"Liberation". Why Will Smith's Slave Thriller Was Boring
Miscellaneous / / April 05, 2023
Perhaps the main problem is that the filmmakers were too eager to win an Oscar.
On December 9, Apple TV+ presented the film "Liberation". The film was directed by Antoine Fuqua ("Training Day", "Lefty"). Written by Bill Collage (Exodus: The King and the Gods, Assassin's Creed, Divergent, Chapter 3: Beyond the Wall). Starring Will Smith (Men in Black, I Am Legend), Ben Foster (Train to Yuma, The Mechanic), Charmaine Bingwa (The Good Fight).
The film tells about the last years of slavery in the United States. Slave Peter eavesdrops on the overseers' conversation and learns that the Union Army is creating "colored regiments" and is trying to free the blacks. After that, he organizes an escape. Making his way through the swamps of Louisiana, he tries to get to the army so that he can return to his former owners and free his family.
Interestingly, the picture is based on real events. In 1863, African-American Gordon escaped from slavery by walking 129 miles in 10 days. A photograph of his back, mutilated by a whip, has become one of the symbols of slavery.
No voltage
From the first frames it is shown that the overseers kill the slaves for any mistake and disobedience. This applies to all heroes except the main one. Will Smith's character is pointed at at least three times in the film, but each time something prevents the execution. The classic formula “he won’t die, because this is the main character” knocks down tension so much, and endless rescues only exacerbate the effect.
As soon as the protagonist escapes, there is a feeling of persecution. A dog barking in the distance, Will Smith's heavy breathing, shots of galloping horses - it seems that danger is close. But by about the 40th minute of the film, this feeling disappears. Maintaining tension throughout the whole picture is a difficult task, but Fukua failed it too quickly. As a result, for half of the film, predictable events occur that do not cause any emotions.
They try to fill too planned development of events with additional problems of the hero, but it turns out badly. For example, at the very beginning of the chase, Peter hurts his leg. Despite the fact that he is constantly trying to bandage her, there is no feeling that something serious has happened to her - he runs calmly. Toward the end of the film, Will Smith is reminded of the injury, but by that time, you can forget that anything happened to the hero at all.
obsessive epic
Some films are epic, and some try to be. "Liberation" is the clearest example of the second category.
Attempts to talk about the horrors of slavery immediately evoke associations with the film "12 Years a Slave" by Steve McQueen, and the comparison is far from working in favor of "Liberation". What McQueen horrified and hated in Deliverance looks like a brief retelling or comics.
In certain scenes, "Liberation" resembles "The Revenant" by Alejandro Gonzalez Inarrita - especially when the hero is in danger not only from people, but also from nature. But if in "The Revenant" several bright and original scenes are devoted to this (like spending the night in a horse and attacking a bear), then "Liberation" shows a ridiculous battle with an alligator.
Empty heroes
The film strikes not only sluggish action, but also dialogues about the high. Religion, death, freedom - slave Peter is ready to discuss anything. The problem is that absolutely every topic is touched upon so superficially and leaves so quickly that it turns out to be a kaleidoscope of tags. Other issues are discussed in the same spirit in rare dialogues, but the conversations do not characterize the characters in any way. It turns out empty chatter that does not reveal the characters.
Even the monologue of the slave owner, in which he demonstrates his callous and vile nature, cannot cope with the task. The antagonist is as plastic as the slaves.
Inexpressive visual range
Liberation has a boring video sequence. Close-ups, of which there are a lot in the film, work against the "Liberation" because of the emptiness of the characters. If you can’t empathize with them, then is it worth peering into the sad face of Will Smith?
If in The Revenant cinematographer Emmanuel Lubezki caught natural light and beautiful landscapes, then Robert Richardson, who worked on Liberation, shows the same trees. And then they were also discolored in post-production, as if deliberately making the film even dimmer.
The decision to discolor the image seems to be a losing one - instead of solidity, a gray picture turned out.
Perhaps, only makeup and clothes do not raise questions - the artists did a great job.
Bad screen adaptation
Fukua took a strong story and managed to make it less interesting and flashy. So, the prototype of Peter - a slave named Gordon - having escaped from the owners, overcame 129 miles in 10 days. But the hero of "Liberation" for the film seems to walk no more than 3 kilometers - even a considerable timing does not create the feeling of a long journey.
The credits at the beginning and end of the picture, telling about the real story, carry much more energy than the film itself. The historical character is brighter than his portrayal in the film. And where the authors try to reveal the hero (in fact, inventing his inner world), they simply mention banal things.
Liberation begins as a drama, continues as a thriller, and ends as a superficial statement on a serious subject. The pathos of the film hints at the fact that he urgently needs "Oscar». At the same time, the internal content of the picture is so banal that for its full viewing it is necessary to give an award to the viewer.
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