Tuesday, November 27, 2007

Freedomland - Movie Review

SLY B and I watched a really good film last night that you all shoud try to catch on DVD. Freedomland stars Samuel L. Jackson as a detective called to the emergency room to interview a woman played by Julianne Moore. Edie Falco also stars as the head of a parents' group that helps search for missing children.

I recommend this film for several reasons. First, Samual L. Jackson is the bomb. I would totally have his babies. In a future post we can talk about our secret husband/wife lists -- y'all don't let me forget to put Sam on mine. In addition to Sam being the bomb, all of the acting in the film is outstanding. Julianne Moore is creepily awesome, and Edie Falco is always excellent (and brunette in this one).

Second, the story is deep. On the surface, it's the search for a missing boy by an older, asthmatic cop. Beyond that is a great illustration of the different treatment police offer black and white communities and the difference between how hard they look for missing black and white children. Also, Sam's cop illustrates how police of color are treated, both by their communities and by their superiors. Early on, Sam was criticized for being too close to his community; at the end, he was invited to stand next to the DA in a press conference.

Third, the wonderful message in this dark film is that community matters and has power. The most effective group out of all the forces looking for this missing boy is the parents' group. They weren't police, and they didn't have a political agenda. They just wanted to find the boy. It makes me cheer on SLY B even more strongly as she grows in her role as a community activist. Maybe I should quit watching so much TV and join her?

Shout out here for a rating scale measurement. Any ideas on what we should use to measure goodness here? I give Freedomland 5 out of 5 ______.

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