Liberty Stands Still [DVD] [2002]

A simplistic approach is taken towards the gun issue, reminiscent of John Q (the recent Nick Cassavettes film)- the film's targets as vague as those Snipes picks out in this one as Joe/Alex. The opening twenty minutes are highly confusing, the writer/director having watched too many Oliver Stone films- employing the style of shooting/editing found in films like Natural Born Killers & Any Given Sunday. The problem is the audience has no idea who anyone is, or what's going on- until Snipes explains his M.O. half-an hour in.

The idea is quite intrigueing, a woman complicit with the arms trade being held to account in a public place- though her having republican connections & being involved directly in arms deals was too much (I thought it would have been more interesting if she was just the wife, who lived in luxury off her husband). Bombs appear, bullets emanate- but don't ricochet anywhere, like in The A-Team. Cellular phones & shots of skylines from helicopter are meant to advance the narrative; added to this a ludicrous scene where Fiorentino removes her clothes (causing the viewer to go "Why?" and "Linda Fiorentino's put on a few pounds"). It takes the notion of people in cities looking the other way a la 'Kitty Genovese' to idiotic climes. The ham-writer brings in a laboured Network/NBK-style media subplot, that goes nowhere and is dumber than that in the risible 15 Minutes. Perhaps someone like David Fincher could have brought this off?

The opening is where the film falls down- Snipes just looks cool wandering around to sub-Run Lola Run techno music, but we don't get to know Liberty, her lover or her husband- so why should we care what happens to them? The film is typified by a policeman who is shot, and the African-American who finds/saves him- both just occur and are quickly forgotten about. As for the denoument- where is the tension? What is interesting about Snipes doing exactly what he said he would do near the start of the film? What does the ending mean?- that Liberty's gonna be a good girl now? I almost forgot the pathetic flashback's of Snipes daughter- classic examples of filmic cliche. File next to the awful Nick of Time (John Badham).

This film could have been OK, with a bit more focus and a lot more coherence; add to that some static scenes of exposition, so the audience could have worked out what is going on & gain empathy for certain characters etc. There are some pertinent points here regarding the ethics of the arm trade and US gun culture, but they are lost in the cacophony of fractured montage. Television like CSI and 24 is better than this- the film as a whole coming across as a TV-movie.

Michael Moore's documentary Bowling for Columbine (also 2002) is far more effective on the issues of gun culture and films like Three Kings, Bob Roberts & Buffalo Soldiers are far more on-target in terms of satirical commentary on America. Avoid.