2017’s “Free Fire”, directed by Ben Wheatley.
Starring Cillian Murphy, Brie Larson, Armie Hammer, Sharlto
Copley, Michael Smiley, Noah Taylor, Babou Ceesay, Sam Riley, Enzo Cilenti,
and Jack Reynor.
A modern exercise in B movie genre filmmaking with B list
actors, “FF” doesn’t waste much time trying to reinvent the wheel. Based in
Boston (with a lot of out of towners) during the 1970’s, we see 1 group (lead by Cillian Murphy), possibly
connected to a Irish terrorist gang, there to buy
automatic weapons. They meet up with another group (lead by Sharlton Copely),
there to sell them the weapons. Initially, they meet outside on the docks, but
like 1992’s “Reservoir Dogs”, spend the rest of the movie inside a warehouse.
Despite the calming and battle hardened presence of Hammer as the dealers’
security, grudges, crosses, and then double crosses, are made, and the deal
quickly becomes anything but.
Given the 1.1 settings in total throughout the movie, “FF” could
have been a slog, but this is a slam bang thriller that knows what it is, and
goes for it. Wheatley is proving himself to be a very distinctive director,
with unique fare such as 2011’s “Kill List” and 2015’s “High Rise” also worth
seeing. It’s difficult not to label “FF” an update on the Tarantino rip offs so
prevalent in the late 90’s, but it offers a sarcastic freshness that quickly
turns into a mélange full of rubble, dirt, and lead. Indeed, despite several
characters such as Murphy, Smiley, Ceesay, and Larsen being level headed and
professional, not a character escapes unscathed, as they all end up crawling
around on the floor in pain, as allegiances and line of sight continually change.
A reality show’s nostalgic fever dream, “FF” empties it’s chambers empty by the
time the credits roll.
3.5/5
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