Over the past few years, director Ben Wheatley has been a pretty reliable bet for films. Although he plays in many genres ("Kill List" was a mix of crime thriller and horror; "Sightseers" a (literally) bloody romp through the English countryside; and "A Field in England" a magic mushroom-fuelled trip though Medieval England to name just three), his films have been linked by a ready, frequently blackly comic wit and a willingness to subvert the conventions of whichever genre he is playing in.
"Free Fire" changes the playground again by moving the setting to a warehouse on the docks of Boston in the 1970's and the cast representing and groups of gun-runners, IRA sympathizers and a couple of wild cards. The film has a fairly short set-up before the main action, which consists of a lot of weapons and munitions put in play in ways both devastating and ineffective in equal measure. And it's very funny.
This is probably the best ensemble casts that Wheatley has been able to bring together for a project and he puts them through their paces. Cillian Murphy, Brie Larson, Michael Smiley and Armie Hammer create recognizable characters quickly and through the mayhem that is the bulk of the film.
Special credit goes to Wheatley and his wife Amy Jump, who collaborated on the writing of the screenplay and the editing. Given the chaos in the confines of the warehouse, the film never loses a sense of place and the characters within it -- the editing is critical to maintaining this for the viewer.
A fun way to start day 2 of TIFF.
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