Ben Wheatley’s crime film ‘Free Fire’ to close LFF

The 60th edition of the London Film Festival will close with the European premiere of Ben Wheatley’s high-octane action thriller Free Fire, which stars Brie Larson, Cillian Murphy and Armie Hammer

Feature by The Skinny | 01 Aug 2016

London-based film fans rejoice. London Film Festival 2016 will come to a close on 16 October with Ben Wheatley’s highly anticipated new film Free Fire. 

Set in Massachusetts in the late ’70s, this is the High-Rise and Kill List director’s first feature made in the United States. The film stars the mighty Brie Larson, who’s having a hell of a year following her Oscar win for Room and landing the title role in Captain Marvel, the first female lead comicbook movie from the Marvel Cinematic Universe. 


Little is known yet about Wheatley’s new crime film beyond this brief description: “Justine (Brie Larson) has brokered a meeting in a deserted warehouse between two Irishmen and a gang led by Vernon and Ord who are selling them a stash of guns. But when shots are fired in the handover, a heart stopping game of survival ensues.”

Vernon is played by District 9’s Sharlto Copley, and The Social Network’s Armie Hammer plays Ord. In the roles of the Irishmen are Cillian Murphy and Ben Wheatley favourite Michael Smiley, who also appeared in Wheatley’s Down Terrace, Kill List and A Field in England.

The LFF screening will be the film’s European premiere, and the director, along with some of the cast, will be in attendance.

“I'm very proud to be showing Free Fire at the BFI London Film Festival,” said Wheatley. “LFF have been fantastic in supporting the films I've made (me and an army of 100s) and I can't wait to show FREE FIRE to the Festival audience!”

Look out for our coverage of LFF at theskinny.co.uk/film