Freelance

I am gonna echo a few of the reviewers before me. This movie is somewhat in between a comedy and an action movie, yet never fully goes into any of the 2 genres despite not holding on the blood. There is a few "chuckles" moment but there was never really big hillarious moments. There is a few cool action scenes but they are not that numerous considering the 1h50 runtime.

That said the movie does have us guessing a bit in parts of the plot and never get too predictable, and John Cena charisma truly manage to keep us invested. Alison Brie is both gorgeous and charismatic as well as the sidekick. Juan Pablo Raba also has some pretty cool moments as the over the top dictator.

Basically this is a movie i enjoyed watching but i don't see myself rewatching until a pretty long time. It did the job it was suppose to do wich is entertain me for roughly 2 hours.

John Cena struggles in the comedic aspects of his role as a buffoonish bodyguard, coming across as silly and unintelligent rather than funny. However, his character abruptly shifts into wisecracking fight mode when action sequences emerge, creating a lack of continuity.

Alison Brie brings little authenticity or nuance to what should be an intrepid journalist character. Her bold persona feels more like a facade, lacking the complexity that would make her motivations more compelling.

The film touches on the overdone theme of bad marriages leading to bitterness and divorce. While reflecting some realities, its portrayal leans into stereotypical notions about self-centered western culture. It offers no meaningful perspectives on relationships.

The supporting cast delivers far stronger performances, adding a groundedness that the story desperately lacks. Even the villains showcase more subtlety than the two leads.

The plot is straightforward with an absence of clever twists or unexpected turns. It does attempt some commentary on the insidiousness of dictatorships, but in uninspired fashion.

Overall, Freelance assembles an impressive cast but fails to make good use of their talents. The promising premise gives way to shallow characters and a lack of directorial creativity. Fans of the genre may forgive its shortcomings, but for most viewers the film lives down to its generic title.

Freelance has a strangely low budget feel that is coupled with very tongue-in-cheek lines. It is a film that cannot be taken seriously. However... the silliness rests on a quite poignant issue. How malign private operators exploit countries for their resources. Although this is buried away under the cheesy action scenes, looking back it is something that has stuck with me. Whether this is by design, I do not know. But the more I think about it, the more I realise the film included some clever nods towards recent dictators and various situations around the world. At the very least, some thought has gone into the film.

That to one side. John Cena is John Cena. I would like to see more of Alison Brie on the big screen, she is someone who seems to have a lot of talent that is not being used to its full extent. That is evident here, she brings something extra to her two-dimensional character in Freelance. Not a lot, though.

It is a film without revelation. If you watch it, you cannot be surprised by its mediocrity.

This movie is one step shy of being an action movie, one step shy of being a comedy, 2 steps past being an actually interesting political drama with a step or two behind the dash of a journalism thriller.

Some interesting political commentary weaves through the story to mask the, at times, underwhelming action sequences and make up for the slapsticky humor that might seem a bit immature or flat.

It was fun, and that's all you can ask for out of something like this. John Cena has some good comedic chops and Alison Brie can go from stone cold to likable and charismatic in a snap.

Fun time at the movies if you ask me.

Freelance is a decent action comedy held up by strong character performances particularly from Juan Pablo Raba. The film takes obvious inspiration from The Lost City, replacing artifacts and authors for hit jobs and journalists. The chemistry between the cast is there and the dialog feels natural. Some scenes feel shoehorned in which detracts from the overall story. However overall the twists feel mostly original and provide a compelling plot.

Raba absolutely nails his role as a Castro-ish ruthless dictator who feigns ignorance. His deliveries are perfectly timed and at times he carries the entire weight of the story.

John Cena and Alison Brie were great in their roles with palpable chemistry as well however their roles were somewhat hamstrung by clumsy writing.

Overall this is a fun and exciting movie for adults. It's not a perfect production but it's a worthy film if not entirely held up by strong acting.