Freelancers (film)

Freelancers is a 2012 American action film directed by Jessy Terrero, written by L.Philippe Casseus and stars 50 Cent, Forest Whitaker, and Robert De Niro.[4] It had a limited release in very few in Los Angeles and New York on August 10, 2012 with a simultaneous VOD release and was released on DVD and Blu-ray on August 21, 2012.[1]

Freelancers
Promotional poster
Directed byJessy Terrero
Produced byMark Canton
50 Cent
Randall Emmett
George Furla
Written byL. Philippe Casseus
Starring50 Cent
Forest Whitaker
Robert De Niro
Edited byKirk M. Morri
Production
company
Grindstone Entertainment Group
Cheetah Vision
Emmett/Furla Films
Envision Entertainment Corporation
Distributed byLionsgate
Release date
  • August 10, 2012 (2012-08-10)[1]
Running time
96 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$13.5 million[2]
Box office$456,350[3]

Plot

With his two best friends, Jonas Maldonado, the son of a slain NYPD officer, joins the police academy. After graduating, he's taken under the wing of his father's former partner, Captain Joe Sarcone, who invites him to join the Street Vice Crime Task Force. Under Sarcone's tutelage, he becomes part of a rogue task force that consists of dirty cops. After he learns from the District Attorney's office that his father was murdered by Sarcone after turning state's evidence, Maldonado frames Sarcone for a theft from powerful mob boss Gabriel Baez. Baez orders Maldonado to kill one of his friends as a sign of loyalty, which he reluctantly does. With Baez's help, Maldonado then kills the dirty cops responsible for his father's death. At the end, the District Attorney's office approaches Maldonado, urges him not to take Sarcone's place as Baez's right-hand man, and Maldonado ponders whether to go straight or not.

Cast

Production

In February 2011, Variety announced that 50 Cent will play a lead role in the film.[5] He will star as the "son of a slain NYPD officer who joins the force and welcomed by his father’s former partner into the ranks of his vice crime task force — and on to a team of rogue Gotham cops." A month later, Deadline reported that Robert De Niro and Forest Whitaker had joined the film.[6] Variety announced in May of that year that Dana Delany would play a lead female role.[7] 50 Cent said that he felt compassion for his character despite the character's ambiguous morality. That and other aspects of the film that he could identify with from his own experiences drew him to the project.[8]

Release

Freelancers had a limited release on August 10, 2012, and was released on home video on August 21, 2012.[1] It was number six in the top ten DVD and Blu-ray rentals in the week of August 30, 2012.[9]

Reception

The film received generally negative reviews from critics. R. L. Shaffer of IGN rated it 3/10 and wrote, "Freelancers is a dull, lifeless cop drama built on cliches, powered by throwaway supporting performances from Forest Whitaker and Robert De Niro."[10] William Harrison of DVD Talk rated it 1.5/5 and wrote, "Freelancers gives its audience nothing it hasn't seen a hundred times before in better cop dramas. This tale of corruption and retaliation is predictable and largely uninteresting, and actors 50 Cent, Robert De Niro and Forest Whitaker do little more than go through the motions."[11] Gordon Sullivan of DVD Verdict called it a derivative and forgettable cop drama with a good cast.[12]

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References
  1. 50 Cent Talks Robert De Niro
  2. "Initial Certification Search" (Type "Freelancers" in the search box). Fastlane NextGen. Retrieved May 10, 2020.
  3. https://www.boxofficemojo.com/title/tt1815708/?ref_=bo_se_r_1
  4. Freelancers Blu-Ray Movie Review
  5. McNary, Dave (18 February 2011). "50 Cent To Star In Crime Drama 'Freelancers'". Variety. Retrieved 25 April 2014.
  6. "Robert De Niro Set For 'Freelancers' & Forest Whitaker Negotiating To Join Him". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved 25 April 2014.
  7. McNary, Dave (4 May 2011). "Dana Delany joins 'Freelancers'". Variety. Retrieved 25 April 2014.
  8. Gilchrist, Todd (21 August 2012). "50 Cent Talks 'Freelancers,' 'All Things Fall Apart' and Conning Forest Whitaker". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 25 April 2014.
  9. Fritz, Ben (30 August 2012). "'Hunger Games' rules DVD sales and rental charts". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 25 April 2014.
  10. Shaffer, R. L. (22 August 2012). "Freelancers Blu-ray Review". IGN. Retrieved 25 April 2014.
  11. Harrison, William (25 September 2012). "Freelancers (Blu-ray)". DVD Talk. Retrieved 25 April 2014.
  12. Sullivan, Gordon (27 August 2012). "Freelancers (Blu-ray)". DVD Verdict. Archived from the original on 26 April 2014. Retrieved 25 April 2014.
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