Freelancers (2012)

Directed by: Jessy Terrero | 96 minutes | action, crime, drama | Actors: 50 Cent, Forest Whitaker, Robert De Niro, Malcolm Goodwin, Ryan O’Nan, Anabelle Acosta, Beau Garrett, Michael McGrady, Matt Gerald, Robert Wisdom, Pedro Armendáriz Jr., Roger Edwards, LaJessie Smith, Dominique DuVernay, Cassie Shea Watson, Vinnie Jones, Javier Carrasquillo, Andre Royo, Dana Delany, Raeden Greer, Craig Leydecker, Jeff Chase, Danny A. Abeckaser, Douglas M. Griffin, Ambyr Childers, Hilary Cruz, Amin Joseph, Shantel Jackson, Phil Laak, Antonio Esfandiari, Jesse Pruett

After losing his father, a New York police officer, at a very young age, Malo (played by 50 Cent) decides to follow his father’s lead in the police force. It doesn’t take long for Malo to run into Joe Sarcone (Robert De Niro) here. Joe, who was also the boss of Malo’s murdered father in the past, is a corrupt figure who is part of a much larger umbrella organization that deals with illegal cases such as corruption, murder and drugs, the basic ingredients for a gangster movie, really. Young Malo soon feels at home under the wing of Joe, who in turn has found in Malo an ideal ‘handyman’ who he can put to work.

‘Freelancers’ is a pure gangster film in every respect, one that does not shy away from exploiting all the stereotypes surrounding gangsters. Whether it’s the music, the coarse language, the macho behavior of the main characters or the urban setting in which the film takes place, all the clichés and prejudices that exist about the genre are pulled out of the closet by ‘Freelancers’. The style of the film is therefore definitely one that you have to love and not everyone will be equally charmed by this.

But even if you don’t have any problems with the above stereotypes, the question is whether ‘Freelancers’ is worth watching. There is a lot going on with this movie. For example, the behavior of the main characters regularly raises your eyebrows. In particular, the regular police, but also a number of Melo’s friends, make a competition of who can scream the loudest and appear the most aggressive. This results in a number of implausible scenes, in which the police act in a very strange way. The character of Melo, who is supposed to represent the hero of the story, cannot carry the film. The biggest reason is that 50 Cent is simply not a good actor and certainly does not come across as believable in his intended role of a sympathetic character. Not that he’s the only one who acts mediocre, even a great actor like Robert De Niro can’t raise the level, which makes the question why he even appears in a very mediocre film like ‘Freelancers’.

Because ‘Freelancers’ is mediocre in all respects and that is perhaps putting it mildly. There are few reasons to recommend the film. Fans of the genre will also not be able to ignore the extremely limited and uninspiring story, with a very poorly developed romance that does not fit into the story as the low point. In that regard, it’s a shame that director Jessy Terrero (who doesn’t have too impressive films on his resume anyway) hasn’t bothered to squeeze a little more out of the story. Probably not many people are waiting for this unimpressive gangster epic.