A Review of The Sound of Freedom by Nick Olszyk
Distribution Service: Theatrical
MPAA Rating, PG-13
OSV Rating, Not Rated at the Time of this Review
Reel Rating, Four Reels
The sex trafficking of children is not a subject any
sane person wants to contemplate, but it is a growing calamity that deserves
attention. It is a common strategy to create a movie that shines a spotlight on
injustice, but how could one possibly create a film on this topic that people would
voluntarily watch? Director Alejandro Monteverde has the answer, a fantastic film
based on true events that stands squarely on its own merit, although whether it
finds its audience remains to be seen.
Tim
Ballard (Jim Caviezel) is a special agent for Homeland Security tasked with
investigating online pedophile rings. It’s an important job but a difficult one
as he must pour through endless hours of the most disturbing content
imaginable, and it weighs on him heavily. After a successful raid one night, he
is confronted by a fellow agent who – despite being a rookie – has had enough. “How
many perps have you caught?” he inquires. “Two hundred and eighty-two,” Ballard
replies briskly. “And how many kids have you saved?” Ballard goes quiet.
This
confrontation causes him to switch tactics. Instead of simply catching
offenders, he befriends them and goes undercover into their world. After
successfully setting up a sting operation, he manages to rescue his first victim,
a ten-year-old Hispanic boy. Despite his horrible ordeal, this kid seems more
concerned with his older sister, who is still imprisoned in the sex trade. This
sends Ballard on an Orphean journey to the most dangerous places on Earth in a
race against time to save as many children as possible but especially this one
little girl.
Samuel
Goldwyn, an early film executive, once quipped, “I want a story. If you want to
send a message, use Western Union.” The Sound of Freedom is a “message
film” through and through, but Monteverde wisely frames the narrative as a
thriller within the heist and espionage genres. Ballard is less Tom Hanks and
more Tom Cruise. Monteverde has learned a lot about the art of cinema from his freshman
effort Bella which was wonderfully pro-life but disastrously dull. The
pacing and acting are fantastic as Ballard quietly builds himself up as a multi-millionaire
hosting a sex party for the perverted elite while dodging cartels, bureaucratic
red tape, and the constant urge to just attack outright. He is assisted by film’s
most compelling character Batman (Bill Camp), a former criminal and sex
offender who now buys children only to secretly set them free. He is a reminder
that even the greatest sinner can become a saint. While ultimately successful
in rescuing many children, Ballard still has not found the sister. This takes
him deep into the Columbian jungle to confront a guerilla warlord in a place
even the US government won’t go. All this is done with a PG-13 rating. It is a
master class in talking about a difficult concept without being graphic or
overly sensational.
The
Sound of Freedom succeeds as a work of adventure, but the big takeaway is the
sheer scale of the child sex trafficking industry. For the latter half of the
20th century, the assumption was that pedophiles were isolated perverts
in trench coats who abducted victims from playgrounds. This image is dead
wrong. The industry is intelligent, sophisticated, and enormous – often protected
by wealth, prestige, and political connections. The statistics are difficult to
pinpoint, but there are at least 30 million slaves in the world today, perhaps
as high as 50 million. This is well above any other
point in human history, including the slavery in the American 18th
and 19th centuries. There are many reasons for this increase, but
the internet is ground zero. It has allowed users not only to view this
material more privately but connect with like minded individuals with greater ease.
As pornography in general becomes more mainstream and society becomes more desensitized,
it’s hard to see hope in this situation. Yet, there is hope. In the past year
alone, there has been a greater push against the sexualization of children than
any time since the 1980s, and it’s not just church ladies writing letters. It’s
states banning gender surgeries for minors. It’s creating
successful boycotts against stores with sexually
themed clothes for babies. Parents are finally realizing they are not alone
in their outrage.
The
Sound of Freedom is a brilliant and timely film, but, unfortunately, it
ends in a bizarre fashion. Once the credits start rolling, Jim Caviezel breaks
the fourth wall and directly appeals to the audience to invite others to see
the film. He even flashes a QR code on the screen for a coupon to bring a
viewer free. It reeks of desperation. No one must see a movie. Ever. Yet,
if you want a “message” movie that’s also a stellar piece of craftmanship, look
no further.
This article first appeared in Catholic World Report on July 4th, 2023.
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