Free Fall Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		1.5
Video		4.5
Audio		4.5
Extras		1.0
Overall		2.5

Free Fall Blu-ray Movie Review

Thud.

Reviewed by Martin Liebman October 22, 2014

Free Fall. The title, along with the Blu-ray cover art, suggests some dangerous high-wire act that might be reminiscent of the famous "drop in" laser room theft sequence from Mission: Impossible meets some high-rise Disaster escape movie like The Towering Inferno meets something along the lines of the Nakatomi excitement from Die Hard. The movie couldn't be further from any of those. Instead, it's a laborious exercise in zero-sum, go-nowhere cinema with flat action, dull character drama, an empty plot, and phoned-in performances. It's one of the most forgettable films ever made. It's neither shockingly awful nor anywhere approaching "good." It's the type destined to fade into oblivion minutes after it ends and disappear from everything but master movie databases, an IMDB page, a few large movie collections, and some way-down-the-list option on instant video feeds.

Stuck in an el-e-va-tor...

Jane (Sarah Butler) works in a fancy high rise under one of the world's wealthiest individuals, Thaddeus Gault (Malcolm McDowell). She arrives at work one morning to learn that one of her co-workers, Mike, has died from a leap off the rooftop. She's distraught, as are her co-workers, and is quickly offered a promotion to take Mike's job. In his office, she uncovers evidence of fraud that implicated Mr. Gault. She brings it to the attention of another co-worker who promises to work with her in exposing the truth but who instead enlists the help of Frank (D.B. Sweeney), a hit man who comes in to secure the evidence and eliminate Jane. Jane, on to Frank, manages to escape but finds herself trapped in an elevator with Frank doing all he can to get her out and kill her before the night ends.

Free Fall gets off to a slow, uninspiring start. The story propellant -- the death of one of Jane's co-workers -- fails to produce any sort of emotional hit to the audience. Perhaps, it could be argued, the movie doesn't need that jolt out into the crowd, wishing to instead set the story in motion rather than give anything away, but lingering on it for a good ten minutes as his co-workers mourn his loss -- the loss of a character the audience never met beyond a thud on top of a car -- is a bit much to swallow for a movie out-of-the-gate. The plot conveniences continue when Jane suddenly discovers key information in the recently departed's office, which in fact serves only to degrade the plot considering that the gun-for-hire who's about to come after Jane, and all the other people involved in the cover-up, could be so devoid of thoroughness and leave evidence behind the first time, no matter how well-hidden (or not) it may be. The movie is all about doing whatever it must to push the plot forward to the point that Jane becomes the proverbial damsel in distress. Sadly, even that bit never really goes anywhere.

Free Fall's second and third acts mostly see Jane trapped in an elevator while Frank taunts her and does his best to extract her from the metallic box that could be either her safe haven or her tomb. The film never manages to engender much of a sense of danger or even claustrophobia. The elevator is just sort of a nondescript box that serves to separate victim and villain, nothing more and nothing less. It's like watching a cat paw at a mouse tucked away inside its cage, except that the cat might provide some comedic value or at least give up after a time and move on to something more interesting, like a nap. In Free Fall, the drama trickles in and the action never moves beyond a few near-miss gunshots and a couple of fistfights. Nothing that happens comes with any sort of added dramatic value, sense of peril, or true terror, and there are plenty of reasons for that lack of vitality or interest.

Indeed, the film is a flat, lifeless experience that's more about routine than it is excitement, more about telling a story rather than building a tale, more about moving forward rather than concerned with the details of whatever lies ahead. Worse, the characters are unbelievably boring and performed with a disturbing lack of enthusiasm. Even lead Sarah Butler can't seem to muster up much concern for her plight, whether when piecing together the clues or yelling at her would-be assassin. Malcolm McDowell phones in what amounts to a few minutes of screen time and probably less than a day on the set, accomplishing little more than reminding viewers of his "Soran" character from Star Trek: Generations when he says something to the effect of "time waits for no man." Worst of all is D.B. Sweeney, a talented actor who plays an unconvincing hit man -- made worse by the obvious lack of thoroughness that quickly becomes evident -- and never feels like a truly menacing sort but instead just a stand-in for a generic villain.

Free Fall Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Free Fall does look rather good. Though it's a fairly sterile film, meaning it's somewhat naturally flat and set against an almost endless string of gray-dominant backgrounds, it manages to produce a crisp, well-defined appearance that should satisfy all viewers. Colors are limited to some brighter clothing shades and a couple of unique backgrounds, where they enjoy a good bit of natural vitality, particularly the opening sparring scene. Otherwise, it's shades of gray, white, black, and a little blue throughout. Black levels are critical, and they're nicely deep and authentic. Flesh tones are a touch pasty but look fine in context. Details excel. Though there's not much brilliance to colors or to backgrounds, the transfer squeezes every last detail out of every environment, from well-lit and very clean offices to the cramped metallic elevator. Facial features are outstandingly natural, and clothing lines look magnificent. There are a couple of minor occurrences of banding and a handful of softer, almost smeary shots, but otherwise this is a sharp, nice-looking image from Anchor Bay.

Free Fall Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Free Fall features a dynamic DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 lossless soundtrack. Though the movie doesn't really accomplish much, the soundtrack does all it can to keep the audience interested. Gunfire is intense, popping loudly inside confined spaces and impacting very hard on various surfaces. All sides of the listening area take fire and the result is a satisfying explosion of action that will leave the listener smiling even when the movie does its best to wipe that upside down frown away. Music is nicely filling and clear, with a healthy clarity throughout the range and a good low end and surround support. Dialogue is clear and center-channel focused. The track is a good one, a nice, even experience dotted with some bits of action that define the entire thing.

Free Fall Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Free Fall contains only a single supplement. 'Free Fall:' Behind the Scenes (1080p, 25:06) takes a look at story details and themes, character motivations, shoot specifics, budget, production challenges, character details, performances, and more.

Free Fall Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Free Fall is a movie built on convenience and one that cannot overcome the resultant flatness. It's amazing that a film can be this nondescript, particularly considering the talent involved and its decent, if not somewhat trite, plot line. Free Fall deserved to be better, but beyond a decent façade this one has absolutely nothing of value to offer. Anchor Bay's Blu-ray release of Free Fall does yield excellent video and audio. One featurette is included. Skip it.