Freelancers (2012)

There are strange instances throughout the cinematic landscape where certain actors work together on multiple projects.  Sometimes there is a Matt Damon and Ben Affleck type of connection where the viewers like the combination, and the actors seem like they would get along quite well.  Other times, the collaboration seems quite odd.  One such collaboration is that of Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson and Robert De Niro.

Freelancers is the movie this time around.  This is the second movie to feature both 50 Cent and Robert De Niro, after Righteous Kill.  This time around, Curtis Jackson stars.  Freelancers is a 2012 movie directed by Jessy Terrero.  The movie also features Forest Whitaker and Dana Delaney.  The plot of the movie is that there is a rookie police officer who is brought into corruption early and tries to figure out whether or not he’s doing the right thing.  At least, that is as close to a good description of the plot as there is.

This movie is a mess.  Right from the beginning it is easy to tell how much of a mess Freelancers is.  The acting is below par, especially from lead Curtis Jackson.  He is has no enthusiasm or energy at all throughout the majority of the movie.  The only instances in which the acting was decent, if not good, were when it came to Forest Whitaker or Robert De Niro who were making the most of a bad situation.  There is simply not much character work to latch onto and become invested in through the movie.  Not only does the acting hurt this, but the actors are playing unlikeable characters for the most part.  There is a notable exception in the character A.D., but he’s minor in comparison to many other characters.

This is where we get into the writing.  At first, Freelancers seems to be taking a deep look into corruption and the various ways that it can affect law enforcement.  It was an interesting route that could have brought a little bit of intelligence to the movie.  That was not to be, however, since the movie quickly veered into a story about characters wanting to make extra money by drug trafficking.  This shift in the movie’s theme hurts it by taking any intelligence away.  The intelligence was what the movie had going for it.  Without the inside look at corruption, the movie has nothing to say.  It feels empty from that point forward.

The worst part of removing the inspection of dirty cops and the like is that Freelancers not only feels empty, but becomes boring.  It goes from a multi-layered, multiple storied idea to a singular look at things without any insight.  There was a clear vision at the beginning that was not followed through on and leaves disappointment in its place.  Following through on the insightful look at corruption of different kinds could have been interesting, but instead there is a police action flick without an abundance of action.  Whenever the decision was made to change how the story would flow, a crucial aspect of the movie was removed.

Freelancers had the potential to be something good, or even great; however, due to a shift in writing, poor direction, and poor acting, the movie never left the runway and caught flight.  The transition from something smarter to a straight forward movie kept the movie from reaching the potential it could have had.  It left a dull, uninteresting mess in its place.  Freelancers is not a good movie.

There is one note that I would like to share:

• If you have any suggestions about what movies to write about, feel free to leave comments or suggest them to me on Twitter.