6.6 | / 10 |
Users | 4.0 | |
Reviewer | 2.5 | |
Overall | 2.6 |
Set in Boston in 1978, a meeting in a deserted warehouse between two gangs turns into a shootout and a game of survival.
Starring: Brie Larson, Enzo Cilenti, Sam Riley, Michael Smiley, Cillian MurphyCrime | Insignificant |
Drama | Insignificant |
Action | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 2.35:1
Original aspect ratio: 2.39:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1
French: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1
English: Dolby Digital 5.1
French: Dolby Digital 5.1
English SDH, Spanish
Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
UV digital copy
Slipcover in original pressing
Region A (locked)
Movie | 2.5 | |
Video | 4.0 | |
Audio | 4.5 | |
Extras | 1.0 | |
Overall | 2.5 |
You might not believe it were it not for the fact that it's emblazoned proudly across the front cover of Free Fire, but this odd film, one which plays like the final fifteen minutes of any given action adventure flick expanded to a full hour and a half running time, bears the imprimatur of a certain Martin Scorsese. Now granted, Scorsese didn’t direct Free Fire, and he is in fact just one of several Executive Producers, but the fact that he’s so boldly listed on the cover of this release might lead some to assume that there’s a certain Scorsese-ian aspect to the film, when, aside from some visceral action sequences, some may find that connection hard to actually discern. Free Fire plays like a pretty rote showdown between a variety of unseemly criminal types, albeit one filtered through a seventies’ sensibility that perhaps unintentionally evokes entries like American Hustle, but one area where Scorsese films typically excel is notably absent here: namely, character development. Perhaps it’s unnecessary for characters to be developed when the main focus of the film is simply gun play, not to mention the fact that it doesn’t take all that long for at least some characters to meet their fates (making “development” kind of meaningless in any case), but this is a film without much in the way of psychological insight, preferring instead to simply plop down a motley crew of nemeses in a warehouse where a supposedly epic gun battle ensues.
Free Fire is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Lionsgate Films with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 2.39:1. Once again the IMDb doesn't have much information on technical data for this film, but several online sites list the Arri Alexa XT as having been utilized. There are actually some pretty interesting interviews or other articles devoted to cinematographer Laurie Rose's work on the film, including the challenges of lighting a film taking place within such limited confines, and I recommend fans of the film doing a little Googling to find those pieces. While this has the generally high and precise detail levels that Alexa digital capture routinely offers, there are recurrent issues with both the dim lighting as well as an overall yellowish tint to the proceedings (which can be easily seen in many, maybe even most, of the screenshots accompanying this review). The lighting choices coupled with grading tends to keep detail levels at a somewhat less fulsome level at times, especially in midrange and wide shots. Even some close-ups can suffer from seemingly odd lighting choices that keep supposedly focal elements from revealing much detail (see screenshot 17).
Free Fire boasts an energetic DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 mix, though I personally kept wondering what a DTS:X or Dolby Atmos mix might have done for this home video release, what with the prevalence of gunfire erupting at regular intervals. The gunplay gives the track recurrent energy and good pops of LFE, and there are some excellent and even delightfully comic panning effects as bullets ricochet off of various objects, especially in the early going of the gunfight. Several scenes that feature characters all screaming at each other virtually in unison have good discrete channelization as well, helping to clearly delineate the sonic "geography". Dialogue is rendered cleanly and clearly on this problem free track, though the "Howard Hawks"-ian element of overlapping snippets can make individual lines a bit hard to pick out at times.
Maybe without that attribution to the legendary Martin Scorsese Free Fire can be appreciated for its low grade pleasures, which aren't especially deep but which do provide occasional snark and flair. Wheatley seems like a kind of B-movie mash up of Guy Ritchie and Quentin Tarantino, and for fans of those directors, Free Fire might provide some passing amusement. Video encounters a few detail issues mostly related to lighting and grading, but the audio sounds great.
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Limited Edition to 3000 - SOLD OUT
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