Ben Wheatley: There's violence.
Sam Riley: That's a fucking understatement!
Wheatley: Yeah. There's salty language. John Denver.
Our Review:
Compared to champion of British cinema Ben Wheatley's previous low budget films with unfortunately small audiences, Free Fire is the director's most accessible work. However, this 90 minute shootout is distinctly Wheatley: the crushing violence of Kill List is still present, only with a larger name actor's head being crushed.
Brie Larson, Armie Hammer, Sharlto Copley, Cillian Murphy, Jack Reynor, Michael Smiley, Sam Riley, Noah Taylor, Enzo Cilenti and Babou Ceesay. All criminals with varying levels of competence taking part in a 1970s IRA-related arms deal in Boston which quickly goes awry and results in - you guessed it - a free fire. As allegiances constantly shift amongst the chaos, Wheatley (and screenwriting partner wife Amy Jump) never fail to shock or amuse. Jump's off-screen, partially ADR-ed dialogue is hilarious, especially as clueless Copley chimes in, questioning the chaos. Hammer's suave, beard oiling Ord is also great, but there isn't enough space to credit every cast member, as good as they all are.
That said, without these performances, the characters would be extremely thin for the most part due to the short run time and focus on the shootout giving little room for development. Even so, Larson et al imbue them all with plenty of personality as they exchange thousands of rounds. Conversely, the svelter-than-Christian-Bale-in-The-Machinist plotting gives way to refreshing briskness; it gets straight into the action. The volume and amount of bullets certainly make for a persuasive anti-gun advert, and the whole concept of people desperately trying to inflict as much pain as possible onto each other is joyfully dark.
The chaos can often be discombobulating (probably deliberately), but to a point where it's hard to keep track of who is where and what is happening thanks to the fast editing. Though Wheatley never loses track of his goals of entertaining and mildly spoofing the genre (as he pitched it, it's an action film that never gets past the opening scene). Speaking of the extended scene, this is one the factors that make Free Fire such a unique experience. It is a tad messy, but few films offer wit, mystery, horrific violence and manages to deliver it with such gusto. Imagine Reservoir Dogs directed by Adam McKay.
Wheatley even services his inner film fan with some homages to Spaghetti western shootouts. What next for the High Rise director? Apparently a film where women in space hunt crabs with shotguns. Will Wheatley regular Michael Smiley be a crustacean?
FOUR STARS. Very salty.
Left: Luke with Wheatley.He was ecstatic to meet a film legend: Luke Hetherington, star of Hillside.
Right: Sam Riley was also present and equally delightful.
Fun note: that t-shirt is of the cult Sean Connery film Zardoz. Feel free to Google a jock-strap wearing, middle-aged Connery with a ponytail.
Photos: Chloe Rogers
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