Ben Wheatley‘s films have divided the writers at The Peoples Movies , we adored Sightseers though frustrated slightly with High-Rise despite a great review from London Film Festival. As the countdown to July’s home release of High-Rise Studiocanal have sent us an image for Free Fire, Wheatley’s next film.
Free Fire will see the director’s first film set in USA, still set in the 1970’s whilst his previous film was David Lynch inspired.His next one seems to pay homage to Martin Scorsese who just happens to be the film’s executive producer too as he goes 1970’s Crime drama.
The film is set in 1978 Boston and centre’s around Justine (Brie Larson) who has brokered a meeting in a deserted warehouse between two Irishmen (Cillian Murphy, Michael Smiley) and a gang led by Vernon (Sharlto Copley) and Ord (Armie Hammer) who are selling them a stash of guns. But when shots are fired in the handover, a heart stopping game of survival ensues.
As well as Scorsese this feels if it was taken from a page of a Tarrantino film, inspired by the likes of Melville, Howard Hawks even Walter Hill.
Wheatley in an interview with Variety said…
“The idea for Free Fire came from my love of hard-boiled crime movies,The Asphalt Jungle, The Big Sleep, The Killing and The Big Combo through The Driver, Le Samourai and The French Connection, to the modern cycle of GoodFellas, Casino, Hard Boiled and Reservoir Dogs.”
“It will take you and stick you in the middle of the action. I want the film to have the stylish, no-nonsense feel that you get in [Sam] Peckinpah’s The Getaway. It’s a modern ‘70s movie. Muscular, tough and spare.”
Free Fire will be busy at Cannes attempting to seal the deal internationally, though Studiocanal will release the film here in UK with A24 in USA. No release dates have been confirmed yet.
Starring Sharlto Copley, Brie Larson, Armie Hammer, Cillian Murphy, Jack Reynor. Also starring Babou Ceesay, Enzo Cilenti, Sam Riley, Michael Smiley, Noah Taylor with Patrick Bergin, Tom Davis and Mark Monero.
