Sound of Freedom review by Bobby Blakey
Every so often a movie comes along and stirs up all sorts of controversy both good and bad. The latest film from director Alejandro Monteverde, Sound of Freedom did just that while raking in the cash at the box office. The film stars Jim Caviezel, Bill Camp, Cristal Aparicio, and Mia Sorvino, but can it surpass its own demons to deliver a film worth watching or will it fail to find its way home?
Sound of Freedom follows the incredible true story, shines a light on even the darkest of places. After rescuing a young boy from ruthless child-traffickers, a federal agent learns that the boy's sister is still a captive and decides to embark on a dangerous mission to save her. With time running out, he quits his job and journeys deep into the Colombian jungle, putting his life on the line to free her from a fate worse than death.
I have been fan of Jum Caviezel since seeing him in the 2000 film Frequency. Through the years he has taken on so many different genres including playing Jesus in Passion of the Christ and the mysterious Reese in the TV series Person of Interest. That being said, while I am a fan of this work, not so much the man himself. Heading into this film I tried to keep the work and the man separate in hopes to enjoy something worth all the hype. Thankfully the film is good, but not without its flaws.
The story here is well crafted and incredible in the realm of real-life encounters and executions. Caviezel is no doubt all in with this role, knowing his personal thoughts and does bring that subtle something special to pull you into his characters determination and obsession with saving the child. He gives a great performance that brings forth all the depth and emotion needed for you to fully invest in this character’s journey.
The rest of the cast are good as well with Cristal Aparicio who plays the young
girl that was taken stealing every scene, she is in. It’s always impressive when seeing a young actor like this who must fluctuate through numerous emotions and kills them all around. You feel this little girl’s fear, pain and sadness every time she is on screen and further elevates this film to another level. It was great seeing Mia Sorvino here, but she is massively underused. I didn’t even know it was her in most of her scenes and not until she finally gets a bit of dialogue did, I realize.
The story is powerful and often hard to watch but delivers everything it sets out to do. It does have a pacing issue from time to time feeling like things are jumping ahead faster than need be. This took some of the tension away, but thankfully not often enough to hurt the film overall. I think my Hollywood expectations also had me hoping for a little more excitement in the final act, but while it did bring a bit of tension it felt rushed and not all that dangerous despite it clearly being so.
My personal issues with the foundation, promotion and propaganda that was used due to this movie had me refusing to pay for it in theaters, but glad I could check it out now that it is streaming on Prime Video. It’s not a perfect film but is really good and an important film that I think handles the subject matter respectfully and intensely to bring this story to life. Love him and his thoughts or not the film shouldn’t be one that falls through the cracks because it is shining a light on a real danger.
Decide for yourself and check out Sound of Freedom streaming now on Prime Video.