Watch Freedom For Free

Let's be realistic.

The performances transcend the film's tropes, grounding it in characters that feel more complete than this subgenre often produces.

The story, direction, characters, and writing/dialogue is akin to taking a tranquilizer shot to the neck, but everything else was so well done.

It is both painfully honest and laugh-out-loud funny at the same time.

It was poorly written and acted. Cuba Gooding, Jr.'s character was melodramatic, which provided annoying faux drama. It's a musical, but the music had not been written at the time the movie was set, except for "Amazing Grace," of which you can hear better versions elsewhere. Largely historically inaccurate in all ways. I don't see how anyone could enjoy anything about this movie, except that they ultimately escape despite the lead character's idiocy.

Great movie... great music. True historical facts are revealed at the end. It's the first movie I've ever seen that's specifically about the Underground Railroad. Beautiful scenery and costuming. At times I felt that I was watching a Broadway show... which is a definite thumbs up. Don't listen to a negative review on this movie as the subject matter is too important! Some parts of the movie are tough to watch, for sure. Learning about the person that wrote "Amazing Grace" was fascinating. No spoilers here! You can't help but fall in love with Philip Boykin!! A great performance and a great voice! Bravo!! I'll definitely recommend this movie to friends. I'm a bit surprised I didn't hear of it when it came out. I guess it was a sleeper. (I've written 9 lines... my first review. I think IMDb should change it's requirement of 10 lines to leave a review. It's too much. Make it 6, 7, or 8 lines max.)

If you give points for trying and for a very sad and engaging basic idea this movie is trying to pull off, you might be more loose with it. And even think more of the movie than I did. And don't get me wrong, I don't dislike the movie, I gave it some extra points for trying, but not as many as some other on IMDb. And it's nice to see Cuba Gooding Jr. in a more serious role. He's a former Academy Award winner for crying out loud.The acting is OK and the "story" moves on quite nicely, if at a slow pace at times. Handling slavery (no pun intended) and the story of those involved is never easy. Especially when it comes to an escape story too. This is based on real characters (one of the best things is in the end credits, when we get to know who was who and what they did), so you can give it Kudos for that too. Other movies have handled the nature of the movie better of course and more dramatic

Australian musical theatre star, Peter Cousens, has reinvented himself as a film director, and his debut feature is not a cheap slasher horror or gritty suburban crime thriller, but a big budget drama tackling important social and historical issues, shot in the US with a big name cast. Aspiring filmmakers should be jealous. I know I am.Coming hot on the heels of Django Unchained and other slavery themed productions, it is easy to dismiss Freedom as Twelve Years A Slave-Lite but Cousens' feature is a very different creature altogether.Screenwriter Timothy A. Chey runs two plot lines in parallel. The first is set in 1856, following slave Samuel Woodward (Oscar winner Cuba Gooding Jr.) and his family as they escape from a plantation in Richmond, Virginia and begin their dangerous journey to Canada on the Underground Railroad. Not far behind throughout their journey is slave hunter, Plimpton (William Sadler).Almost 100 years earlier, we meet ship captain John Newton (Bernhard Forcher) who is struggling with his faith and conscience as he transports slaves, including Samuel's great grandfather, to the New World.This reviewer found the second plot line to be the least effective. Although developing a human connection to his cargo through a series of incidents at sea, Newton's final expression of kindness is to pen the hymn, "Amazing Grace", not save anybody from their hell-like future existence. I suppose the song does provide Samuel and family some comfort and motivation a century later. It may also have helped my understanding of the film had I been aware that John Newton composed the iconic song. Pardon my ignorance, I assumed it was written by God.Samuel's tale, on the other hand, is a gripping tale of escape and near recapture, and I was willing Gooding Jnr. and co to get across the border throughout the whole 98 minute runtime.Although not a musical, Freedom uses music, in particular singing, as a metaphor for the humanity that we all share. I was moved by some of the numbers, sung in their entirety, such as the joyous singalong between the escapees and a troupe of theatre performers, including Australian musical theatre headliner Tony Sheldon. Less successful were a few songs, performed out of context, musical theatre style, especially Samuel's wife Vanessa (Sharon Leal) breaking into tune whilst walking inside a church. The result was being snapped out of my engrossment and remembering that I was watching a film.Freedom was shot on location in Connecticut. It looks beautiful, courtesy of cinematographer Dean Cundey (Back to the Future, Apollo 13).The cast is wonderful. I have no idea how Cousens' managed to enlist such a lineup for his first feature. Cuba Gooding Jnr. really delivers in his best performance in years as his Samuel struggles between the choice of revenge or freedom. William Sadler is capably menacing as a slave hunter with ethics. Even one of my favourites, Terrence Mann (The Dresden Files, A Chorus Line) makes an appearance.Peter Cousens has concocted a beautiful and haunting film which will appeal to a "Best Exotic Marigold" audience. Despite its religious undertones which frankly did not bother a non-believer like me, Freedom still has plenty to say about slavery, an issue which is just as relevant now as it was in 1748 and 1856.