The rarity of “Freelance” is how dead-on arrival it appears. Director Pierre Morel is a shell of the filmmaker who made the action romps Taken and Peppermint; this dull action rom-ish-com fails every genre in its multi-hyphenated description.
Writer Jacob Lentz’s mindless feature debut script is a tangle of disjointed dialogue and forgotten storylines; thematic fumbles fit for an ESPN Not Top 10.
At no point does anyone in front of or behind the camera seem to understand the movie they’re making. It’s a mess from start to finish, but not the fun kind of disaster where bad turns bad with fun decombobulation.
John Cena plays ex-special Forces agent Mason Pettits. He gets injured in combat, becomes a numbskull lawyer, and then tries to relocate his sense of purpose by accepting a private security contract. Price narrates a nasty first-person introduction in which Pettits spreads military propaganda that explains why he enlisted instead of pursuing a wife-kids-and-white-picket-fence lifestyle. Are we supposed to laugh at how much he loathes the thought of living in the suburbs as a “joke” about how he’d get bored and end up having an affair with his hot neighbor? It’s never clear because Freelance’s Dust Bowl-dry sense of humor isn’t funny enough to be sardonic nor obvious enough to be grotesque.
It’s a gruesome introduction to a film with limp conviction that begins with a hapless veteran’s decision to pursue a mercenary job motivated by a pending divorce. Poor Alice Eve plays Pettits’ wife, who presents herself as an objectionable AI-created Lifetime Original Movie character who declares in a single conversation that she’s “done” with her husband and suggests he leave, then flies into a rage when he says he took work. She goes overseas and leaves, then forgets all about it and angrily tells him that they’re dangerously close again. This sloppiness is matched by Lentz’s amnesia script, which is only made worse by the introduction of disgusted tabloid journalist Claire Wellington (Alison Brie).
Pettits is hired to provide protective services on Wellington’s trip to Paldonia, a war-torn, geographically ambiguous country, where he will interview divisive dictator President Juan Venegas (Juan Pablo Raba).
There’s a lot of drama in Freelance to care about. First, Pettits blames Venegas for an incident on a previous tour in which Paldon missiles shot down his transport helicopter, killing half his squadron and giving him chronic back problems.
Christian Slater plays Pettits’ best friend from his Special Forces days and new boss – and he’s the one who suspiciously sends Pettits on a mission involving Venegas. The seeds of betrayal are planted, but Lentz doesn’t seem to have the attention span to see the narrative dynamics blossom into exceptional conclusions.
Time and time again, post-payoff setups are dropped or lazily thrown away, such as the devastating spinal damage that makes it difficult for Pettits to complete the opening fight scene — forgotten by the third act, in which Pettits is as agile as a gymnast (or, you know, a professional wrestler) without the physical consequences.
Related Stories:
Patrick Mahomes and Brittany Matthews announce the arrival of their second baby
Priyanka Chopra joins Hollywood actors’ strike, says ‘I stand with SAG-AFTRA’
Bhojpuri Actress Akanksha Dubey Found Dead in Varanasi Hotel
NASA Confirms Launch Date for Its Massive Moon Rocket
Sonam Bajwa: Acting and Dressing the Fashion Supernova
Nora Fatehi Dazzles in Bold Red Saree, Viral Video Sets Screens Ablaze! Watch
Shanaya Kapoor’s Mirror Magic: A Sizzling Ramp Walk Leaves Netizens in Awe
Maria Guardiola stuns with a spectacular bikini pose
