Neil Welch It is the 1970s, and a small group of Irish republicans is in the USA arranging to buy automatic rifles from a South African supplier via a broker of illicit arms deals. No-one trusts anyone. As if that wasn't enough of a problem, it turns out that one of the Irishmen has an unhelpful drug habit. This fellow also fell foul of one of the American crew the previous evening. Oh, and there are a couple of snipers in the warehouse where the deal is taking place....Director and co-writer Ben Wheatley is flavour of the month in some quarters, despite having directed only a handful of cinema movies. Well, I saw A Field In England and High Rise, and I thought both were pretentious rubbish.But I'll cut him a break, because Free Fire definitely has something going for it. It's a really simple concept - an arms deal goes wrong, gunfire erupts, and there is an extended jockeying for position in a closed-in location (a derelict warehouse), with gunfire, over the next hour or so. What makes this film something to register on the radar is the way that hour is managed, and the dialogue within it. The set-up has established every character, so we understand personalities and motivations before all Hell breaks loose. I won't say that we care, because these are not nice people, but we are invested enough to want to see what happens to each of them, and who (if anyone) manages to escape alive.There is a good cast, headed by Brie Larson, Armie Hammer, Cillian Murphy and Sharlto Copley, all of whom give us nuanced characters. Copley, as is his tendency, goes wildly over the top but, then, that's how his character is written.And, importantly, notwithstanding the tension and death and destruction, there is a strong strand of dark humour running through this. I'm not saying you'll laugh out loud but, if you're anything like me, the script will please you.

Matt Greene A great period piece, crime-gone-awry actioner in which quick shots of humor punctuate the chaotic violence with buckshot precision. Just a whole lot of bloody good fun crammed into 90 minutes.

Coventry 2018 is barely a week old, but I'm afraid I already stumbled upon the biggest disappointment of the year! Words literally fail to describe how incredibly dire and incompetent "Free Fire" is. Seriously, how is it possible that a film can superficially look so cool but then turn out to be so unbelievable irritable? In fact, the question "how is it possible" will form the red wire across this entire user comment. How is it possible that people are still imitating the success aspects of "Reservoir Dogs" and "Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels" after more than twenty years? If there's one thing these movies have proven, it is that the combination of graphic violence and witty one-liners is rather unique and almost inimitable. Hundreds of rip-offs were unleashed, especially between 2000-2010, but none of them were truly worthwhile. Just when you think that nowadays aspiring directors are clever enough not to do so anymore, Ben Wheatley comes up with the most embarrassing rip-off of them all. How is it possible that I still have faith in Wheatley, anyway? Critics often label him as a multi-talented director, but this is the third letdown in a row after "High-Rise" and "Sightseers". I still want to see "Kill List", but if that's another disappointment, I'll never watch another Ben Wheatley film ever again. How is it possible that a film, which doesn't even have an actual script, is still so badly written? Simply put, "Free Fire" is set in 1978 and handles about an illegal weapon deal in an abandoned Boston warehouse between nervous IRA members and the gang of the sleazy and completely unreliable smuggler Vern. For the most banal reason imaginable, the already agitated situation goes awry and they all start shooting each other. How is it possible that anyone is still standing up after five minutes? Every single character gets shot, sometimes even in the head, but they all cheerfully continue reloading their arms and shouting idiotic stuff at each other. How is it possible that all these talented cast members got lured into this? "Free Fire" stars Cillian Murphy ("28 Days Later"), Sim Riley ("Control"), Brie Larson ("Room") and Armie Hammer ("The Lone Ranger"), but they don't immediately seem to realize they're stuck in the worst project of their careers. And then the most vital question of them all: how is it possible that a film that features constant gunfire and bullet-showers is so damn boring! Despite all the Mexican stand-offs, the enormous body count and the sly dialogs, "Free Fire" is BORING beyond belief. The only reason why I'm giving this a generous rating 2 out of ten, instead of the miserable rating 1 it really deserves, is because I was rejoiced to hear a couple of long-forgotten John Denver classics on the soundtrack.

Asif Kazi This is the idiotic version of the Reservoir Dogs Movie , An arms deal gone sore on the folly of an asshole out of control and a sissy guy. Overall there is tangible entertainment for those who like gunshot movies but there is no compact story line here in the end movie turnout to be total disaster where no one escapes with money only regret at the end is the price of the enterprise go and watch the movie if nothing else you have for the weekend!