Freedomland
User Score
4.7 out of 10

Mixed or average reviews- based on 39 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 19 out of 39
  2. Mixed: 1 out of 39
  3. Negative: 19 out of 39

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  1. StevenS.
    Feb 17, 2006
    9
    I really liked this film...3 Complex performances...I can't understand all the anger in the reviews...Give it a chance..Very relevant.
  2. AnthonyP.
    Mar 6, 2006
    9
    This unusual and evocative movie seems to have gotten under peoples skin. It is complex and ambitious in dealing with an extraordinarily painfull and real human issue. I think it angers or "bores" some critics because they don't want to deal with this pain. It goes for the gut such that that guardian of the soul, the intellect, can't process it readily. This movie is too much for them, it turns their empathy off. It's jaring and at the same time numbing in a way that occurs with really frightening, weighty experiences in real life , and some critics seem to be really angry about being thus confronted. Perhaps these people would rather be entertained. I too suffered some with this movie, but I felt like I was engaged with a quality of experience that authentically rendered a very real human condition I have not encoutered in film before. Crash, with its tough realism, seemed by comparison, an array of cunning vignettes woven together into a sampler: sharp and right on, but lacking the depth of Freedomland. Julianne Moore rendered this horribly difficult, troubling and troubled character palpably real. Only Meryl Streep could approach such complex psychology. I was deeply moved. I am amazed that so many professionals were so repulsed, perhaps, as they would be with such a person in real life,.Have these critics simply averted their minds, denying any interest in what makes such persons tick? So for them all this is simply beneath contempt? That is expedient and sad.… Expand
  3. MichaelL.
    Aug 23, 2006
    9
    Critics never cease to amaze me. If this film was an Eastern European import, I guarantee it would have received raves. Please note that Manohla Dargis of the New York times, who gave "Freedomland" a 10 (worst film of the year) awarded "Snakes on a Plane" a 70. Pete Travers of Rolling Stone panned "Freedomland", and gave "Pirates of the Carribean II" it's highest score. Enough said. If you're looking for dumbed-down non-stop action, explosions, cardboard characters, no social message, lots of blood and/or gore, "Freedomland" isn't for you. If you'd like to be challenged by a film that takes an obvious plot outcome yet still manages to create a stranglehold of dread, this is your film. Look, it's not a happy film--it's gloomy, it's fatalistic, and yes, it's too long...but it made me rethink my opinions of people like Susan Smith, and fully understand the tragedy of the uncared-for among us. The people and societal segments that slip through the cracks. This is powerful stuff, and you won't feel good when it's over. Moore is magnificent, and she allows her character's flaws to shine as if they were virtues. Jackson has never been better (except in "Snakes on a Plane", eh, Maohla?) as the detective who is trapped between his own shortcomings, his friends, his need for the truth, and his compassion. Edie Falco brings a quiet truth and dignity to the role of a long-suffering woman assisting in the case. What must be noted here: this is not a crime film. This is not "CSI"...it is a film about suffering, sadness, and the power of losing hope. It's devastating. It's not to be missed.… Expand
  4. HarryS.
    Feb 17, 2006
    10
    Really great,engaging drama with 3 fine performances.
  5. KevinG.
    Feb 18, 2006
    9
    This is a really compelling story that centers around some fine performances by Julianne Moore, Samuel L. Jackson, and Edie Falco. The sour notes in this movie (and there are quite a few) come courtesy of schlock director Joe Roth who tries to package this dramatic story of racial tension and child violence as a commercially viable thriller. His pacing is clunky, his frames are awkward, and he never bothers to seriously examine the psyche of his characters beyond what the fabulous cast is able to produce with their performances alone. If you can excuse a poor directing decision here and there, then this is definitely a movie worth seeing.… Expand
  6. ReeseW.
    May 26, 2006
    10
    Amazing movie! Julianne Moore is perfect! She gave an superb outstanding performance.

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
43 out of 100

Mixed or average reviews - based on 35 Critics

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 12 out of 35
  2. Mixed: 14 out of 35
  3. Negative: 9 out of 35
  1. The Hollywood Reporter
    Reviewed by: Sheri Linden
    80
    The film is, above all, a moving portrait of hurting souls, brought to life in compelling performances.
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  2. Variety
    Reviewed by: Brian Lowry
    50
    Despite a few raw moments, pic feels like a Lifetime movie with a marquee cast.
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  3. The A.V. Club
    Reviewed by: Scott Tobias
    50
    Only Edie Falco, appearing as a bereft mother leading a citizen's group that searches for missing children, suggests the great film that Freedomland might have been.
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