Emancipation is the new Will Smith, the first movie after his Oscar incident. The film is directed by Antoine Fuqua who has helmed films like The Equalizer, The Equalizer 2, The Guilty, The Magnificent Seven and Training Day. He specializes in the action-thriller genre as he has gained quite a bit of reputation because of his films. Along with Will Smith, the film’s supporting cast includes Ben Foster, Mustafa Shakir, Steven Ogg, Charmaine Bingwa, Imani Pullum, Aaron Clifton Moten and Gilbert Owuor. The premise of the film surrounds around, “Peter, a slave, flees a plantation in Louisiana after he was whipped within an inch of his life. He has to outwit cold-blooded hunters and the unforgiving swamps of Louisiana on a torturous journey north.”
The script is penned down by Bill Collage. The film is based on Gordon’s real story who was a former slave whose back’s photos were published in 1863 as his back was extremely scourged from an overseer’s whippings. These photos acted as proof of the cruelty of American slavery which lead to the abolitionist movement. These photos are still one of the most important media evidence of the darkest times of humanity and it has become tragically iconic. The film recently had its premiere and the critics who saw the film have given out their thoughts. It seems like the Will Smith’s movie has garnered mixed review as some critics see it as a gripping tale while others find it extremely fake.
Emancipation Reviews Round-Up: Does it work or not?
Emancipation doesn’t have an IMDb rating, however, the film has amassed a Rotten Tomatoes score of 62% which is quite mediocre. Most of the reviewers have grilled the film however, there are some people who have found the film to be gripping and faithful to the original story. Let’s directly read the comments associated with the film:
Jordan Hoffman
TV Guide
“A brutal but gripping look at the horrors of slavery.”
Independent (UK)
Chicago Trbune
Times (K)
“Emancipation should have been Son of Saul with shoot-outs, or Schindler’s List with a kick-ass finale. Instead, alas, it’s little more than the The Equalizer in chains.”
Empire Magazine
Washington Post
“The bigger frame has reduced one of the most world-changing images of the last three centuries to something familiar, generic and strangely less potent.”
Los Angeles Times
Daily Telegraph (UK)
Chicago Sun-Times
indieWire
Variety
“In “Emancipation,” there’s an educational element to the experience, and the tone seems appropriately sober. But the dramatic engine is that of a lean, mean manhunt movie.”
Hollywood Reporter
New York Post
Guardian
TheWrap
Emancipation will start streaming on Apple TV+ from 9th December 2022 however, it will have a limited a theatrical release from 2nd December 2022 in select theatres.
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