Let’s buy some guns: FREE FIRE

One year after High-Rise starring among the others Tom Hiddleston, Luke Evans, Jeremy Irons and Sienna Miller; Ben Wheatley comes back to the London Film Festival with the Closing Gala movie Free Fire.

The cast is, once again, made by the best actors and in this case only one actress, from the year before: Armie Hammer (at the Festival also with Nocturnal Animals), Cillian Murphy (soon in Nolan’s masterpiece Dunkirk), Brie Larson and Sam Riley.

Set in Boston in the 70’s but shot mostly in Brighton, Free Fire is a delirious comedy that tells the story of two blundering bands in the weapons market. Irishmen Chris (Cillian Murphy) and Frank (Michael Smiley) are the buyers; Vernon (Sharlto Copley) is the seller; while Justine (Brie Larson) who is not FBI but IIFM (In It For Myself) and Ord (Armie Hammer) are the two mediators. When the deal goes wrong, like in a Tarantino’s movie, they start to point guns and riffles to each other.

Free Fire is so insane that violence becomes amusing; dialogues are sharp and hilarious and the story becomes so messy that you can’t help yourself from focus only on the characters and all the bangs and bongs.

Smashing glass, an odd wardrobe and hair and make-up do the rest.

Geoff Barrow and Ben Salisbury soundtrack is a mix of western guitar-solo, jazz beats, weapon’s shoots and braking glass.

Set in a single location, a warehouse, the audience, after all this bang-ding-dong-bong becomes enchanted even by the credits just because finally there is something new on the screen.