Cillian Murphy as Chris in Free FireImage Via StudioCanal
Before he shocked Film Twitter by agreeing to direct Meg 2: The Trench, director Ben Wheatley had made a name for himself in British independent cinema. Wheatley’s resume included acclaimed films across a variety of genres, such as the period horror film A Field in England, the horror-thriller Kill List, and the black comedy Sightseers. Wheatley leveled up a decade ago, when he attracted major stars for the action movie Free Fire. Essentially a 90-minute shootout, Free Fire earned positive reviews but flopped at the box office. It’s tailor-made for cult success, and fans of action cinema can discover it when it lands on Netflix this February.
Released in 2016, Free Fire was set in one location where two gangs meet for a hand-off but turn against each other when things become hairy. The movie featured Armie Hammer, Sharlto Copley, Jack Reynor, and Oscar winners Brie Larson and Cillian Murphy. The movie is notable for being one of A24’s earliest domestic releases. Although the former arthouse outfit has since ventured into mainstream star-driven movies that are doing big business at the box office, Free Fire grossed just around $3 million against a reported budget of $7 million. It holds a 69% score on the aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, where the critics’ consensus reads, “Free Fire aims squarely for genre thrills, and hits its target repeatedly and with great gusto — albeit with something less than pure cinematic grace.”
Ben Wheatley Seems to Have Returned to Small-Scale Genre Movies
Free Fire grossed under $1 million in its domestic box office debut, effectively bombing instantly. Surprisingly, this happened only a month after Larson won her Best Actress Oscar, for her star-making performance in the psychological drama film Room. She went on to star as Carol Danvers/Captain Marvel in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and has also appeared in hit films such as Kong: Skull Island and Fast X. Murphy, of course, went on to headline Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer, which made nearly $1 billion globally and won the Best Picture Oscar. Wheatley seems to have returned to his roots following the blockbuster success of Meg 2. He has two movies lined up for release — the sci-fi thriller Bulk and the crime thriller Normal.
You can watch Free Fire on Netflix beginning February 10. Stay tuned to Collider for more updates.