Freejack: Sin identidad

In 1991's "Freejack", 2009 is a dystopian future where nearly all-powerful corporations rule a ruined environment and a wrecked economy. OK, they got that correct but then again so did the equally cheesy "Robocop". By 2009, humans have mastered the ability to control the space-time continuum to the extent they can draw people forward and replace their minds with another being held in electronic stasis. OK, we haven't really mastered those things yet but damn our telephones have gotten pretty cool. Against this shaky premise "Freejack" puts together a cast that includes the less lunatic of the Sheen brothers, the criminally underused David Johansen, the peerless Anthony Hopkins and, yes, in the Boba Fett role, Mick Jagger. And despite the compelling screen stars, it is Jagger who maintains the audience's eye despite the ridiculous headgear he wears in most scenes and the equally ludicrous haircut beneath. Jagger's charisma nearly carries the film but given that it consists of one extended car (or motorcycle or champagne truck or tricked-out golf car) chase after another after another eventually even his power to charm cannot keep the mind from drifting. During this drifting one wonders why a man with the foresight to run the world's most powerful corporation wouldn't have had a back-up plan to pluck some other body from the past if things didn't work out with the first particularly given that any screw-ups would have meant his death? Anyway, in short, people who like their sci-fi cheap and cheesy or anyone who wishes Mick Jagger and David Johansen had done more movie work will be all-jacked-up by this film.

In 1991, Formula One racer Alex Furlong (Emilio Estevez) is a promising rookie with a loving girlfriend in Julie Redlund (Rene Russo). When Alex Furlong's race car is involved in a fatal collision, Alex is spared death thanks to the efforts of Bonejackers (the movie's name for human gathering mercenaries) lead by Victor Vacendak (Mick Jagger) who teleport Alex to the future of 2009 intent on delivering him to a wealthy client who will transfer his consciousness into Alex's body. When the process leaves Alex conscious, he uses the momentary confusion of the Bonejackers to escape into the dystopian New York of 2009 as a "Freejack" (a man from the past who should have died and is now essentially property) finding 18 years have passed and Julie now working at international conglomerate Mac Corp under Ian McCandless (Anthony Hopkins).

Freejack is a loose adaptation of the 1959 science fiction novel Immortality, Inc. By Robert Sheckley. Written and produced by Ronald Shusett whose credits adorn such genre classics as the first Alien movie and Total Recall the film was a tumultuous production as director Geoff Murphy's initial cut of the film proved disastrous leading to Shusett reshooting 40% of the film. Released in the dump month of January in the U. S., Freejack made only about $17 million against its $30 million budget and only $37 million worldwide making the film a disappointment. The movie was also not well received by critics who unfavorably compared the film to Robocop, Total Recall, and Blade Runner. Freejack takes a promising enough premise and squanders it on dull and generic chase cliches.

The movie wastes no time in getting the ball rolling as Freejack throws the audience into this world it's created with not much prior establishment. After firing past the section set in 1991, the movie zips into the future of 2009 with Estevez' Alex running through standard cyberpunk 101 with corporate greed ruling the world while everyone else on the bottom rung fights for scraps (I think, there's honestly not all that much established regarding the poor and working class of this world other than they wear ragged clothes and shoot at each other). The future isn't all that unique as it's basically a remix of elements from Total Recall, Blade Runner, and Robocop smushed together with no real imprints of its own until the last 10 minutes where it finally plays with the ideas presented by its premise of manufactured and acquired immortality at the broadest and most surface level it can. Despite 18 years having passed between the "present" and the "future", none of the people Alex comes across look like they've aged a day. Rene Russo in particular has a major moment where she tells Alex how nearly 20 years have passed for her, but when they play footage from 1991 Russo's appearances between the two time periods look virtually identical with maybe only her hair being a little different. I will say that Mick Jagger was much better than I expected as the Bonejacker leader Vacendak as there's history of rock stars not doing all that well with genre crossovers (just look at Gene Simmons in Runaway for example) but Jagger despite being a little stiff does lend a bit more humor to the role than I was expecting.

Freejack is a generic sci-fi action thriller that's more concerned with cramming in interchangeable shootouts and chase sequences rather than actually exploring the ideas or themes it presents. There's nothing all that wrong with Freejack, but there's nothing all that right with it either. Freejack is the type of movie that feels like it was tailor made to take up cable air time in 2 a.m. Showings and that's probably the best way you can experience this film.

In my mind Freejack has always merged with other 90's sci-fi movies like Johnny Mnemonic and Chain Reaction. All of these had cool poster images that were seen in magazines, but other than the posters I pretty much missed out the actual movies.

Another thing that comes to mind is that the phrase "Freejack Soundtrack" is a thing...maybe even more than the actual movie. That's because I had a phase when I was a huge fan of the band Scorpions, and I remember noticing that the song "Hit Between the Eyes" was featured on the soundtrack album of this movie. So I always thought that someday I'm going to see what this Freejack actually is.

Third notion is that this is the gimmick film with Mick Jagger as an actor. I feared that if he happened to be a bad actor, then that would explain why this movie seems so forgotten. Maybe it was a flop?

All right then, let's take a ride to the danger zone and see does Freejack hit between the eyes or miss completely.

The story is original and interesting. A supposed-dead guy is hijacked to the future to be used as a new body for a dying businessman. But the body accidentally escapes, and right there we have a recipe for an action packed chase adventure.

The cast is interesting. Antony Hopkins is probably the best actor in the film but he doesn't have much screentime so it doesn't make much difference. Then we have of course the rocker Mick Jagger as a tough leader of the bad guys' army. Even though Jagger isn't a seasoned actor he looks good in the role and acts decent enough. The hero is played by Emilio Estevez. I've never really liked him. I always thought he's like a poorman's version of Michael J. Fox. But in the end Estevez redeems the role. He manages to use his blank face to create a puzzled character lost in time. The female lead is played by Rene Russo who's always got class.I just like her whenever she's on the screen. One more mention: Jonathan Banks (Mike Ehrmantraut from Breaking Bad!) is in this movie too. That's awesome!

The budget is not enormous but it's big enough and used effectively. I really like the comic book vibe of the visual style, the "futuristic" vehicles that actually just are some army jeeps painted red but... hey, it works! The coolest machine is Jagger's techno-truck that unforrtunately is not seen that much.

Overall Freejack might not be a cinematic masterpiece if judged by indiviudyal acting performances, or if you're looking for some deep message that will change your life. But as an action movie it's really entertaining and stylish, and has an diverse cast of actors that just feels...cool. More than the sum of its parts I'd say.

Oh, and last but certainly not least: you can bang your head and play air guitar during end credits when one of the hardest rocking songs from Scorpions starts playing. Yeaaah!

Veteran writer & producer Ronald Shusett scripted this one (along with Steven Pressfield and Dan Gilroy), inspired by the novel "Immortality, Inc." by Robert Sheckley. It's a far cry from the heights attained by "Alien", which Shusett had concocted with Dan O'Bannon, but at the very least it's mildly amusing, the kind of movie for which the phrase "mindless diversion" was invented. It's silly stuff, but delivers a lot of gunfire and a lot of chases, not to mention a tacky visual approach (Joe Alves, production designer on the first two "Jaws" films and director of the third, was the p.d. here). Most of the cast have been better utilized in other projects, but it's still nice to see a bunch of familiar faces here.

Emilio Estevez, not anybody's image of the ideal action hero but reasonably likeable, is race car driver Alex Furlong. Moments before he would have met his maker in a fiery crash, his body is snatched and transported into the "future" year of 2009. Now, for all the other characters, 17 years have passed, but for him the trip is instantaneous. And now he has to run, run, run, since his body is a prized possession for the person who sponsored his "trip", and he's being pursued by relentless "bone jackers", led by legendary rock star Mick Jagger in a blatant case of stunt casting.

Emilio is ably supported by lovely leading lady Rene Russo (who married Gilroy shortly after the movie was released), a slumming Anthony Hopkins (who literally "phones in" his performance), a highly animated and amusing David Johansen as Alex's shameless "friend" Brad, Jonathan Banks of later 'Breaking Bad' and 'Better Call Saul' fame (at his cold-eyed, contemptuous best), Amanda Plummer (a hoot as a gun-packing, computer-savvy nun), Grand L. Bush, Frankie Faison, Esai Morales, John Shea, and Jerry Hall. But, alas, Jagger is one of those classic "don't give up your day job" type of deals: he's simply boring as the antagonist.

Overall, "Freejack" is plenty dumb, but it's dumb enough, noisy enough, and energetic enough to rate as a true "guilty pleasure". The director is the late, talented Kiwi filmmaker Geoff Murphy, who'd previously guided Emilio in "Young Guns II"; in the 80s he did a picture called "The Quiet Earth" that is much more interesting than this junk.

Kicking off the closing credits with a solid Scorpions tune, "Hit Between the Eyes", was one good idea, in any event.

Five out of 10.

You know, one thing that really bothers me is the amount of people who just refuse to relax and watch a move without having to consider whether it should win an Oscar. I don't think Freejack was ever intended to be made for serious viewing - I think every actor in it at one time during the movie has got their tongue in their cheek.

What you do get in this movie are some spectacular effects, and I'm not talking about the end when you could just as soon go get a sandwich rather than watch the 2001-type slideshow.

It's just downright funny. Mick Jagger as the villain giving Emilio Estevez a "headstart" by counting 1-Mississippi, 2-Mississippi is priceless. David Johanson shines as the shyster in any timeframe. Rene Russo gives us an early indication of screen presence. So just relax and have fun with it.