Genres

Visitors Review

2012-05-22 10:59:51

I don't get it.

This film was ripped from the headlines. This story is purely fictitious. I believe the story about some black guy killed my my child was all made up. It reminds me of Susan Smith, who was telling the cops that her children were missing. Low and behold, She killed her children and then pushed her car into the lake . what a terrible tragedy it was. Smith was convicted, and She's now spending the rest of her life-In prison. This film did'nt get right to the point; Brenda (Jullianne Moore)lied everything to Lorenzo (Samuel L. Jackson) about who murdered her son; It WAS'NT some black guy. Brenda was guilty. case dismissed. The truth always win. "Snakes in the Plane" coming soon to DVD August 1st.

Carla Meyer 2012-05-21 16:34:58

Alternately histrionic and muddled, the racially charged drama Freedomland never resonates as it should.

kai ringler 2012-05-17 14:08:24

a very confusing movie

i was kinda disappointed at this movie , after watching the trailer, itstarted out good enough, good premise, interesting plot, great actors,,so where might you ask , did they go wrong, well to many plot twiststhat didn't pan out for starters, i mean you have a movie go one way,,then another, but then another on top of that. julianne moore'sperformance was good , but could have been better, samuel jackson who iam a fan of , seemed to be way off this time, which is unusual forhim.the movie tries to go into to many directions, first you have thekidnapping,. which is great for a plot, then the did she or did she notangle, which is fine also, but why on earth would they even try to makethis movie racial , it seems like the people who were making thismovie, tried to send a politico message of race , color , andprejudice, now i know all about urban neighborhood, as i've drove ataxi in an all black town,, and have personally been through the"projects" many times. i think the movie would have been better hadthey not tried to make race an issue in this one,, the movie did keepme interested enough to watch it through, and it wasn't a horriblemovie or anything,, just went in too many different directions that'sall.

D A 2012-05-17 06:17:43

Took a generic film and made it worse

Freedomland is a movie that wears it's dumbed-down nature on it'ssleeve. For every righteous concept the awkwardly delivered scriptinterjects, there are five simultaneously running concepts that bog thefilm down from sincere drama to unintended comedy. Editing, directing,writing and acting all take blows with this project, and many of theseradically miscalculated creative decisions come at too steep of a priceto redeem anything the film has going for it. There were moments inthis movie, that I truly felt were being guided by a high schoolediting team, and were embarrassing to watch be played out, especiallygiven the film's obvious desire to be somewhat gritty, heartfelt, anddramatic. Performances suffer from misguided direction as well, withJackson playing another version of his ego-centric filmography's "I amthe man" character, crossed with Moore's talented, yet way over the topand misguided "crazy woman". People who want a little lightentertainment in the guise of heavy entertainment might enjoy rentingthis, but all in all this was a huge disappointment for it's potentialthemes, and a downright embarrassment in a few unintended laughablescenes.

marc 2012-05-16 11:27:01

What the heck went wrong?

I just checked out my voting record on IMDb. I have voted on 2136 filmsof which I have given 13 films a 1 rating. The last film that I gave a1 rating to was Superbabies 2. Freedomland is better than that film,but as far as expectations versus final product this is the worst filmthat I have ever seen. I love what I have read by Richard Price"Clockers" - a decent Spike Lee film came from that novel, and TheWanderers which Philip Kaufman turned into a fantastic film. I love towatch Samuel L. Jackson, and I have enjoyed Julliane Moores work in thepast, even including the Forgotten. I always enjoy seeing WilliamForsythe on screen too. I guess you gotta blame Joe Roth for this mess.Yeah the screenplay was terrible, but it could not have been morepoorly filmed. Things go on in the film that totally distract theviewer from the story. I will give you a couple of examples. When Ms.Moore is in the hospital having her first meeting with Sam Jackson.There is some guy in the next cubicle that keeps interrupting andtalking over her lines with lines that are nonsense and have nothing todo with the story. I know it is supposed to be background noise but itis filmed so poorly it becomes foreground noise.In a normal film a producer might watch that scene and tell hisdirector to redo it. But in Mr. Roth's case I'll bet it is kind of likethe emperor wears no clothes. Julianne Moore has to be blamed as well.Her performance is razzy worthy and this film should win several razzyif it is not altogether forgotten by that time. Perhaps she and Jacksonjust got fed up somewhere along the line and decided that if Joe Rothwas going to put together a mess they would do all they could to help.I could go on, but I really don't want to waste any more of my life onthis film. I suggest that you do the same.

h-robinett 2012-05-15 18:07:21

Freedomland

I really liked this movie. I'm actually a little surprised there hasn'tbeen more talk about it, but I suppose people are tired of the subjectmatter.I read the book a few years ago, but only saw it just now on DVD. I thought Moore was miscast only because I think she's too beautifulfor the role. I think the weakness of the character she portrayed wasexactly right. She was a weak person. And she broke my heart in therole. I think she did a tremendous job of acting in it. Sorry I seem todisagree with most everyone about that. I guess I have very bad taste.In my minds eye I saw Charles Dutton in the role of Lorenzo when I readthe book. But I grew into Samuel Jackson. I'm a huge fan of his anyway. Anyway I thought the book was riveting and I thought the movie was avery faithful depiction of it.I know Richard Price has come under some criticism for the manner ofportraying black people as a white man, but l as a black man I think hedoes a good job. Thumbs up. I might feel different if I spent money, but I don't thinkso.

sefinke 2012-05-11 06:51:56

FreeDumbland

This is just another movie that was made for people who like to hearSamuel L. Jackson talk. Julianne Moores was lame and I think guilty ofoveracting. I think she is seriously overrated but the bottom line isthe movie consists of too much dialouge and not enough action. It washard to make sense of what was going on. Jackson(who as usual does agood job acting with what he has been given to work with) is a cop whois supposed to be helping her find her missing child but it seems thattoo much time is spent just sitting around talking. I confess I did notfinish it. I shut it off after an hour or so and watched the bimbos onthe TV guide channel until I found something else to watch. Again ifyou like the sound of Samuel L. Jacksons voice you will like thismovie. If that is not enough for you then don't waste your time on thisunwatchable stinker!

Philip Martin 2012-05-10 18:02:02

a police procedural that understands ... the lines between victims and perps are neither bright nor wide

mwhiley 2012-05-08 07:33:45

absolute cracker

I watched this film as i had an hour and a half to fill before thefootball started and can't but help feeling cheated . I'd expectednothing short of a bit of a "b" movie fluff and ended up engrossed in atrue hidden gem of a film .Very much for me in the mould of a "Crash" type film i just wonder whyi'd never heard of this film before . It should have been a majorrelease IMHO.Got to say at times i found it disturbing but the sensitive issues arehandled with compassion and is certainly well worth a watch .This is the sort of film i just know i'll watch again someday .

parris 2012-05-07 18:03:07

This is not a bad film!!!!

Where the hell does 4.7 stars come from....please its clearly one ofSamuel Jacksons best performances. There's nothing wrong with JulianneMoore's jersey accent...and yes this could be new jersey!! maybe thatreviewer has never been to jersey, I think all those who say a bad filmshould go back and watch it again.The acting,the story are all good.The only flaw is the film tries to bemany things and strays from the main story towards the end. Other thanthat its entertaining and its true.The police are racist. Crimesagainst whites are treated diffrently than crimes against blacksI have always trusted IMDb ratings when it comes to film but this oneis the worst...

Randy Shulman 2012-05-05 09:11:23

[The] thematic material is so far beyond [director Joe] Roth's reach, you feel that even offering him a stepladder wouldn't help.

raiderfan2277 2012-05-04 21:42:15

Surprised At Negative Comments!!!!

just saw this movie and was really surprised at all the negativecomments, I thought it was great and Jullian Moore should have beenconsidered for an award!! the point they were trying to get across wasperfect and yes we have seen other movies similar to this but thoughtthis was done very well!! Jullian did a great job of showing theunbelief and the frantic state of mind that you probably would be in ifyou were in that situation, also the relationship between her andSamuel was perfect it made the movie seem real!!!! I thought the castwas fantastic and was put together very well!!! I like Ron Elderad healso did a great job. A MUST SEE!!!!!!

2012-05-03 13:43:27

Disappointing

This movie didn't win my sympathies at any point. Just to give one detailed example: in the beginning, Jackson's character is treated unfairly by other cops, so I might expect to feel sympathy for him. But at the same time, his character is doing stupid things that makes me want to scream, "Come on, just do what you are supposed to do!" Apparently the writers wanted to prolong the tension this way, but it ends up just confusing the viewer and losing sympathy for the character. Generally this movie abounds with poor direction and storytelling. All the mob scenes look staged and phony. It's that sense you get that the director was showing us what he thought it should look like rather than what reality looks like. The blood on Julianne Moore's hands in the opening scenes is perfectly red and painted perfectly evenly over each hand. There's an extended ending that shows us the hearts of the characters, which might be satisfying if I actually liked or felt any sympathy for the characters up to that point, but since I didn't, it was a waste of time. This movie has been called a "thriller", but if you look at the plot, there's basically only one mystery, and it gets solved all at once.

brass k 2012-05-02 15:50:56

supremely terrible

the absolute worst movie i have ever seen.moore's constant whining and shuffling coupled with an absolute absence of action make watching this movie akin to torture.moore is repulsive to watchas she slowly shuffles through eachpainfully slow dull scene. the audience'spainfull hope of some speed or plot twist oranything other than moore whining and shuffling are crushed scene by monotonous scene.jackson and falco are superb in their roles butmoore is so overpoweringly repulsive and overactsso much that all you can do is want to get up and leave, which i finally did after about an hour. freedomland is actually the cinema's lobbywhere you finally escape this pathetic bore.

Nickster 2012-04-21 11:37:46

Distraction and diversion.. not in a good way. Warning: may give away some plot developments.

If I can dissuade anyone from spending time and money on this, I amgrateful.This was without a doubt the worst movie I have seen all year. What wassupposed to be a poignant story of loss, personal guilt and racialdivision ended up as a misguided, misdirected, and terribly acted wasteof time.It had so much going for it, but every time things appear to be goingsomewhere, it lets you down. Take the acting: Samuel L. Jackson andJulianne Moore, whose work I have enjoyed, seemed to want to punctuateeverything with screaming, pouty/pensive expressions and horriddelivery. In Sam's case, why would a veteran officer, who should beused to sensitive situations, start screaming at a mother who has justlost her child? Will it really help her clear her thoughts and give himthe information he is looking for? In Julianne's case, the terribleaccent, and that scene in the interview room (which should have beencut down to a third) was so over the top, it was laughable. It takesaway from what should have been subtly understated performances.The plot: In an attempt to provide the viewers with twists and turns,you're constantly misguided, brought to feel that something may beimportant when in fact it turns out to be unnecessary. Witness Sam'sasthma which I guess signals something serious is happening, but is adistraction instead. Perfect example is also the title of the movie,Freedomland, which ends up being a 10-minute scene in the movie that isultimately just a dead end for the characters, and could have easilybeen thrown out entirely.In fact, the frustration that I feel towards the movie comes from thefact that so much was promised and never delivered. Some movies youexpect to be bad, and can tolerate their faults. This movie, for howterrible it was on all levels when on paper (not the script paper) itshould have been fantastic, was a complete, total and utter flop.Anyone associated with it should be ashamed.

sam_3 2012-04-20 18:50:28

From an outsider, hard to figure out what it's really about

Saw this a day ago, attracted by the line-up of those who were in it.The film seems to touch on a lot of social issues; racism, urban crime,family bond, parenting, and the list goes on. But at the end, the filmdigs into none of them. With Samuel Jackson in it, the film could havecut deep into racial issues, or with Ms. Moore and her capability, thestory could have pulled out a whole lot of motherhood distress. Neitherhappened. And then there were sprinkle of religious tone, but this wentno where either (Hollywood is never good at handling religion!). So,one ends up asking, what's this all about? Maybe if you live in aneighborhood depicted in the film, you may be able to grab somethingsolid, but from outside your world, this doesn't make much sense.

bob-rutzel 2012-04-16 09:49:16

Pretty Good

Brenda Martin (Moore) tells police she was carjacked at night and herson was asleep in the backseat. Detective Lorenzo Council (Jackson)wants to know why this white woman was in a bad area late at night withthe boy in the car, and why does she have blood on her hands? Ah, thequestions.They took the skimpiest of plots and made a full blown movie with itand you know something? They did a pretty good job of it because, formost of the film, everyone was in the dark and there wasn't much choicebut to see this through. Also with the skimpy plot line there was alsoa lock-down of a complete neighborhood by the police and you could besure the inhabitants were not happy about that. There were a coupleother sketchy sub-plots that never developed into anything.Overall this kept my attention throughout. The acting was good by allthe cast. I have often accused Mr. Jackson of being too pontifical withmany of the character roles he selects, but here he was great, a humanbeing trying to figure things out without being pontifical about it. Hewas refreshingly human.As for Ms Moore, I felt her pain as she related her story many timesover. There was something very believable in her voice that touched me.I would say her performance was Oscar Worthy. I really would.I almost didn't recognize Edi Falco, but she did a good job too.Several times I almost expected her to say, "Tony will take care ofthis." Tony is, of course, mob boss Tony Soprano from the TV show.When you find out what Freedomland is you will understand why the placewas called that. I am dying to tell you, but I cannot.

Lisa 2012-04-15 19:49:51

a lifetime movie

Julianne Moore did not do this part well at all. I found her so fake, my husband and I thought we were the only ones who felt this way but after reading the other reviews we see that we were right.The man on the side of us actually fell asleep and was snoring lol.So much could have been done to make this story better. If Ron Howard would have directed this movie it would of been a hit.

Rene Rodriguez 2012-04-14 10:48:41

The compression renders Freedomland as a slight, not entirely engaging mystery with slight overtones about the dangers of racial profiling.

Emma D 2012-04-14 00:30:42

Extremely disappointing

I went to this movie having heard nothing about it and left extremelydisappointed.Samuel L. Jackson is a police detective working in a poor black areawho is constantly trying to keep the peace and keep the white policefor the neighbouring white community out.Julianne Moore plays a mother who shows up to a hospital reports a carjacking and waits some time to mention that her son was in the car.From here it all goes south. Racial tensions break out as the whitepolice enter the black area searching for the boy and looking forexcuses to cause trouble.Edie Falco is the only character in this movie who is believable. Sheplays a mother who runs a support group that looks for missingchildren.Throw it all into a pot, stir it around and you have 2 hours of a mess.The film is really bad, the acting is really bad and the story is justnot believable. Why they threw in the racial riots, I don't knowbecause there is no resolution or even reason for this.If you want a movie about racial prejudice, watch Crash. If you want amovie about kidnapping, watch Trapped. If you want to waste 2 hours ofyou life that you will never get back, then watch this.