SOUND OF FREEDOM : Tuesday 29th August 2023.

I saw the M Rated 'SOUND OF FREEDOM' at my local multiplex this week and this American action film is Co-Written and Directed by Alejandro Monteverde in his third feature film outing after 'Bella' in 2006 and 'Little Boy' in 2015, with the biographical film 'Cabrini' due out sometime in 2024. This film was released in early July this year, and became a sleeper hit having so far grossed US$182M against a US$15M production budget. It has generated mixed reviews from critics, while audience reception has been highly positive. 

Based on a true story, the film opens in the Honduras capital city of Tegucigalpa, where Roberto (Jose Zuniga), a poor father of two, receives a knock on the door from a former beauty queen, Giselle (Yessica Borroto). She offers to sign his young children, Miguel (Lucas Avila) and Rocio (Cristal Paricio), up with child modelling contracts. The next day, with the two young children suitably dressed up he rides with them on the bus to the allotted place for the photoshoot - an apartment in a run down block. Giselle meets him at the door and tells Roberto that he is not permitted entry and to return promptly at 7:00pm to collect his two children. When he returns at 7:00pm to collect his children, they are no where to be seen. He runs frantically from door to door but no one answers and then out onto the street searching for them but to no avail. It is revealed soon after that the children were sold to be used as sex slaves, bundled in the back of a van with the other children, then to the local port, into a shipping container and carted off to some faraway place on a container ship for their lives to be changed irreversibly. 

Meanwhile, in Calexico, California, Tim Ballard is working as a Special Agent for the Homeland Security Investigations - a job he has done for the past twelve years or so, where he arrests people who possess and distribute child pornography. The often painful and emotional work takes a great toll on his personal life, although his wife Katherine (Mira Sorvino) is understanding and supportive. Another agent, Chris (Scott Haze), points out that they have arrested many child predators during their time but have failed to save even a single child from being exploited. Tim responds that this is because most of them are outside the US, but nonetheless Chris's words resonate with him. He speaks to a predator he recently arrested, Ernst Oshinsky (Kris Avedisian), and makes out to be a pedophile himself, so gaining his trust. Once he has gained that trust, he sets up a meeting with a trafficked child, and is able to arrest Earl Buchanan (Gary Basaraba), the man who purchased Miguel, at the border crossing with Mexico. 

And so Tim rescues Miguel, and after he is released from hospital, befriends him and over a burger and ice cream gently asks him for information that would help him find other children. Tim learns that Miguel's sister Rocio is still missing, and the boy asks him to save her. Tim arranges for Miguel to return home to Roberto, but not before Miguel gives Tim his sister's Saint Timothy pendant. Tim starts looking for Rocio, and his search leads him to Cartagena, Colombia, where he is introduced to Vampiro (Bill Camp), a former cartel accountant who now works to save children from sex trafficking.

Tim learns about a child sex club in Thailand that was shut down, but decides that this would be the perfect cover story to acquire a large number of Giselle's children in a sting operation. Vampiro gets a Colombian police officer, Jorge (Javier Godino), and a wealthy local citizen named Paul (Eduardo Verastegui, who also Produces here) to assist in Tim's mission. Tim's supervisor, Frost (Kurt Fuller), is only able to provide funding for the operation up to US$10K and ultimately asks him to return to the US and forget about his mission as it is outside their jurisdiction. As a result Tim resigns his position, ten months out from being able to retire on a pension, rather than abandon the search for Rocio.

And so Tim, Vampiro, Paul and Jorge arrange for the sex club to be set up on a small island just off the coast. Frost is able to persuade the staff of the US Embassy in Colombia to assist with Tim's rescue operation. Undercover, they convince Giselle to sell them between 50 and 60 children, and at the launch party Jorge's armed men are waiting in a secluded bay for the final boat load of children to arrive. When they do finally arrive, Jorge's men successfully storm the island and arrest all of the conspirators and Giselle, and free the children, but Rocio is not among them. In the aftermath, all of the children are seen in tandem clapping their knees and hands in a rhythmic beat which Vampiro remarks to Tim, that it's the 'sound of freedom'.

Jorge, who interrogates one of Giselle's business partners, learns that Rocio was sold to the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, who are entrenched deep in the Amazon natural region. Jorge advises Tim that there is no way to retrieve the girl, because the region is largely unmapped jungle wilderness, and any rebel territory is a no-go zone for the Colombian government. Vampiro suggests an alternative course of action stating that doctors are permitted into the region for medical reasons, which gives Tim the idea to pose as doctors. Jorge reluctantly agrees to the dangerous operation. After Jorge drives them as far as the dirt road will allow them to travel Tim and Vampiro attempt to enter enemy territory in disguise and alone in a boat. The rebels soon rock up in a boat all guns blazing and after checking their supplies and seeing that they are unarmed and only carrying vaccines, they refuse to let more than one of them enter, leaving Tim to enter the area alone. 

Tim gains access to the rebel camp where Rocio is being held and learns that she is being used as the personal sex slave for the rebel leader, El Alacran ('the scorpion' - Gerardo Taracena), and along with others is required to mash coca leaves with her feet to produce cocaine which funds the rebel war against the Colombian government. Tim comes across Rocio while she is doing this at the end of the day, and whispers her name, to which she eventually responds.

Later that evening after Tim has located Rocio sleeping in El Alacran's hut, Tim is forced to kill him while freeing Rocio. Tim and Rocio, under cover of darkness, make their way back through the jungle undergrowth to the boat and then the designated pick up point with Jorge and Vampiro are waiting. Despite the rebels being in hot pursuit and firing on them, having discovered their fearless leaders lifeless body, Tim brings Rocio back to freedom. Before they part, he gives her back the necklace Miguel gave him earlier. Rocio wakes in a hospital bed when she is finally reunited with her father and brother, and the family later return home to Honduras. Stay in your seat for a 'Special Message' given by Jim Caviezel about three minutes after the end credits have begun to roll. 

It's easy to see why this movie has resonated with audiences more than it has with critics. From an audience perspective this is a real life telling of a sombre, at times heart wrenching, thought provoking issue writ large on a global scale that for the most part we get to hear very little about as we go about our daily lives. It's not until a film like this comes along that slaps you around the face and tells you to wake up and do something about the fact that there are now more people enslaved today than at any other time in our history, including when slavery was legal. From a critical standpoint this film is a procedural cops & robbers story that has more in common with the TV series of the last ten or fifteen years a la 'Criminal Minds' et al. That said Jim Caviezel is well cast as Tim Ballard and gives a nuanced performance, and Bill Camp as the constant stogie smoking, whisky swilling and wise cracking sidekick Vampiro also holds his own here. And as for Director Alejandro Monteverde, he has crafted a well made thriller that tells an important story that will give you something to think about long after the end credits have rolled. 

'Sound of Freedom' merits four claps of the Odeon Online clapperboard from a possible five claps.

-Steve, at Odeon Online-

What's new in Odeon's this week : Thursday 24th August 2023.

The 31st annual Chichester International Film Festival launched on Friday 4th August and runs through until Sunday 27th August. Chichester is a coastal city in the county of West Sussex in England, located about 90kms south of London. Founded in 1992 as the representation of the art of film at the Festival of Chichester, the Festival has grown to feature an outstanding variety of films and talks, including UK premieres and previews, retrospectives on the world’s best filmmakers, treasures from the archives, and an exciting array of special events such as filmmaker Q&A’s, open-air screenings and silent films accompanied by live music. 

The Opening Night Film this year was 'Asteroid City' by Wes Anderson, with the Closing Night Gala Film being 'Along Came Love' from France and Directed by Katell Quillevere in its UK Premiere screening, and is a sweeping melodrama, beginning in the aftermath of the World War II and unfolding over two decades, examining a mutually advantageous marriage of convenience that, against the odds, grows into real love.

Here is a brief run down of those films premiering at the Chichester International Film Festival this year :-

* 'Saleem' - from Jordan and Directed by Cynthia Madanat Sharaiha. This animated feature tells the story of when a young boys father is killed in an unspecified conflict, his mother and siblings leave their village for the city, where they lodge with cousins. Saleem, our hero, finds a map. UK Premiere.

* 'Finally Nearly Getting There' - from the UK and Directed by James Card. Two couples plan a car-share to attend a wedding. When one half of each couple drops out, the 'plus ones' make the long trip from Wales to East Sussex together. UK Premiere.

* 'Mysterious Ways' - from New Zealand and Directed by Paul Oremland. When a media storm threatens the marriage between a vicar and his Samoan boyfriend, something extraordinary happens. World Premiere.

* 'The Principal' - from France and Directed by Chad Chenouga. Middle school vice-principal Sabri Lahlali is prepared to do whatever it takes to ensure that his son, who is about to sit his leaving exams, will achieve the best possible academic record. But he has no idea just how far his plan will take him. UK Premiere.

* 'The Annoyed' - from Iran and Directed by Mehdi Fard Ghaderi. Three film directors battle against the odds as they try to realise their most difficult projects to date. UK Premiere.

* 'Golda' - from the UK and USA and Directed by Guy Nattiv. Focuses on the intensely dramatic and high-stakes responsibilities and decisions that Golda Meir (Helen Mirren), also known as the 'Iron Lady of Israel' faced during the Yom Kippur War. UK Premiere.

* 'Last Dance' - from Belgium and Switzerland and Directed by Delphine Lehericey. This comedy drama film sees Germain, a po-faced widower coping with the loss of his wife Lisa and the unwanted intrusion of his well-meaning loved ones. UK Premiere.

* 'The Nothingness Club' - from Portugal and Directed by Edgar Pera. A ‘Cinenigma’ is the apt description of his remarkable voyage into the mind and writings of Fernando Pessoa. UK Premiere.

* 'Afghanistan' - from the UK and Directed by James Glancy and Marty Stalker. Chronicling James Glancy, a British solder’s return to Afghanistan, just as US troops pulled out of the country amid a Taliban takeover. UK Premiere.

* 'Egon Schiele : Death and the Maiden' - from Austria and Luxembourg and Directed by Dieter Berner. Biopic of the controversial Viennese artist whose erotic expressionist paintings were inspired by his sister Gerti and, later, by the red-haired Wally - immortalised in ‘Death and the Maiden’. English Premiere.

* 'The Trouble With Jessica' - from the UK and Directed by Matt Winn. Sarah and Tom, a successful London professional couple, panic after their friend Jessica kills herself in their garden just as they are on the brink of selling the house for some urgently-needed cash. UK Premiere.

* 'Goliath' - from Kazakhstan and Russia and Directed by Adilkhan Yerzhanov. The Kazakh village of Karatas is terrorised by a criminal boss called Poshaev, a muscular no-neck thug. As the self-proclaimed ruler of his territory, surrounded by a group of armed, merciless killers tasked with punishing anyone who dares to question his unwritten laws, he is larger than life and as unpredictable as the weather conditions on the Kazakh steppe. UK Premiere.

* 'Alma and Oscar' - from Austria, Germany, Switzerland and the Czech Republic and Directed by Dieter Berner. Passionate love affairs between exceptional artists might only be brief, but they are remembered for much longer. That was certainly the case with the stormy romance between pianist and composer Alma Mahler and painter Oskar Kokoschka, some 110 years ago in Vienna. UK Premiere.

* 'The Moon People' - from Russia and Directed by Yuri Moroz. Renata, a high-flying Producer on Russian television, is beset by a crisis of conscience. UK Premiere.

* 'Tarrac' - from Ireland and Directed by Decland Recks. In this sporting underdog story naomhog racing is not widely known outside Ireland and even there, an all-women racing team, in this rowing boat made from wood, tar and canvas, is niche. UK Premiere.

* 'Under Spanish Skies' - from Germany and Directed by Nathan Buck. Leah, a newly bereaved and reclusive artist, invites lifelong friends to her remote farm in Andalucia. A weekend of revelation and fateful decision-making ensues. UK Premiere.

* 'And Then Come the Night Jars' - from the UK and Directed by Paul Robinson. A story of friendship and survival set against the backdrop of the 2001 Foot and Mouth outbreak. UK Premiere.

* 'Madeleine Collins' - from France and Switzerland and Directed by Antoine Barraud. Judith has a husband and two sons. She also has a lover and a daughter - and a second identity. Entangled in secrets and lies, her double life begins to shatter. English Premiere.

* 'Dracula the Messiah (Part 1)' - from the UK and Directed by Gregory Motton. In this quartet of films which together form an epic adaptation, four years in the making, of Bram Stoker's novel, the festival is screening the first part in its World Premiere. 

For the details of all the other feature films, documentaries, and the selected retrospective works of Cate Blanchett, Hugh Bonneville, Jean Luc Goddard and Lindsay Anderson plus a whole bunch of other good stuff, you can visit the official website at : https://chichesterfilmfestival.co.uk/

This week then, there are five new release movies coming to a big screen Odeon close to home, and we kick off the week with an American biographical drama actioner based on the true story of a former government agent turned vigilante who embarks on a dangerous mission to rescue hundreds of children from sex traffickers. This is followed by an Aussie action thriller about four surfing sons who organise a tribute surfari to a small beach town for one of their fathers who was murdered thirty years earlier, but quickly come to realise that some road trips are to die for. Then we turn to an another Aussie thriller about a flawed everyman who commits a crime, and soon learns how far he is willing to go to save his child. Next up is a British biographical comedy film about a successful British van salesman who decides to open a bank that uses local money to fund local enterprises, but comes to realise that his plan is not quite as straightforward as he had hoped for. And closing out the week we have a Japanese animated feature that follows a 17-year-old lad who struggles to accomplish his late elder brother's dream of becoming a basketball star.

Whatever your taste in big screen film entertainment is this week - be it any of the five latest release new films as Previewed below, or those doing the rounds currently on general release or as Reviewed and Previewed in previous Blog Posts here at Odeon Online, you are most welcome to share your movie going thoughts, opinions and observations by leaving your relevant, succinct and appropriate views in the Comments section below this or any other Post. We'd love to hear from you, and in the meantime, enjoy your big screen Odeon outing during the coming week.

'SOUND OF FREEDOM' (Rated M) - is an American action film Co-Written and Directed by Alejandro Monteverde in his third feature film outing after 'Bella' in 2006 and 'Little Boy' in 2015, with the biographical film 'Cabrini' due out sometime in 2024. This film was released in early July this year, and became a sleeper hit having so far grossed US$178M against a US$15M production budget. It has generated mixed reviews from critics, while audience reception has been highly positive. 

In Calexico, California, Tim Ballard (Jim Caviezel) is a Special Agent for the Homeland Security Investigations where he arrests people who possess and distribute child pornography. After rescuing a boy from ruthless child traffickers, he learns the boy's sister is still captive and decides to embark on a dangerous mission to save her. With time running out, he quits his job and journeys deep into the Colombian jungle, (as part of Ballard's 'Operation Underground Railroad', an anti-sex trafficking organisation) putting his life on the line to free her from a fate worse than death. Also starring Mira Sorvino as Katherine Ballard, Bill Camp and Scott Haze.

'SONS OF SUMMER' (Rated MA15+) - this Australian action thriller film is Directed by Clive Fleury whose previous feature film making offerings are his 1994 debut with 'Fatal Past', and then 'Big City Blues' in 1997. Here then, to mark the 30th anniversary of his father's death, Sean (Joe Davidson) takes his friends on a road trip to his surfer dad's favourite beach. But Sean's drug-dealing friend forces him to do one last favour - to steal a heroin shipment from a local mobster Frank (Temuera Morrison) - and the crime lord retaliates by kidnapping Sean's girlfriend Katie (Isabel Lucas) in an attempt to get his drugs back. Can Sean get back to town in time to save both her life, and his own?

'MERCY ROAD' (Rated MA15+) - is an Australian thriller offering Co-Written and Directed by John Curran whose prior feature films take in his 1998 debut with 'Praise', followed by 'We Don't Live Here Anymore' in 2004, 'The Painted Veil' in 2006, 'Stone' in 2010, 'Tracks' in 2013 and 'Chappaquiddick' in 2017. Here, Tom (Luke Bracey) is racing against the clock to save his daughter. A mysterious caller, calling himself The Associate (Toby Jones), contacts Tom with the horrifying news that he has kidnapped Tom’s daughter. The ransom demanded by The Associate isn’t merely an object of value - it’s piece of his soul. A high-tension journey of redemption about a flawed everyman and the lengths he’s prepared to go to save his child, Also starring Susie Porter and Huw Higginson. 

'BANK OF DAVE' (Rated M) - this British biographical comedy film is Directed by Chris Foggin whose prior feature film making credits take in his debut in 2015 with 'Kids in Love' followed by 'Fisherman's Friends' in 2018 and 'This is Christmas' in 2022. This film is based on the real-life experiences of Dave Fishwick (Rory Kinnear), a successful English van salesman. It follows the story of the Burnley working class and self-made millionaire, who struggles to set up a community bank to help the town's local businesses to thrive. To do so, he must battle London's elite financial institutions and compete for the first banking licence in more than one hundred years. Also starring Hugh Bonneville, Joel Fry, Phoebe Dynevor, Angus Wright, Paul Kaye and Jo Hartley. The film film was released in the UK in mid-January this year by Netflix. 

'THE FIRST SLAM DUNK' (Rated PG) - is a Japanese animated sports film Written and Directed by Takehiko Inoue and based on his own 'Slam Dunk' manga series. The film won the Japan Academy Prize for Animation of the Year, plus it also won the Best Animated Feature Film at the 27th annual Fantasia International Film Festival earlier this month, having so far grossed US$258M at the Box Office and becoming the fifth highest grossing anime film of all time. The film follows Ryota Miyagi (in English voiced by Paul Castro Jnr.), the point guard of Shohoku high-school's basketball team. He had a brother, Sota, who was three years older than him, and who inspired his love for basketball. Ryota and his teammates Hanamichi Sakuragi (Ben Balmaceda), Takenori Akagi (Aaron Goodson), Hisashi Mitsui (Jonah Scott), and Kaede Rukawa (Aleks Le) challenge the inter-high basketball champions, the Sannoh school. The achievements that each member has earned, the past that they carry and various thoughts collide violently on the court.

With five new release movie offerings this week to tempt you out to your local Odeon, remember to share your movie going thoughts with your other like minded cinephile friends afterwards here at Odeon Online. In the meantime, I'll see you sometime somewhere at your local Odeon in the week ahead.

-Steve, at Odeon Online-