Freelancers

Freelancers is a cop drama, to be sure, but good it most certainly is not. The film definitely follows the formula above, but stumbles pretty quickly. You've got two A-list Academy Award-winning actors (Robert De Niro and Forest Whitaker), but your righteous lead is played by Curtis "50 Cent" Jackson, a rapper who's no stunner in the acting department. The director is Jessy Terrero who, um, “wowed” audiences with Soul Plane nearly a decade ago. Mistake number two. And what about those realistic characters? Carbon cutouts work, right? And a complicated story? Well, the film certainly borrows cues from films that were considered complicated. Surely, that counts.Unfortunately, Freelancers is just one big mistake after another. Every single scene is off pace, dragging on and on. Otherwise solid performers seem to be phoning it in, picking up a quick paycheck and a few free meals in between takes.

There's a shoehorned love subplot that never feels real, and an age-old vengeance angle that never resonates on an emotional level. And 50 Cent can barely spit his dialogue out. He also offers absolutely no conviction whatsoever. Instead, he swaps between lifeless grins and an expressionless stare. His performance is downright embarrassing.The story, about a team of corrupt cops, is hardly anything earth-shattering or refreshing, either. The film brings absolutely nothing new to the table, playing more like a low-rent direct-to-video MMA production that just happened to nab a few decent actors who needed a fast buck. None of the characters are fleshed out in a realistic manner, and the New York setting obviously looks like New Orleans (where the film was shot).There's really not much else to say about Freelancers. It's a bad movie. It's not offensively bad, at least, and it should play fine for those looking for a Saturday afternoon time-killer. But when you bring two decorated actors like Forest Whitaker and Robert De Niro onto a project, you kinda have to expect something a little deeper than Freelancers provides.The Freelancers Blu-ray arrives courtesy of Lionsgate Home Entertainment.

The film is presented in 1080p/AVC (2.40:1), mixed in 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio. The transfer is certainly bold and incredibly detailed, with nuanced “gritty” color design and staggering image depth. The encode is solid, but also yields just a slight hint of banding every now and then. The only major issue noted was a slight stutter in the image every so often. It's possible this was caused by an equipment issue, but it seemed to do it on both players I tested the disc on. It's never very distracting, but once it catches your eye, it's quite annoying.The 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio track is quite appetizing at times, with balanced, engaging surrounds and heavy bass punctuating the film's soundtrack. Dialogue, unfortunately, is a bit more problematic. Mic hiss is noticeable throughout, especially on De Niro, who seems to be scratching at his mic in a few scenes. While the hiss is not really the fault of the mix itself, it's still distracting enough to shave off a few points from the track's final score.