason I wanted to check out Free Fire was the cast. Brie Larson, Cillian Murphy, Armie Hammer, and Sharlto Copley…just to name a few. I was sold. Thankfully, my high expectations were met as all of the aforementioned actors, plus the entire rest of the cast, were pitch perfect. While this movie isn’t exactly brimming with good guys to root for, I found myself hoping certain characters would stick around just because I enjoyed watching them so much.
IT’S HILARIOUS
The biggest reason that Free Fire works at all is that it’s flat out comedy most of the running time. I’ll admit that the over-the-top raunchy dialogue in the first scene has me worried about how the tone of the film would play out but by the time the whole gang gets together in the warehouse I was won over. Not only did I laugh hard and consistently throughout the movie, I’m pretty sure I missed some of the dialogue from doing so. There were a lot of great quips and moments I enjoyed so much that I tried to recall each one for reference. I guess I’ll have to see it again now.
Free Fire is in theaters
April 21, 2017.