Freelance is the most recent action comedy flick by Taken director Pierre Morel. Featuring John Cena in the lead, the movie about a former ex-special forces operative on a mission to protect a washed-out journalist and a charming dictator from a military coup wasn’t exactly well-received by critics or moviegoers. And it’s easy to see why – the feature is just too formulaic for its own good. 

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Where can you watch Freelance in the UAE?

Freelance is currently playing in cinemas across the UAE, such as VOX Cinema and Reel Cinemas.

Freelance Review

2.5 /5
Pros:
  • Great performances
  • Some funny moments
  • Entertaining

Cons:

  • Mediocre
  • Predictable

Protagonist Mason Pettits (Cena) is far from happy with his lot in life, much to his wife’s dismay (a seriously underused Alice Eve). After graduating from law school, Mason pursued a career in the military and found fulfilment as a special forces operative. He had to retire after a mission went awry and resulted in the deaths of most of his friends.

Now retired, Mason works as a lawyer and fights with his wife, who’s less than happy knowing how miserable civilian life is for him. When his former special-ops colleague turned private security firm owner Sebastian (Christian Slater) offers Mason a one-off freelance gig, he jumps at the chance. 

Freelance

There’s one small problem. The job involves protecting journalist Claire Wellington, who’s been invited to interview President Juan Venegas (Juan Pablo Raba), dictator of the fictional country of Paldonia. Years prior, Mason’s mission to assassinate the always-smiling dictator ended with the loss of all his friends. Mason blames the President for what happened to his crew. 

Of course, Mason is led to believe this will be a quick and easy job. But before Claire’s interview can even take place, he finds himself in the middle of a coup. He must now navigate the jungle while trying to keep Claire and President Venegas alive from whoever is trying to kill them. 

Freelance

Generic entertainment

Based on what other critics had to say, my expectations for Freelance were somewhere on the floor. I was pleasantly surprised by this perfectly adequate and entertaining action movie. The plot is engaging enough, there are several well-shot action scenes, and the comedy elements got some laughs from my fellow cinema-goers. 

The movie follows a tried and tested formula, and there’s nothing particularly unique about it. However, it does feature some great performances from its talented cast. The scenes where Cena, Brie, and Raba are on screen together are by far the best the movie offers. These three share great comedic timing, and they seem to have had a lot of fun playing the unlikely trio. 

Freelance

While Freelance doesn’t add anything new to the genre, it is fun to watch. Yes, this is a mediocre action comedy where nothing will surprise you. But the performances are solid, and the comedy parts are worth a few chuckles.

Lori C
Lori C

Lori C. is an entertainment writer who studied Film and Television at University. She watches and reviews films and series from most genres, but some of her favourites include Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Charmed, The Handmaid’s Tale, Westworld, and True Blood.

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