Film Reviews

Freedomland

• Rating:
• Director: Joe Roth
• Starring: Julianne Moore
• Details: US, 113mins, 15s.

When disjointed Brenda Martin (Moore) arrives at a hospital with blood on her hands and mumbling something about a carjacking and her four-year-old son being kidnapped, detective Lorenzo (Jackson) suspects she knows more than she is letting on. When Brenda's brother, detective Danny Martin (Ron Eldard), shuts down the housing project where the incident took place in an attempt to trap the kidnapper, it creates an air of hostility between the white cops and the predominantly black community. As Lorenzo presses the tight-lipped Brenda to tell what really happened with her son, the rebellious community threatens to riot if the police presence isn't removed. Given a Richard Price (The Wanderers, Clockers) novel to shoot after directing the family affairs of Christmas With The Kranks and America's Sweethearts was a big mistake. Roth lacks the drive and push that previous directors (Spike Lee, Phillip Kaufman) recognised in Price's work and this is in evident in the performance of his two leads. Moore, a talented actress with a barrage of eclectic roles under her belt, looks - like her character - confused as to how she should play her role. Jackson is in similar territory, as his Dudley-do-right virtuous cop never impresses and Jackson fans will be disappointed that not even their favourite star can elevate himself above his average surroundings. Freedomland never attempts to stand out from the rabble and meanders along until the mediocre ending at which point no one cares who did what to whom.

Review by Gavin Burke