Liberty Stands Still 2002

     A gunman ties up an actor and locks him in his dressing room just before a performance.  He puts a bomb with a 90-minute timer next to the actor.  The gunman goes into a room above the LA plaza and draws a bead on the actor’s girlfriend, international arms dealer Liberty Wallace!!   He calls Liberty’s cell phone and tells her his name is Joe.  He shows her a rifle pointed right at her.  He tells her to cuff herself to a hot-dog cart nearby with the cuffs beside it.  Over the next 90 minutes the story begins to unfold.  The gunman wants a public debate on the Second Amendment because of his daughter’s death.  Liberty begins to bond with Joe on the phone and he gets some truths from her plus his revenge. 
     This film was screened at the Palm Springs International Film Festival.  It failed to get a theatrical release and went straight to DVD on October 22, 2002 because of critical reception.  There was praise for the performances by Snipes and Fiorentino but panned the overall plot.  This film is good in the suspense part but weak on the action.  The beginning is slow but then it starts to pickup as it goes along.  Includes heavy messages about gun control.  3* (This movie is OK) 

96 min, Action directed and written by Kari Skogland with Tanya Allen, Hart Bochner, Fulvio Cecere, Gregory Calpakis, Terry Chen, Garvin Cross, Roger Cross, Martin Cummins, Keith Dallas, Linda Fiorentino, Marrett Green, Darch Laurie, David Lewis, Brian Markinson.

Note:  Imdb 5.7 out of 10 with 7,151 views, Rotten Tomatoes 20% with 5 critics 36% with 3,896 user ratings, Letterboxd 2.6* out of 5*, Amazon 3.8* out of 5* with 100 reviews.

Special Note:  Filmed in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.    There are mistakes in this film.  Near the end of the film, Liberty drops her phone and headset on the ground.  In the next scene we see the headset still in her ear?  The rank insignia worn by the police captain is improperly worn at odd angles?  The red dot of Joe’s laser-sight is on Liberty’s chest but she repeatedly scans buildings behind her while trying to spot Joe??