Liberty Stands Still (2002)

Liberty, the wife of a gun manufacturer, is held hostage at a hot dog stand by a sniper seeking revenge.

Director:

Kari Skogland

Writer:

Kari Skogland

Stars:

Tanya Allen, Hart Bochner, Fulvio Cecere

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Tanya Allen	...	May
Hart Bochner	...	Hank Wilford
Fulvio Cecere	...	Burt McGovern
Gregory Calpakis	...	Vince (as Greg Calpakis)
Terry Chen	...	Officer Tom
Garvin Cross	...	CIA Henchman #1
Roger Cross	...	Officer Miller (as Roger R. Cross)
Martin Cummins	...	Russell Williams
Keith Dallas	...	Young Man
Linda Fiorentino	...	Liberty Wallace
Marrett Green	...	Gary P. Evans - Reporter #2
Darcy Laurie	...	Drunk Guy
David Lewis	...	Businessman
Robert Lewis	...	Fireman Frank
Brian Markinson	...	Rex Perry

Storyline

A gunman ties up an actor and locks him in his dressing room just before a performance. He also puts a bomb with a 90-minute timer next to the actor. Then, he goes to a room above an LA plaza and draws a bead on the actor's lover, international arms dealer, Liberty Wallace. Calling himself "Joe," he calls her cell phone, demonstrates that a rifle is pointed at her, and tells her to cuff herself to a hot-dog cart nearby (the cuffs are there). Over the next 90 minutes, the story unfolds: as a result of his daughter's death, he wants a public debate on the Second Amendment. As Liberty begins to bond with Joe on the phone, he gets some truths from her - and his revenge.

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Plot Keywords:

bomb | hostage | gunman | sniper | gun control | 

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Taglines:

In the game of life and death... you only lose once.

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Genres:

Action | Drama | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for violence and language

Details

Country:

Germany Canada

Language:

English

Release Date:

3 May 2002 (Italy)

Also Known As:

Appel au meurtre

Filming Locations:

Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada

Box Office

Budget:

$11,000,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Lions Gate Films, Cinerenta Medienbeteiligungs KG, Pearl Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

96 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Goofs

When Liberty first walks over to the hot dog stand and picks up the cuffs, the angle of the view through Joe's scope would imply that he's looking out of a 2nd or 3rd story window at most - which would be an utterly impractical angle for a sniper to be overlooking a crowded area.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Liberty Wallace: [on phone] I'm not wearing any underwear, and you going to be able to concentrate?
Russell Williams: Not if you're aren't here.
Liberty Wallace: [laughs] I'm on my way.

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Connections

Referenced in The Angry Birds Movie (2016)

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Soundtracks

Creatures
Performed by Carmen Rizzo
Written by Carmen Rizzo, Christina Calero, Ashley Slater and Joel Shearer
Published by Povi-Lu Music

User Reviews

Nice idea, but only works in parts

Linda Fiorentino (Liberty Wallace) an international arms dealer who sells to anyone...no questions asked. While out to meet her lover, she receives a phone-call; the sniper (Welsey Snipes) who she is talking to has her in his sights, and if she fails to do as she told, she will die; and if her phone goes dead she will detonate a bomb that will destroy a city block.

The idea is good, and a strong sense of tension is built up by the performances of Fiorentino and Snipes, but after a clever and intriguing build up the film does eventually fall flat. By the end you may feel that the film makers missed a good opportunity to both make a statement and make a cracking film.

6/10 If you like the concept - try phonebooth, it is better executed.