'Freedomland' mistakes intensity for drama
by Steve Murray

A blunt, awkward, wannabe Important Movie, "Freedomland" bludgeons its good ideas into a pulp of overacting, overdirection and black-and-white characterizations in a story meant to be shaded in gray. Adapted by Richard Price from his novel (and eliminating one of the book's major characters), it's a drama pushing two hot-topic buttons: abducted children and racial tensions. Read the full review

TO SUM UP
Late one night in a working class New Jersey suburb, a bloodied woman staggers mute and dazed into the emergency room. She claims to have been kidnapped, and long-simmering racial tensions ignite during the search for her missing child.

FILM FACTS ...
Sony Pictures
'Freedomland'

Director: Joe Roth
Starring: Samuel L. Jackson, Julianne Moore, Edith Falco, Ron Eldard, William Forsythe
Run time: 113 minutes
Release date: Feb. 17, 2006
Rating: R for language and some violent content.
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READ THE REVIEW

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution: C-
"You can't blame director Joe Roth (Christmas With the Kranks, Revenge of the Nerds II) for trying to claw his way out of hackdom. This just isn't how to do it."

Austin American-Statesman: 2 of 5 stars
"Richard Price has adapted his own novel for the screen, and it shows: He indulges in some bits of dialogue that might have amplified the book's themes but get in the way of the movie's momentum."

The Palm Beach Post: B+
"...refuses to settle for tidy answers or a reassuring resolution."


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