Freejack

OK, I'm a sci-fi movie buff. So I'm the type of person who'd like this film.

But I do have some basic standards, and Freejack is just the right sort of campy flick, sort of a "Blade Runner" gone slumming. It's bad, but it's a good bad, if you're into cult classics.

Who should see this film:

-- sci-fi movie buffs, but don't go out of your way, oh and see Demolition Man too which is similar but better

-- nobody else

I enjoyed the film, but campy special effects and silly plot mean I can only give it a 6 out of 10.

In 1991, Formula One racer Alex Furlong (Emilio Estevez) is a promising rookie with a loving girlfriend in Julie Redlund (Rene Russo). When Alex Furlong's race car is involved in a fatal collision, Alex is spared death thanks to the efforts of Bonejackers (the movie's name for human gathering mercenaries) lead by Victor Vacendak (Mick Jagger) who teleport Alex to the future of 2009 intent on delivering him to a wealthy client who will transfer his consciousness into Alex's body. When the process leaves Alex conscious, he uses the momentary confusion of the Bonejackers to escape into the dystopian New York of 2009 as a "Freejack" (a man from the past who should have died and is now essentially property) finding 18 years have passed and Julie now working at international conglomerate Mac Corp under Ian McCandless (Anthony Hopkins).

Freejack is a loose adaptation of the 1959 science fiction novel Immortality, Inc. By Robert Sheckley. Written and produced by Ronald Shusett whose credits adorn such genre classics as the first Alien movie and Total Recall the film was a tumultuous production as director Geoff Murphy's initial cut of the film proved disastrous leading to Shusett reshooting 40% of the film. Released in the dump month of January in the U. S., Freejack made only about $17 million against its $30 million budget and only $37 million worldwide making the film a disappointment. The movie was also not well received by critics who unfavorably compared the film to Robocop, Total Recall, and Blade Runner. Freejack takes a promising enough premise and squanders it on dull and generic chase cliches.

The movie wastes no time in getting the ball rolling as Freejack throws the audience into this world it's created with not much prior establishment. After firing past the section set in 1991, the movie zips into the future of 2009 with Estevez' Alex running through standard cyberpunk 101 with corporate greed ruling the world while everyone else on the bottom rung fights for scraps (I think, there's honestly not all that much established regarding the poor and working class of this world other than they wear ragged clothes and shoot at each other). The future isn't all that unique as it's basically a remix of elements from Total Recall, Blade Runner, and Robocop smushed together with no real imprints of its own until the last 10 minutes where it finally plays with the ideas presented by its premise of manufactured and acquired immortality at the broadest and most surface level it can. Despite 18 years having passed between the "present" and the "future", none of the people Alex comes across look like they've aged a day. Rene Russo in particular has a major moment where she tells Alex how nearly 20 years have passed for her, but when they play footage from 1991 Russo's appearances between the two time periods look virtually identical with maybe only her hair being a little different. I will say that Mick Jagger was much better than I expected as the Bonejacker leader Vacendak as there's history of rock stars not doing all that well with genre crossovers (just look at Gene Simmons in Runaway for example) but Jagger despite being a little stiff does lend a bit more humor to the role than I was expecting.

Freejack is a generic sci-fi action thriller that's more concerned with cramming in interchangeable shootouts and chase sequences rather than actually exploring the ideas or themes it presents. There's nothing all that wrong with Freejack, but there's nothing all that right with it either. Freejack is the type of movie that feels like it was tailor made to take up cable air time in 2 a.m. Showings and that's probably the best way you can experience this film.

Veteran writer & producer Ronald Shusett scripted this one (along with Steven Pressfield and Dan Gilroy), inspired by the novel "Immortality, Inc." by Robert Sheckley. It's a far cry from the heights attained by "Alien", which Shusett had concocted with Dan O'Bannon, but at the very least it's mildly amusing, the kind of movie for which the phrase "mindless diversion" was invented. It's silly stuff, but delivers a lot of gunfire and a lot of chases, not to mention a tacky visual approach (Joe Alves, production designer on the first two "Jaws" films and director of the third, was the p.d. here). Most of the cast have been better utilized in other projects, but it's still nice to see a bunch of familiar faces here.

Emilio Estevez, not anybody's image of the ideal action hero but reasonably likeable, is race car driver Alex Furlong. Moments before he would have met his maker in a fiery crash, his body is snatched and transported into the "future" year of 2009. Now, for all the other characters, 17 years have passed, but for him the trip is instantaneous. And now he has to run, run, run, since his body is a prized possession for the person who sponsored his "trip", and he's being pursued by relentless "bone jackers", led by legendary rock star Mick Jagger in a blatant case of stunt casting.

Emilio is ably supported by lovely leading lady Rene Russo (who married Gilroy shortly after the movie was released), a slumming Anthony Hopkins (who literally "phones in" his performance), a highly animated and amusing David Johansen as Alex's shameless "friend" Brad, Jonathan Banks of later 'Breaking Bad' and 'Better Call Saul' fame (at his cold-eyed, contemptuous best), Amanda Plummer (a hoot as a gun-packing, computer-savvy nun), Grand L. Bush, Frankie Faison, Esai Morales, John Shea, and Jerry Hall. But, alas, Jagger is one of those classic "don't give up your day job" type of deals: he's simply boring as the antagonist.

Overall, "Freejack" is plenty dumb, but it's dumb enough, noisy enough, and energetic enough to rate as a true "guilty pleasure". The director is the late, talented Kiwi filmmaker Geoff Murphy, who'd previously guided Emilio in "Young Guns II"; in the 80s he did a picture called "The Quiet Earth" that is much more interesting than this junk.

Kicking off the closing credits with a solid Scorpions tune, "Hit Between the Eyes", was one good idea, in any event.

Five out of 10.

"Freejack" is a frustrating film. It starts off well and has an excellent premise. But then, well, it all falls apart after that.

When the story begins, Alex (Emelio Estevez) is starting an auto race. However, something extraordinary takes place. As his car flies out of control and he is about to die, his body is stolen from the future. Why? Because in the future, it's not illegal to retrieve bodies from the past just before they'd die anyway. And what do they do with these retrieved bodies? Well, the rich and powerful pay fortunes to have them for organ transplants and even entire body transplants where the consciousness of the dying rich person is implanted into these retrieved bodies....and someone wants Alex's body.

The problem with this procedure is that normally they electrically lobotomize these people....but an attack on the truck that retrieved Alex enables him to escape. Now, lots of bounty hunters are looking to capture him...alive. And Alex has no idea WHAT is going on here!

So why did it fall apart after Alex arrives in the future? Well, there are MANY reasons. First, he is transported from 1991 to 2009 and simply too much has happened during the interim...way too much. Folks in the future drive cars, retrieve folks from the past, and fire phasers that might work if it was the year 2100. Second, there really isn't a lot of story...just action, action, action....making the film a bit mindless. A few things about this future also make no sense...such as the shotgun wielding and cursing nun (Amanda Plummer)! What?! And, finally, the central premise makes no sense. After all, if the retrievers lose Alex...why not just retrieve some other guy from the past?!?! Why is HE so important?! With many millions of deaths between 1991 and 2009, they surely could have found someone else!

I actually saw this on cable back about 1993 and thought it was a pretty cool movie. Well, I just rewatched it in 2021 and think it's pretty dumb. Times do change as do people. Hmmm....1993 and 2021...kinda like 1991 and 2009!

"Freejack" has one of the more unique twists on time travel, with people of the present being snatched away from a certain death to the future. It also begins to develop a unique feel and look to it. However, it's slow in several spots and doesn't develop the imagery as well as it could.

Emilio Estevez didn't seem right for the part, he looked and came across as a kid playing in a role meant for someone older and wiser. Rene Russo is wonderful as always, and Anthony Hopkins does the best he can with his limited character, but both of them are spent on the sidelines.

The real surprise was Mick Jagger, who made a wicked villain. I wonder why he hasn't tried acting in more movies. "Freejack" has largely been forgotten, but it's still worth a look.