Free Fire

SPOILERS!

I wanted to believe 2016's FREE FIRE was more than just another (albeit VERY late) Tarantino wannabe.  Or worse, warmed over Guy Ritchie.  Maybe that's unfair, but as I sat through this ninety one minute noisemaker - which felt much longer by the way - those were the thoughts I had.  This review could be very short, a paragraph long, even.  There isn't much to say, other than that co-screenwriter and director Ben Wheatley's film is lots of quips and bullets.  Not much else.  The first half hour or so is a lot of talk, the remaining hour is less talk with a nonstop shootout.  Oh, add a few John Denver songs to be ironic and cool.  I guess that part is OK, as the film takes place in 1978 and the songs are played on an 8-track tape in a van.

Here's your plot: Two shlubs are meeting their bosses, IRA members, after hours at a warehouse in Boston.   The two IRA toughs are buying weapons from some other guys.  Also in attendance is a suave, smart mouthed rep for the sellers and a woman who seems to have brokered the whole deal.  It is revealed that the wrong guns are brought, but fook it, they fire well enough.  The pieces are placed in the van.  A briefcase with money is handed to the dealers.  They count it.  It's all there.  One of the IRA members asks the woman to dinner.  Despite some mildly terse exchanges and put downs, everyone seems to be ready to go off into that good night.

But right before the deal is done, one of the shlubs recognizes one of the dealers as the guy who beat his ass the night before.  The dealer had just cause - the shlub had been abusing his female cousin.  Sparks begin to fly.  The shlub is reprimanded by the IRA guys, who demand he apologizes.  Well, things don't go as planned.  Soon, weapons are drawn and the warehouse becomes a shooting gallery.  Everyone crouches behind something and spits a few rounds, taunting their adversaries.  Then others show up: snipers.  Who do they work for?  Sometimes, it seems that maybe someone switched sides.  And whose side is the girl on, anyway?

Problem is, I never cared.  You see I haven't gone to the trouble of identifying the characters.  They don't merit the effort.  Wheatley and the actors could've drawn sketches that pique our interest but these are just archetypes at best.  They're not interesting as flesh and blood OR as metaphors, ideas.  They are just bodies, fresh meat.  As skillful as some of Wheatley's direction may be, the firefight gets old very quickly.  I like a well executed gun battle as much as the next guy, but despite a few exciting moments (and great sound editing), the battle is stale and boring.  The dialogue is likewise.  I just found myself marking time.  Like watching someone else play a video game.  I had nothing at stake here.  When folks were cut down it meant next to nothing.

The cast includes notables like Armie Hammer, Cillian Murphy, Brie Larson, and Sharto Copley.  Everyone delivers decent performances, but they have little with which to work.  I guess I thought that since Martin Scorsese was one of the producers this would've been a nice little sleeper.  A latter day homage that was worth the time.  Sorry to say..

I haven't seen Wheatley's other work.  He has much talent.  He should not squander it on junk like this, a film that wants to be compared favorably with RESERVOIR DOGS but barely holds muster with imitators like KILLING ZOE and LUCKY NUMBER SLEVIN.   I also wish Hammer's character had lived long enough to finish his John Denver story.

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