EMANCIPATION movie review

EMANCIPATION is directed by Antoine Fuqua. The film stars Will Smith, Ben Foster, Timothy Hutton, and Charmaine Bingwa.

Peter is an African slave living with his family during the American Civil War, being subject to poor treatment in captivity. When he’s taken from his family for a construction project, he and his fellow slaves run from the camp to find Lincoln’s Army, which is liberating the South. He and his fellow slaves must endure the horrors brought on by the Confederacy, as well as natural hazards that stand between them and their destination. Will Peter succeed and be able to return to his family?

EMANCIPATION is something of a mixed bag. At times, it’s a heroic epic about a man’s stand against slavery and involuntary servitude. At others, it feels mundane and rushes, like a movie we’ve seen a thousand times over. There’s certainly enough here to merit at least a modest recommendation for the curious, but anyone seeking something more profound and deep should take their business elsewhere.

Where EMANCIPATION shines brightest is its leading man. Will Smith continues to demonstrate what makes him one of the best actors on the big screen today, rising to the occasion and playing a man in captivity, willing to do to any extreme to help his family. The emotional range Mr. Smith has on display in this role is certainly impressive. Many may accuse him of taking on this role as a sort of “Oscar bait,” but regardless of the matter, anyone who sees the movie is bound to be impressed with what they see him offering here, whether physically battling his oppressors or helping the innocent.

It’s a beautifully shot and unique looking film. The look is hard to put into words, with an appearance that’s nearly black and white but not quite, with only certain elements and moments getting color as needed. There are many arguments as to why this is, but I won’t deny that EMANCIPATION paints its gritty setting and surroundings beautifully.

Unfortunately, the film does suffer from an inconsistent tone. While it’s always brutal and hard-hitting, the emphasis seems to be all over the place. Is this supposed to be an action thriller set in the time of Civil War, or is it supposed to be a harsh indictment against slavery? While EMANCIPATION is an eye-catching cinematic experience, depth sadly isn’t one of the movie’s strong suits. The decision to leave our hero behind a few times to focus on secondary and tertiary characters, for example, takes away from the narrative more than helping it, and these moments add little to the final product.

The film’s third act is also rushed and inconsistent, incorporating an unnecessary subplot about our hero being drafted into the Army; by the time this happens there’s not enough movie left to make it a fully realized point. We already got a “Black Regiment” Civil War film way back in the late 1980s called GLORY, and it tackled this subject/part of the story with far more depth and realization than what little EMANCIPATION gets to show; it bites off more than it can chew in this regard.

EMANCIPATION scores major points for Will Smith’s performance, but you’ll feel like you’ve seen this movie before. It doesn’t bring anything new to the table, and its running time and rushed and overplotted third act work against the final product. Moderately recommended.