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‘Freedom’ Review: Mélanie Laurent’s Smash-and-Grab Fictionalization Pays Homage to the Art of the Heist
A polite criminal is torn between his passion for robbery and his lady love in this headline-inspired tale that’s more romance than it is thrills.
Rather than taking the obvious route with an action-heavy, fictionalized portrait of French thief Bruno Sulak’s criminal misadventures of the late 1970s and early ’80s, filmmaker Mélanie Laurent shrewdly treats “ Freedom ” as an introspective, tragic romance centered on one man’s purpose and passion. While she and co-writer Christophe Deslandes hit tonal notes at an efficient pace and introduce fascinating angles connecting the three leads, their spin on true-life events, exploring the psyches behind all involved, barely scratches the surface, leaving its impact severely blunted. His quest to apprehend Bruno is made all the more difficult by the crew’s additional members Patrick (David Murgia) and Steve (Radivoje Bukvic) causing a ruckus, as well as the unveiling of their latest grift, robbing jewelry boutiques all over France for hefty insurance payouts.
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