Film Preview: Free Fire (2017)

Page Revisions:

(December 4, 2016) Original
(April 16, 2017) New Posters (#13-#27) / New Release Date (changed from 3/17/17)

Release Date:

April 21, 2017

Synopsis:

From IMDb: “Set in Boston in 1978, a meeting in a deserted warehouse between two gangs turns into a shootout and a game of survival.”

Poster Rating: C+ / C / B+ (10) / C+ / D+ / B / B- / B- / B+ (10)

SEE ALL POSTERS BELOW
Review: (#1) Guns, guns, everywhere. Everyone’s pointing them somewhere. Once you know the film’s premise, this makes sense. Otherwise, it’s just an interesting design of many arms and no bodies. (#2) I would say this is a Mexican Standoff with five people, and that would certainly match the film’s narrative, none of these characters are positioned so that they are pointing at each other, meaning it’s a rather lame tandoff. (#3-#12) Although the background and overlay is identical (with slight variations on title and scoring card placements), the different poses and inventive colors make this set of character posters a compelling grouping.

(#13) This Asian design has an interesting color selection and conjures up images of the distnt filmic past, but that’s it. (#14) Reminiscent of the design for Kick-Ass, this is a crude and blocky design. (#15) A riff on a prior design, this richly colored poster is most visually interesting. (#16) Faces amidst arms with guns, none of them connected to one another. It’s a bit confusing and not very interesting. (#17) The “shots fired” tagline is woefully out of place, but the compelling color choices give a modern, yet period-appropriate feel. (#18-#27) These visually daring, but simplistically constructed character posters are a perfect fit for this type of film.

Trailer Rating: B+

SEE ALL TRAILERS BELOW
Review: A delightfully crazy premise is supported by a group of actors who look incredibly excited to be a part of the film. There doesn’t appear to be much in the way of plot, but the ongoing antagonism and dark comedy more than make up for any deficiencies in story.