Sound of Freedom 2022 Movie Review Trailer

Introduction

It would be better to start a Sound of Freedom review by making it clear what the movie is not. This is not a movie with partisan political messages. Although the main character expresses a personal faith in God, it is not an overtly religious film either. Assuming it's one of those things or both is easy, considering that star Jim Caviezel has made controversial statements related to QAnon of late and has indicated a belief that people are engaging in the non-existent practice of "adrenochroming" children. So what is the movie? It's actually an effective drama about a man trying to make a positive difference in the world.

Based on a true story, the film casts Caviezel as Tim Ballard, a government agent who cracks down on child predators. He has a crisis of conscience, realizing that catching the perverts is fine, but it's not really saving the kids. So he convinces his boss (Kurt Fuller) to send him on an operation in Colombia, where he intends to set up a fake hotel that will lure wealthy pedophiles with the promise of sex. Once there, they can be arrested.

Ballard teams up with an American expat, "Batman" (Bill Camp), to secure funding and find traffickers providing children, who will, of course, be rescued upon his arrival. A chance meeting with a boy who escaped from that traffic leads to a second mission, in which Ballard tries to locate and save his sister. She turns out to be deep in the heart of the Colombian jungle, which requires a dangerous trek.

Sound of Freedom, as Caviezel explains in a message embedded in the end credits, was actually made five years ago. The theme of child sex trafficking made it something studios and distributors were reluctant to touch. While it's certainly a hard sell for the "Saturday Night at the Movies" crowd, such hesitation is a bit unnerving. The film is a sincere effort to address an important issue, and director Alejandro Monteverde handles the issue delicately, never letting his tone become exploitative. In fact, looking at how Ballard puts together his scheme is illuminating in the way he shows the many moving parts of sex trafficking, as well as how he operates in the shadows.

The performances are very good. Caviezel brings a sense of commitment to his role, convincing us that Ballard is completely dedicated to his cause. Bill Camp, meanwhile, is terrific, convincingly turning Batman into one of those guys who knows how to navigate underground. The actor gives it a larger than life quality that is entertaining. One significant disappointment is the downplaying of Mira Sorvino, who plays Ballard's wife, Katherine. Scenes of her appear to have been cut out, to the point where she appears for a few seconds to say something encouraging to him, then she quickly fades away. That leaves Katherine as a one-dimensional character, present solely to support the male lead. Why cast an actress of Sorvino's stature and then not use her?

In real life, Tim Ballard's methods have drawn quite a bit of criticism along with the praise they've received. The film would have been deeper and more complete if it had alluded to this fact instead of depicting him solely as a saint. However, Sound of Freedom has an effective mix of anger and compassion: anger at a world where people sexually exploit children, and compassion for the innocent victims who don't deserve such treatment. The movie really makes you think about the problem of child sex trafficking and how we can all work together to end it. That alone makes it worth seeing.

Trailer