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February 2005
Freedomland |
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By Wilson Morales
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When it comes to taking challenging films, Samuel L. Jackson has done a number of them. He's played the crack addict (Jungle Fever), the murderous gangster (Pulp Fiction), and the vigilante father (A Time to Kill), but there comes a time when Jackson takes on a role where on paper it may have read well, but the final product on the screen was different. In his latest film, "Freedomland", the script is so full of holes that although parts of the story may resonate with some people, the impact leaves very little to discuss when circumstances within the film questions the screenplay and maybe the book where the film is based from. The story begins in a New Jersey suburb when a white bloodied woman (Moore) staggers into the emergency room of Dempsey Medical Center. After being treated for shock, Brenda Martin speaks to Dempsey police detective Lorenzo Council (Jackson) and tells him that she was carjacked while by the housing projects that Council is well respected in. Brenda happens to be from the blue collar town of Gannon, a white community and she goes on to say that it was a black man who forced her out of the car. Sensing she's hiding some vital information, Council gets Brenda to say that her 4 year-old son, Cody, was in the back seat of the car, which sets off the entire force of Gannon to barricade the projects until the boy is found. With the help of activist Karen Collucci and members of the both communities, Council tries to keep the peace between the white cops of Gannon and the black community of Dempsey as racial tensions is igniting to a bigger level than anticipated. The problem with "Freedomland" is that while its story is similar to the Susan Smith story in real life, there are circumstances within the film that don't make any sense. While Jackson and Moore present strong, compelling, and emotional performances, the script fails them to some extent. One could have an infinite count of "Why?" when it comes to some character development. As a detective, Council breaks so many rules in trying to reach out to Brenda that when he does, he's basically shuns out the community he's supposed to protect, and when the evidence is discovered to lower the racial tension that's already high, the police reaction is far from what you could expect. Without reading the book, I don't know if this is the way screenwriter Price wanted it on screen, but it left me with a bad taste, as I found nothing to be even plausible once you knew where the film was headed. Edie Falco's character was actually the only one who wasn't flawed. At least you knew what her motives were from get go, but with Jackson's Council, he was all over the place trying to play Solomon between the cops and his neighborhood. Needless to say, "Freedomland" is not a movie you could watch and enjoy. |
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