Liberty Stands Still (2002)

Liberty Stands Still is a reasonably absorbing thriller, but it's also contrived and heavy-handed. The problems begin with the title. Liberty is the name of the endangered arms manufacturer played by Linda Fiorentino. This accounts for more than one obvious play on words about threats to Liberty, those who would abandon Liberty, etc. And the film's central conceit is that Liberty has come to represent something evil -- the prevalence of a dangerous gun culture in the U.S. and abroad. Writer/director Kari Skogland begins her film with a jazzed-up opening credits sequence featuring techno music with highlighted images of the Constitution and Second Amendment. The setup is solidly B-movie, as Liberty finds herself chained to a bomb in a public park, while Joe aims a sniper rifle at her and various passersby, and lectures her about the evils of her chosen line of work. While Fiorentino and Snipes deliver solid, restrained performances, bringing a human dimension to the story, the flashy cinematography and editing pumps up the action, making it seem like there's a lot more going on than just a conversation about gun control. The techno-inspired score by Michael Convertino is clearly meant to serve a similar purpose, but it's mixed too loud, nearly drowning out the dialogue at some points. The music is too wall-to-wall, and it irritatingly draws too much attention to itself. Russell (Martin Cummins), Liberty's lover, has also been taken hostage and strapped to a bomb by Joe, a situation that adds another layer of suspense to the film, although it's never clear why Joe involves Russell to begin with. But Liberty Stands Still has enough going for it to maintain audience interest. Skogland demonstrates some talent, along with a lot of passion for her subject matter. ~ Josh Ralske, All Movie Guide