Christophe Gans’ first solo feature film (he’d previously made the short The Silver Slime (1982) as his film school graduation project and was one of three directors on the anthology film Necronomicon (1994)) is a stylish action thriller with vague mystical and supernatural overtones (the eponymous hero is said to be immortal and seems to possess superhuman abilities). Made on a relatively small budget and in a ridiculously short time for a film so ambitious, it showcases Gans’ love for Asian action movies (he was instrumental in setting up a French video label dedicated to introducing Asian movies to France) and also his remarkable marshalling of very limited resources.
Crying Freeman remains remarkably faithful to both the original manga and the 1988 anime adaptation Kuraingu furiman, a six-part OVA series directed by Daisuke Nishio. Mark Dacascos – an under-appreciated action movie star who shines both here and in Gans’ subsequent film, Le pacte des loups (2001) – is excellent as the enigmatic Freeman, the reluctant gangland assassin who sheds tears for his victims and looks for a way out of his life of violence when he falls in love with the daughter of one of his “assignments”. He gives by far and away the best performance in a film that is otherwise underwhelming in the acting stakes – most of the cast are simply unmemorable, though Tchéky Karyo (dubbed by an uncredited Ron Perlman) was clearly having an off day as a bent cop in the pay of the bad guys.
But what the film lacks in thesping skills it more than makes up for in style. Gans makes no bones about his love for Asian – particularly Hong Kong – action cinema and deploys all the tricks, techniques and quirks that have now passed into cliché. Slow motion martial arts scenes, massive gunfights, gruesome but honourable deaths, all set against gorgeous countryside and urban settings and beautifully photographed by Thomas Burstyn. Gans largely resists the temptation to follow the Hollywood lead and indulge in the lightning fast cutting, shaky camerawork and frame-skipping that has since become so tiresome.
Crying Freeman had a rough ride in the USA where it was simply never released. If it had been, who knows what may have happened for Gans and Damascos, both of who deserved to do better out of Crying Freeman than they did. Gans took another five years to make his next film, the stunning Le pacte des loups, again featuring Damascos, who himself went on to do OK but not great in a string of largely undeserving movies. Gans eventually made it to Hollywood with the underwhelming Silent Hill (2006).
Crying Freeman won’t appeal to those who want wall-to-wall action as it frequently interrupts the gunplay and bone crushing for a proper story. The cast aren’t quite up to the demands of making the interpersonal stuff believable – Julie Condra, as Freeman’s love interest, looks great but seems to be sleepwalking for most or the film and completely fails to make us understand why Freeman would risk his life for her – but the Yakuza power struggles and internecine gang politics make for a welcome respite from the relentless action.
Crying Freeman was an excellent start to Gans’career, one that would just get better in Le pacte des loups. He displays a confidence and command of his chosen craft that belies his relative inexperience, resulting in a slick, stylish and always compelling action thriller.
The EOFFTV Review 