EMANCIPATION

Based on a true story and set in Louisiana, 1863, Lincoln has passed the Emancipation Proclamation which makes all slaves now free. Peter (Will Smith) leaves his family on the plantation in order to get to Baton Rogue to join the Union army and free his family from bondage. Rumor has it Quentin Tarantino originally wanted Smith for DJANGO UNCHAINED but Smith passed on it. Here, Smith takes on a more serious role and while his performance can easily be viewed as at least Oscar nominee worthy (but may not actually get the accolade with his recent suspension from the Academy), it appears Smith chose the wrong movie and should have taken Tarantino up on DJANGO. Outside of Smith's performance, the film feels rather light even while dealing with the subject matter. Most of it is a cat-and-mouse game between Peter who's on the run and Jim Fassel (Ben Foster) and company who are chasing him down. Director Antoine Fuqua chooses an interesting choice with the color of the film as most of it is seen in a gray, almost black-and-white filter with very little color. My expectations were higher with both Smith and Fuqua attached to the project. I'll also say despite what happened at the Oscars, I'm still a Will Smith fan and it's good to see him back onscreen. 5.5/10