Review: Free Fire

There is a certain kind of cinematic joy to be found in Ben Wheatley's Free Fire. For people who love innovative, non-traditional filmmaking, the film is like a candy store. Others may find the film's lack of exposition a hinderance to the fun. 

To be clear, the film has almost no setup. It is clear we are in the mid-seventies by the clothing. It also feels like we may be in Boston due to some of the accents. The film begins as several gangs of criminals head to a meet up spot to make a gun deal with the IRA. 

The first group we meet includes drug-addict Stevo (Sam Riley), quiet Bernie (Enzo Cilenti), leader and Irishman Chris (Cillian Murphy) and his partner/boss Frank (Michael Smiley). They are waiting for a South African arms dealer named Vernon (Sharlto Copley). His partner is an ex-Black Panther named Martin (Babou Ceesay). They have two foot soldiers, Harry (Jack Reynor) and Gordon (Noah Taylor). Handling the deal on their end is Ord (Armie Hammer) The deal is being brokered by Justine (Brie Larsen). 

Now while the plot may be sparse, the characters are drawn in big, splashy ways. Each character is distinct and full of quirks that get exploited for humor as the deal goes south and soon an epic shoot out takes place. When I say epic here, I mean it. Free Fire is spends about 70 minutes of its scant 90 minutes running time in the throws of a shootout. As a result, the film is a kinetic blast. 

Free Fire wisely avoids trying to create a sympathetic character among this motley crew of criminals. In that way, the film is almost like a slasher with guns. We the audience gleefully delight in seeing where each stray bullet lands and watching the characters bleed. Wheatley has a dark sense of humor and he puts it to good use here, milking the crazy setup for a ton of laughs. 

The ensemble mixed with the sure footed, stylish direction pull Free Fire together into something more than the Tarantino rip-off it will get called. The film has a distinct personality to it, as do the characters themselves. Copley is particularly hilarious as Vernon and Sam Riley gets a lot out of playing a drugged up asshole. The dialogue whips by as it reveals each characters plan on how to escape with the money. 

Free Fire may not be everyone's cup of tea but it certainly was mine. The high concept of an entire film being a shoot-out is taken to giddy heights thanks to Wheatley's dark sense of humor and the ensemble's comedic timing. 

4/5