By early June 2015, Sharlto Copley, Armie Hammer, Brie Larson, Cillian Murphy, Jack Reynor, Babou Ceesay, Enzo Cilenti, Sam Riley, Michael Smiley and Noah Taylor were cast in a British black comedy-action film written by Wheatley and Jump, and with Wheatley directing. At the same time, principal photography commenced, and wrapped in mid July. Filming took place in Brighton, East Sussex.
There are few directors out there who can achieve the appropriate balance between horrific violence and laugh-out-loud comedy, but Wheatley's masterful touch makes this a consistently enjoyable. Wheatley's control has never seemed greater, the music cues, the deft editing by Wheatley and Jump, and the performances all so sharp that the film is allowed to be viewed properly as the gem that it is. It's hard to quibble with the film, and its satirical, observational eye is spot on, mining to laser-like effect hitherto underdocumented subjects in British comedy cinema. Not only is the film a relishable achievement for its devisers, but it enhances Wheatley's reputation as currently the most refreshingly offbeat and unpredictable director of British crime movies. The film is everything you could want from a dark comedy infused with crime and is by far Wheatley's most assured work to date. Uncomfortably lurching from broad slapstick to dark and sharp violence - often in the space of a single scene - the film adds up to a rather jumbled whole, despite the punchlines hitting as often as they miss. Devised by Wheatley and Jump, his professional and personal partner, the movie pokes fun at the social limitations of these lumpen Midlanders without sneering at or patronizing them. It's definitely not for everyone, but if you can stand the stink of the human condition, the film will linger in the lobes of your imagination long enough to make you laugh. For all its drawbacks, the film is undoubtedly best on the big screen -- if just for its striking visuals and memorable oddities. It becomes a film that necessitates and acquired taste to appreciate it. That being said, if you have enjoyed any of Wheatley's films to date you should check out this one as well.
Simon says Free Fire receives:
Also, see my review for High-Rise.
The film stars Copley, Hammer, Larson, Murphy, Reynor, Ceesay, Cilenti, Riley, Smiley and Taylor. The cast are great and commanding, while Copley and Hammer are hilariously submissive. Their performances here are equal to and better than the characters they have created for both cinema and television. Although Wheatley and Jump have gotten away with eliminating exposition and traditional character detail in the past, it's frustratingly difficult to follow what this motley group is searching for, much less to distinguish between the various personalities.
There are few directors out there who can achieve the appropriate balance between horrific violence and laugh-out-loud comedy, but Wheatley's masterful touch makes this a consistently enjoyable. Wheatley's control has never seemed greater, the music cues, the deft editing by Wheatley and Jump, and the performances all so sharp that the film is allowed to be viewed properly as the gem that it is. It's hard to quibble with the film, and its satirical, observational eye is spot on, mining to laser-like effect hitherto underdocumented subjects in British comedy cinema. Not only is the film a relishable achievement for its devisers, but it enhances Wheatley's reputation as currently the most refreshingly offbeat and unpredictable director of British crime movies. The film is everything you could want from a dark comedy infused with crime and is by far Wheatley's most assured work to date. Uncomfortably lurching from broad slapstick to dark and sharp violence - often in the space of a single scene - the film adds up to a rather jumbled whole, despite the punchlines hitting as often as they miss. Devised by Wheatley and Jump, his professional and personal partner, the movie pokes fun at the social limitations of these lumpen Midlanders without sneering at or patronizing them. It's definitely not for everyone, but if you can stand the stink of the human condition, the film will linger in the lobes of your imagination long enough to make you laugh. For all its drawbacks, the film is undoubtedly best on the big screen -- if just for its striking visuals and memorable oddities. It becomes a film that necessitates and acquired taste to appreciate it. That being said, if you have enjoyed any of Wheatley's films to date you should check out this one as well.
Simon says Free Fire receives:
Also, see my review for High-Rise.
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