Completely separate from the political message, I felt that "Land of the Free (2007)" was a very interesting short film. It did not appear to have a large budget, and makes due with what it has. I felt that it did this effectively, as every location looked authentic and never cheesy.
The moody, decrepit scenery of an impoverished Police State urban nightmare played out well. The whole movie tone was dark and dreary, almost like a dream. While the flashbacks and flash forwards were a bit confusing at times (the relationship and happenings between the main character and his wife are extremely unclear), overall the short film is pretty easy to follow.
The gunfight scenes were very good. For such a small budget, they were all pretty fantastic. They even had 'squibs' go off to mark bullet hits against walls. Even Hollywood sometimes fails miserably at this.
The only glaring problem with this film is its length (and I mean that in a complementary, tongue-in-cheek sort of way). I wanted more when the film ended. The story left much to be desired, but I guess that's the point. The future is uncertain in the final scene as the sun sets in the distance. Tomorrow would be a new day with new changes.
"Hope for a better life." Good film. Thanks!
8/10
