The guns are a blazing in the absolutely bonkers first trailer for Ben Wheatley‘s Free Fire. The film boasts an eclectic ensemble cast – Armie Hammer (The Man From U.N.C.L.E.), Cillian Murphy (Inception), Sam Riley (Maleficent), Sharlto Copely (District 9), Jack Reynor (Glassland) and recent Oscar winner and future Captain Marvel Brie Larson (Room) – as well as rocking soundtrack and boatload of firearms. Don’t expect a thoughtful discussion on the guns debate.
The film, set in 1978 Boston (notice all the sideburns and Larson’s Farrah Fawcett-inspired hairstyle), centers around a terse meeting in a deserted warehouse between two gangs over an arms deal. What evolves (or devolves) is an unreal shootout and intense game of survival. A simple but deadly setup – early reviews have already spurred comparisons to Quentin Tarantino’s Reservoir Dogs. Free Fire just made its world premiere at the Toronto Film Festival, opening the Midnight Madness sidebar. Based on the red-band first trailer, that spot appears right on.
Early reviews have been fairly kind to the stylized shootout. Variety‘s Peter Debruge wrote the film, “Crosses the irreverent cheekiness of Quentin Tarantino’s Reservoir Dogs with the ruthless spirit of 1970s B-movies, in which audiences hoped for few minutes of what Free Fire sustains for the better part of 90 minutes.” The Playlist’s Kevin Jagernauth called the film, “A shoot-em-up with a wide streak of wicked humor, coupled with no shortage of bullets and blood, marking Wheatley’s most purely popcorn and wildly enjoyable movie to date.” While Jen Yamato wrote in The Daily Beast, “It’s relentlessly brutal and surprisingly hilarious, the blackest of black humor seeping from its pores.”
Wheatley and his writing partner Amy Jump previously made High-Rise, another stylish 1970s genre piece starring Tom Hiddleston that opened earlier this year. A24 Films will distribute Free Fire and will open the film in the U.S. sometime next year.
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