Liberty Stands Still
Encyclopedia
Liberty Stands Still is a 2002
film starring Wesley Snipes
and Linda Fiorentino
. Directed by Kari Skogland
, it is a thriller about a man seeking revenge for his daughter's death.
) is the Vice President of Marketing of one of the largest gun manufacturers in the United States
, McCloud Industries. She's the daughter of the company's founder, and married to the company's ruthless CEO, Victor Wallace (Oliver Platt
). While former war hero Victor is busy trafficking in international armaments, Liberty takes business breaks to conduct an affair with actor Russell Williams (Martin Cummins
).
The balance of their marriage of convenience shifts when a sniper named Joe (Wesley Snipes
) aims his rifle at Liberty as she walks through a busy Los Angeles
park on her way to meet Russell. Joe calls Liberty on her cell phone and orders her to shackle herself to a nearby hot dog vendor's cart. Liberty has no intention of acquiescing to Joe's wishes - until Joe begins shooting.
Quickly convinced, she locks herself to the stand, only to learn that it is loaded with explosives. If she calls for help, hangs up the phone, mutes the phone, or fails to co-operate, the bomb will go off. Joe has also attached a bomb to Russell, who's now in his dressing room at the theater.
Liberty realizes she can't buy her way out of the situation, and she is forced to consider Joe's demand for an anti-gun forum. It is revealed that Joe's daughter was fatally shot at school by a classmate who used a gun manufactured by McCloud Industries. Joe has decided to show Liberty what it's like to be on the other end of the weapon and the horrors of what she has had a blind hand in for years.
Victor has apparently bartered illegal deals without Liberty's knowledge, ones that have resulted in easier access to weapons for street dealers - the ones who sold the weapon that killed Joe's daughter. Joe wants Liberty to use her political connections and this incident to spark a public debate on the Second Amendment. Despite his past, Joe no longer supports the unequivocal right to bear arms.
Joe tells Liberty that she's going to die, but that she can die a hero if she exposes her company's shady business dealings and political connections before she's killed. As Joe monitors and records her every move, Liberty reveals secrets about her own past, and her business dealings.
When Victor, who's also having an affair, finds out that Liberty has been taken hostage, he's torn between following company protocol - protecting himself and allowing Liberty to be killed - and going to help her. Victor and the media show up. At first, it seems that Joe, who is actually a former CIA agent named Alex, is using Liberty as bait to attract media attention, but then Joe guns down news reporter Bill Tollman (Jonathan Scarfe
), who happens to be the son of a hawkish US senator.
After Joe shoots Victor dead, a SWAT team figures out what building Joe is in. Before they can get to Joe, he shoots himself in the head, and dies, but he has already forwarded Liberty's recorded confessions, presumably to one or several of the national newspapers.
score was produced and composed by Convertino, and orchestrated with sound design by Film Composer and Film Music Producer Robert Muzingo.
2002 in film
The year 2002 in film involved some significant events. The first significant releases of sequels took place between The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones, Men in Black II, Analyze That, Spy Kids 2: The Island of...
film starring Wesley Snipes
Wesley Snipes
Wesley Trent Snipes is an American actor, film producer, and martial artist, who has starred in numerous action films, thrillers, and dramatic feature films. Snipes is known for playing the Marvel Comics character Blade in the Blade film trilogy, among various other high profile roles...
and Linda Fiorentino
Linda Fiorentino
Linda Fiorentino is an American actress. She is best known for her roles in the films Dogma, Vision Quest, Men in Black, After Hours and The Last Seduction.-Personal life:...
. Directed by Kari Skogland
Kari Skogland
Kari Skogland is a Canadian film director, screenwriter, and producer.-Career:Skogland started directing award-winning television commercials and music videos. She moved on to television shows with 1996's Traders...
, it is a thriller about a man seeking revenge for his daughter's death.
Plot
Liberty Wallace (Linda FiorentinoLinda Fiorentino
Linda Fiorentino is an American actress. She is best known for her roles in the films Dogma, Vision Quest, Men in Black, After Hours and The Last Seduction.-Personal life:...
) is the Vice President of Marketing of one of the largest gun manufacturers in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, McCloud Industries. She's the daughter of the company's founder, and married to the company's ruthless CEO, Victor Wallace (Oliver Platt
Oliver Platt
Oliver James Platt is a Canadian-American actor. He is currently starring in the Showtime original series, The Big C with Laura Linney.-Early life:...
). While former war hero Victor is busy trafficking in international armaments, Liberty takes business breaks to conduct an affair with actor Russell Williams (Martin Cummins
Martin Cummins
Martin Cummins is a Canadian actor known for his role as Ames White in Dark Angel . He attended the Vancouver Actors Studio where he trained under Mel Tuck, a highly respected pioneer of Canadian theatre...
).
The balance of their marriage of convenience shifts when a sniper named Joe (Wesley Snipes
Wesley Snipes
Wesley Trent Snipes is an American actor, film producer, and martial artist, who has starred in numerous action films, thrillers, and dramatic feature films. Snipes is known for playing the Marvel Comics character Blade in the Blade film trilogy, among various other high profile roles...
) aims his rifle at Liberty as she walks through a busy Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
park on her way to meet Russell. Joe calls Liberty on her cell phone and orders her to shackle herself to a nearby hot dog vendor's cart. Liberty has no intention of acquiescing to Joe's wishes - until Joe begins shooting.
Quickly convinced, she locks herself to the stand, only to learn that it is loaded with explosives. If she calls for help, hangs up the phone, mutes the phone, or fails to co-operate, the bomb will go off. Joe has also attached a bomb to Russell, who's now in his dressing room at the theater.
Liberty realizes she can't buy her way out of the situation, and she is forced to consider Joe's demand for an anti-gun forum. It is revealed that Joe's daughter was fatally shot at school by a classmate who used a gun manufactured by McCloud Industries. Joe has decided to show Liberty what it's like to be on the other end of the weapon and the horrors of what she has had a blind hand in for years.
Victor has apparently bartered illegal deals without Liberty's knowledge, ones that have resulted in easier access to weapons for street dealers - the ones who sold the weapon that killed Joe's daughter. Joe wants Liberty to use her political connections and this incident to spark a public debate on the Second Amendment. Despite his past, Joe no longer supports the unequivocal right to bear arms.
Joe tells Liberty that she's going to die, but that she can die a hero if she exposes her company's shady business dealings and political connections before she's killed. As Joe monitors and records her every move, Liberty reveals secrets about her own past, and her business dealings.
When Victor, who's also having an affair, finds out that Liberty has been taken hostage, he's torn between following company protocol - protecting himself and allowing Liberty to be killed - and going to help her. Victor and the media show up. At first, it seems that Joe, who is actually a former CIA agent named Alex, is using Liberty as bait to attract media attention, but then Joe guns down news reporter Bill Tollman (Jonathan Scarfe
Jonathan Scarfe
Jonathan Scarfe is a Canadian actor. He is married to actress Suki Kaiser and is the son of actors Alan Scarfe and Sara Botsford....
), who happens to be the son of a hawkish US senator.
After Joe shoots Victor dead, a SWAT team figures out what building Joe is in. Before they can get to Joe, he shoots himself in the head, and dies, but he has already forwarded Liberty's recorded confessions, presumably to one or several of the national newspapers.
Reception
The film has been panned by gun-rights supporters as being very anti-gun and portraying all firearm owners in a negative light. The film has a 5.7/10 on IMDB and a 2.9/5 on Rotten Tomatoes.Score
The technoTechno
Techno is a form of electronic dance music that emerged in Detroit, Michigan in the United States during the mid to late 1980s. The first recorded use of the word techno, in reference to a genre of music, was in 1988...
score was produced and composed by Convertino, and orchestrated with sound design by Film Composer and Film Music Producer Robert Muzingo.