 'Freedomland'
(Samuel L. Jackson, Julianne Moore, Edie Falco, Ron Eldard, William Forsythe, et al / R / 91 mins / Sony Pictures)
Overview: A disheveled woman, Brenda Martin (Moore), staggers into a New Jersey police station and tells detective Lorenzo Council (Jackson) that a black man stole her car, and her child was in the back seat. Council launches a search for the boy, while a reporter begins to wonder if Brenda is hiding something.
Verdict: In a lot of her emotional screen roles, Moore falls apart better than just about anyone, but in this early candidate for worst film of the year she - along with every one else - sinks like a stone before any real emotion can be shown! Sure 'Freedomland' is an elegantly written tale that's topical without being heavy-handed, but in truth its wholly disjointed and ultimately unsatisfying. Only Falco's performance suggests the great film that 'Freedomland' might have been!
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