Liberty Stand Still is not too well known, but I like it. I always think that Linda Fiorentino is great no matter what role she plays and although Oliver Platt does not have a major part in this film it’s enough. Platt plays Fiorentino’s husband–she is an heir to a gun manufacturer that has questionable business practices–but he runs the company. Wesley Snipes plays a sniper (no joke) who lost a child in a gun related death manufactured by Platt’s & Fiorentino’s company.
Snipes takes Linda Fiorentino, who ‘s family founded a fire-arms company, hostage threatening to either kill her with a sniper rifle or by detonating a bomb located in a hot dog cart she is cuffed to. The movie never definitely tells us Snipes true motives, but as the hostage situation unfolds he hints at political corruption, avenging the death of his daughter, even trying to kill Oliver Platt. You are never really told. Snipes, who actually acts in this movie instead playing the monosyllabic action hero, ultimately kills himself as the authorities are closing in but not before broadcasting his long dialog with Liberty exposing the corruption et cetera.
Yes the movie went directly to video and yes the movie is openly preachy in anti-gun anti-corporation/business attitude, but if you seriously think that Hollywood will ever in our lifetimes have an open unbiased discussion of these issues then I have a bridge to sell you–No really you can even set up toll booths to make money.
I had never seen snipes act before but he clearly can and of course so can Linda. This film gave both of these underrated actors a chance do their jobs.
It certainly is not crap.
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