Film Review — Emancipation
Will Smith begins his road to redemption.
Hunted by his sadistic captors, an enslaved man risks his life in the pursuit of freedom.
Inspired by the shocking photograph that helped abolish slavery, Emancipation is a good historical drama with some excellent performances, bogged down by questionable creative decisions.
Back doing what he does best, Will Smith delivers a powerful performance, a potent reminder of his award-winning pedigree. Had he not slapped himself out of good favour back in February, he’d likely be in contention for one of those prestigious gold statues once again.
But Emancipation ultimately feels confused about what kind of film it wants to be. The film excels as a taut and intense chase thriller but loses focus in the final third, scoping out and morphing into a gritty war epic filled with all the clichés you’d expect to see.
The heavily desaturated colourisation was also an unwelcome distraction, giving the film a strange inaccessibility, lessening its impact as a piece chronicling humanity’s darkest deeds against a picturesque backdrop of natural beauty.
★★★☆☆
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