Freedomland (2006)

A black police detective must solve a strange case of a kidnapped boy and deal with a big racial protest.

Director:

Joe Roth

Writers:

Richard Price (screenplay), Richard Price (novel)

Stars:

Julianne Moore, Samuel L. Jackson, Edie Falco

2 wins & 3 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Samuel L. Jackson	...	Lorenzo Council
Julianne Moore	...	Brenda Martin
Edie Falco	...	Karen Collucci
Ron Eldard	...	Danny Martin
William Forsythe	...	Boyle
Aunjanue Ellis	...	Felicia
Anthony Mackie	...	Billy Williams
LaTanya Richardson Jackson	...	Marie
Clarke Peters	...	Reverend Longway
Peter Friedman	...	Lt. Gold
Domenick Lombardozzi	...	Leo Sullivan
Aasif Mandvi	...	Dr. Anil Chatterjee
Philip Bosco	...	Priest
Fly Williams III	...	Rafik
Portia	...	Doreen / Rafik's Sister

Storyline

Late one evening, Brenda Martin, a thirty-seven year old Caucasian woman from the proverbial wrong side of the tracks, enters Dempsy Medical Center in Dempsy, New Jersey with minor injuries, but she is also emotionally distraught. One of the people to who she tells her story is Dempsy Police Detective Lorenzo Council, a black man. That story is that she was just carjacked by another unknown black man when she took a shortcut that she had never traveled between the Armstrong housing projects, where she works at the Rainbow Club, a children's center, and her home in Gannon, New Jersey. Her emotional distress is because her four year old son, Cody, was asleep in the back seat of the car and is thus now in the hands of the carjacker. Brenda's brother, Danny Martin, a police detective in Gannon, cannot help but get directly involved in the investigation despite he operating outside his jurisdiction. His actions do not sit well with Council, who he insinuates is not only not doing his job, ...

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Plot Keywords:

box office bomb | police | mother | kidnapping | hospital | 

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Taglines:

His Streets. His Rules.

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Genres:

Crime | Drama | Mystery | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for language and some violent content

Details

Official Sites:

Sony Pictures [United States]

Country:

USA

Language:

English Italian

Release Date:

17 February 2006 (USA)

Also Known As:

Das Gesicht der Wahrheit

Filming Locations:

Red Fox Diner Restaurant: 138 Route 9A, Elmsford, New York, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$37,665,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$6,707,111, 19 February 2006, Wide Release

Gross USA:

$12,512,886, 12 March 2006

Company Credits

Production Co:

Revolution Studios, Scott Rudin Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

113 min 112 min (cut)

Sound Mix:

SDDS Dolby Digital DTS

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Samuel L. Jackson and Anthony Mackie reunited in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

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Goofs

The scenes at the Freedomland facility appear to be in late fall/winter - trees are bare, subjects are wearing heavy clothing. When Lorenzo interviews Brenda, he states on the tape recorder the date of the interview is May.

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Quotes

Lorenzo Council: Kiss my ass, brotherfucker.

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Connections

Features Wheel of Fortune (1983)

User Reviews

Overblown drama/thriller that goes nowhere

Caught an advance screening a week ago, the same one attended by the other reviewer.

It's a sad day when a movie is made with its sights set on an Oscar award AND box office at the same time. For me, the mere intent can undermine a good idea - what to say of a bad one? That's what happens in this botched and overblown attempt at a drama/thriller (some may say a cross between a 70's racial drama and "The Forgotten" - on speed). IT IS a bad idea from the start - everyone in Hollywood knows the trouble that is adapting a lengthy book to the screen. But when you couple that with Oscar aspirations - for acting, I suppose - you have a recipe for disaster.

The basic story line is that of a single mom that gets car-jacked while lost in a public park and then proceeds to tell the police (after much "emotion") that her son is still in the car with the criminal. Pretty much what all thrillers are about, right? Well, everything is kosher except that she is white and the park where it all took place happens to be right in the middle of a poor, black neighborhood.

As the viewer would have guessed, the main topics here are the racial conflict - "violent" white cops versus "angry" black mob - and the desperate search for the kid.

As director and screenwriter tried to keep every single thread present in the book, things eventually get extremely confusing. We never get a feel for the characters or a sense of fulfillment. Many of the threads feel incomplete and others seem like mere sketches that went along for the ride.

More so, Joe Roth's directing style is frenetic and restless. I'd say he could do a great action flick, but here so much movement ends up wasted and actually annoys the viewer.

Finally, to keep this short, the acting goes from OK to histrionic. I truly feel sorry for Julianne Moore - she is a great actress trapped in a recycled role. Samuel Jackson is another casualty; his talent is wasted on another empty character, an amalgam that doesn't work despite his visible effort. Many dislike the score, but I did enjoy it for some obscure reason.

Well, as you guys can see, "Freedomland" is a disappointment and I would highly recommend a DVD screening for this one since it is my personal belief that we should see a little bit of everything in a protected environment.