Freelance Movie Review

One of the biggest actors currently working in Hollywood, both literally and figuratively, is former wrestling star, John Cena. His output in recent years has been quite impressive, as the actor has shown his versatility on the big and small screen, with roles in action films, dramas, and comedies, with the ladder being his most prominent. In recent years he has starred in: Playing with Fire, Blockers, Vacation Friends 1 & 2, The Bubble, Hidden Strike and his latest Freelance. Freelance sees the actor star alongside comedic juggernaut, Alison Brie (Community, GLOW) and action movie veteran Christian Slater (Broken Arrow, Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves), the film sees ex-special forces operative Mason Pettits (played by Cena) who takes a job providing security for journalist Claire Wellington (played by Brie) as she interviews a dictator, but when a military coup breaks out in the middle of the interview, they are forced to escape into the jungle. The unlikely duo must band together to expose the truth and above all else, stay alive.

Going into this film, I really didn’t know what to expect. The film is directed by action filmmaker, Pierre Morel, who has directed very serious films in the past such as Taken, The Gunman and Peppermint, so seeing him tackle an action, comedy was something I didn’t think I would ever see, and on top of that John Cena and Alison Brie are an odd on-screen pairing to say the least. The film's limited cinema run and divisive critical response also was a little concerning. However, it was the 77% positive audience reception that kept me intrigued, and I am happy to say, the film was actually a tonne of fun!

We have seen this set-up many, many times before. The ex-soldier, taking a bodyguard role, however, the film does subvert a lot of these genre tropes, which I appreciated. For one Brie and Cena aren’t love interests, which was a unique turn, and two, the film has a very interesting political angle as well, that was far more thought-provoking and interesting than I was expecting, but also provided an interesting backdrop for the conflict in the film. The subversion of some of these genre tropes, allows Freelance to really stand on its own without falling into the traps of many other modern action/comedy films.

The real strengths for this film however lie in the film's leads. Alison Brie and John Cena are both great here, flexing their comedic chops once again, and showcasing awesome chemistry with one another. Cena has made quite the name for himself in the comedy genre, with his wrestling background serving as a great launch pad for the physical side of the action. He delivers each of his lines here with a sense of sincerity, which really helps the comedy land, as he once again plays the straight man, thrown into a bizarre scenario, that he has to get out of. Brie also plays a variation of the type of character she has played in comedy films and television before. She’s quirky again here, but playing a larger than life, TV personality and that goes against type for her. It felt like brie was channelling a bit of Aubrey Plaza with her performance, which is never a bad thing, as Plaza is the queen of quirky comedy. The two of them just work on screen, which is what you need for these types of films.

Freelance was a pleasant surprise for me. Whilst it won’t win over the unconverted, it will definitely provide laughs and a few thrills for those looking for a fun action, comedy flick. Cena and Brie excel and the premise has a little more bite than your average action, comedy flick. It’s the perfect film for movie night! Be sure to secure your copy from Sanity on DVD, Blu-Ray today and for all things film, television, music, gaming, and pop culture, be sure to stick with Sanity, they’ve got you covered!

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Christopher Pattison wrote this blog post for Sanity. See more from Chris here