Freedom (2014)
Two men separated by 100 years are united in their search for freedom. In 1856 a slave, Samuel Woodward and his family, escape from the Monroe Plantation near Richmond, Virginia. A secret network of ordinary people known as the Underground Railroad guide the family on their journey north to Canada. They are relentlessly pursued by the notorious slave hunter Plimpton. Hunted like a dog and haunted by the unthinkable suffering he and his forbears have endured, Samuel is forced to decide between revenge or freedom. 100 years earlier in 1748, John Newton the Captain of a slave trader sails from Africa with a cargo of slaves, bound for America. On board is Samuel's great grandfather whose survival is tied to the fate of Captain Newton. The voyage changes Newton's life forever and he creates a legacy that will inspire Samuel and the lives of millions for generations to come.
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I love this movie so much
Very disappointing...
This is one of the few movies I've ever seen where the whole audience broke into spontaneous, loud applause a third of the way in.
The film's masterful storytelling did its job. The message was clear. No need to overdo.
Great movie... great music. True historical facts are revealed at the end. It's the first movie I've ever seen that's specifically about the Underground Railroad. Beautiful scenery and costuming. At times I felt that I was watching a Broadway show... which is a definite thumbs up. Don't listen to a negative review on this movie as the subject matter is too important! Some parts of the movie are tough to watch, for sure. Learning about the person that wrote "Amazing Grace" was fascinating. No spoilers here! You can't help but fall in love with Philip Boykin!! A great performance and a great voice! Bravo!! I'll definitely recommend this movie to friends. I'm a bit surprised I didn't hear of it when it came out. I guess it was a sleeper. (I've written 9 lines... my first review. I think IMDb should change it's requirement of 10 lines to leave a review. It's too much. Make it 6, 7, or 8 lines max.)
There are lots of things to criticize here. Too much overt religion. Slow moving story. The clever idea of paralleling the story of slaves to the story of hymns. Weak plot.But if the story of slavery in America is a huge jigsaw puzzle little understood by today's Americans, then this film has a few jigsaw pieces to consider. For example, we don't learn often enough today about the Underground Railway, and that is a key part of this film. Some of its methods are highlighted here, including the role played by Quakers. There are some heart rending scenes here which will be distasteful to many, but which only scratch the surface of the immense cruelty these humans suffered, particularly in the voyage to America.There are some detours here that were distracting and added little to the story. For example the theatrical segment was just so out of place. And the whole flashback in time aspect of the story...well, I think it sounded better on paper than it turned out on the screen.Cuba Gooding had so little dialog here it's almost funny, He's an actor that started out with real promise, but made many poor project choices. His gravelly voice is beginning to be a problem.As a film, this movie is an almost epic failure. Its value lies only in certain images that burn into your mind even more the evils of slavery and what Black men, women AND CHILDREN endured.On a personal note, I was interested in one aspect of this film -- that part of it took place in Woodbridge, Virginia, the area in which I lived my last few years in the state.
If you give points for trying and for a very sad and engaging basic idea this movie is trying to pull off, you might be more loose with it. And even think more of the movie than I did. And don't get me wrong, I don't dislike the movie, I gave it some extra points for trying, but not as many as some other on IMDb. And it's nice to see Cuba Gooding Jr. in a more serious role. He's a former Academy Award winner for crying out loud.The acting is OK and the "story" moves on quite nicely, if at a slow pace at times. Handling slavery (no pun intended) and the story of those involved is never easy. Especially when it comes to an escape story too. This is based on real characters (one of the best things is in the end credits, when we get to know who was who and what they did), so you can give it Kudos for that too. Other movies have handled the nature of the movie better of course and more dramatic
The premise of the movie was to show that there is redemption in believing. Cuba Gooding Jr overacts again. Sharon Leal in underused. The story centered around John Newton, slave trader, singer, poet and writer of Amazing Grace, and a family trying to escape from slavery in the South to Freedom in the North. The story could have been so much more nail-biting. I found it unbelievable and rather weird that the leads broke into song at the most inappropriate times. The story is loosely based on fact and the introduction of the true heroes of days gone by is probably enough to make the film worth a watch. Overall-disappointing.