Free Fire follows two separate crews of criminals engaged in a gun deal in an abandoned Boston warehouse in the 1970s. After some tense back and forth between the headstrong participants, a co-incidental reunion between one member from each crew devolves into a huge gun battle where who survives is never certain.
Free Fire is a very fun action comedy with an original, never before seen premise. Two-thirds of the film’s 90 minute runtime is the actual shootout with up to eleven shooters at one time. Each of the member of each crew has their own distinct personality and adds to the enjoyable atmosphere that keeps the otherwise flimsy plot of the film watchable and engaging. The film uses good dialogue and interesting characters to keep the viewer interested in seeing the outcome of the film. The 1970s setting is helped by the John Denver track serving as the film’s only score and a stylish wardrobe supplied to the ensemble. Free Fire’s cast also serves to make the film work as it is, with a good list of talent including Brie Larson, Cillian Murphy, Armie Hammer, Sharlto Copley, and rising star Jack Reynor.
Despite not being full of subtext or complex, deep social themes, Free Fire felt like a callback to entertaining action flicks featuring cool characters that you viscerally either hated or rooted for. I also admired the fact that the story is a new premise that hasn’t been seen before; a concept that takes a chance and provides the viewer with a new setting to explore and see a story told through. The film is also self-aware in that it only has a runtime of one and a half hours. It knows the type of film it is, that the plot isn’t complex or very involved, and that as a result it doesn’t need to go on for longer than it should. Sometimes less is more and will work for certain types of movies and director Ben Wheatley aptly shows that he knew just that when crafting this film.
It’s a shame that movie bombed at the box office and was pulled from my local Washington, D.C. theater after just one week. Original films such as this deserve their shot at establishing themselves as moviegoers are inundated with more and more by-the-numbers blockbusters. Support for films like Free Fire show movie studios that audiences are still open to new experiences that take risks and show them something new. Had critics and press spread the word about this film a little more, I think audiences that heard them would’ve been glad that they gave the film a chance. I hope that Free Fire’s lack of commercial success isn’t just the latest nail in the coffin of filmmaking that tries something new and untested.
Image: A24
