By Justin Kroll
For The State News

There are so many things wrong with the new film "Freedomland" that it's surprising so many quality actors are in it.

It's bad enough that the film is poorly written and formulaic, but even worse to know that respected actors such as Samuel L. Jackson would sink to these lows to do a film that was doomed from the opening scene.

"Freedomland" opens with a delirious Brenda Martin (Julianne Moore) wandering the streets of Dempsey, N.J. She eventually finds her way to a hospital with blood on her hands and a look of shock on her face.

No one knows what really happens except that her car was stolen in the infamous "Armstrong Projects." Detective Lorenzo Council (Jackson) takes on the case because he considers Armstrong to be his turf. Once he starts interviewing her, he comes to find out her son was in the car when it was taken without the carjacker realizing it.

As soon as this happens, Armstrong is put on lockdown causing immediate chaos and forcing Council to decide what side to defend.

Once Council realizes the cops are more interested in causing problems in Armstrong than finding the boy, he calls on the help of an organized group of parents who help find missing children when the police fail. The group is led by Karen Collucci (Edie Falco), who is the film's only bright spot.

Of course there is the occasional twist and revelation, but by this point, the audience is so sick of this film that they aren't surprised and don't really care either.

The film is never able to establish an identity for itself. At one point, we are dealing with rising racial tensions, and the next moment they are completely forgotten. There are so many questions left unanswered by the end that you are more confused than interested in what is happening.

For instance, why does the opposing police district have so many problems with the Armstrong Projects and Dempsey police?

To make things worse, Jackson and Moore's performances are career lows. Jackson tries to be the cop who knows everything, but by the end of the film, he is more clueless than the audience. With Moore, it's apparent she is grieving because of her son, but her actions are so repetitive and tedious that the audience is more irritated with her than concerned.

By the time this film is over, you can only hope that the two actors take time to think about their next parts before taking them on.