Today’s quick review: Liberty Stands Still. Liberty Wallace (Linda Fiorentino), the vice-president of a gun company, has her shady dealings catch up with her when Joe (Wesley Snipes) uses a sniper rifle and a bomb to trap her in the middle of a park. As the police and the media gather around, Joe explains to Liberty that he holds her and her husband Victor (Oliver Platt), the CEO of the company, responsible for the shooting of his daughter.
Liberty Stands Still is a crime thriller about a woman held hostage by a sniper. Over the course of an hour-long phone call, Joe walks Liberty through his demands while orchestrating a media circus to get his message out. Liberty Stands Still features strong acting, deftly handled suspense, and just enough of a mystery to keep the plot moving. But even though its execution is capable, one or two flaws mar its value as a story.
Liberty Stands Still does a skillful job of keeping the tension high. Although Joe keeping Liberty in his crosshairs is necessarily static, the film comes up with clever ways to keep things interesting. The gradual escalation of the police response, Victor’s corporate answer to Joe’s demands, and the slow revelation of what Joe wants and what Liberty and her husband are guilty of all make for a gripping thriller.
However, Liberty Stands Still has a couple of issues that hold it back. One is that it has an axe to grind. The movie is overtly political, using Joe as a mouthpiece to talk about gun violence. Rather than asking questions that could give the situation nuance, it takes his stance as a given. The other main shortcoming is that Liberty has very little counterplay. She stands and talks to Joe while other characters act around her.
Liberty Stands Still has the skill to be an interesting watch, but how much you get out of it will vary. Although the movie does not have the kind of masterful plot work seen in similar crime thrillers, its acting and presentation carry it a long way. Ultimately, it is worth a watch for the curious but easy to skip for those not interested in either its premise or its political message.
For another thriller about a sniper with an agenda, try Phone Booth or Grand Piano. For a cat-and-mouse thriller about a vengeful father who uses violence to attack a corrupt system, try Law-Abiding Citizen. For a dramatic black comedy about an ordinary man who snaps, try Falling Down. For a crime drama about the gun trade, try Lord of War.
[5.7 out of 10 on IMDB](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0280870/). I give it a 6.5 for good tension offset by a few missteps.