Sound of Freedom Reviews

Director Alejandro Monteverde (Little Boy) writes with Rod Barr (Is That You?) to bring the true story of Tim Ballard to the screen in Sound of Freedom. Through compelling storytelling and clever camera techniques, they relate his journey towards rescuing children destined for sexual slavery without tripping over into the lurid details of the underworld of child trafficking. Agent Tim Ballard (Jim Caviezel) works for the Department of Homeland Security, busting pedophiles and distributors of child pornography. When his disillusioned partner asks how many children they've rescued, Tim changes his focus when he realizes the answer is zero. But instead of quitting, he pursues his boss for an opportunity to do more. Ultimately, Tim ends up in Colombia with some leads on at least two missing children. But just as he's getting close to a big breakthrough, US government bureaucracy pulls the plug on the operation. Faced with returning to the US haunted by the children he could have saved, Tim decides to stay and find any way to continue the mission.Monteverde and Barr could have easily relied on violence and graphic depictions - two things rampant in the dark world of child sex trade - to make their film move along at a good pace. Instead, they tell the story without explicit visuals; just enough is seen to make the horror and danger real. Using human emotion, subtlety, and compelling acting, they manage to make the film more disturbing than if they'd gone graphic. The horror and eventual life of prostitution they face if they survive to adulthood is disturbingly clear. Caviezel is as intense and emotional as usual, but the real standout is Bill Camp as Vampiro, the reformed drug lord that Ballard teams up with. His soliloquy about how he went from drug lord to child rescuer is a masterpiece of acting and filmmaking.Contributing to the quality of the film is exceptional camerawork, using careful light, shadow, and focus to define each moment. Audiences can almost smell the dank bars and feel the humid heat of dark, remote jungle locations. But it isn't just the cameras that create this reality - the sites chosen for the film set the mood as much as any other element. A solid soundtrack rounds out the wonderful technical aspects of the movie. Because of this combination, some scenes could be emotionally disturbing, particularly for audience members who may be triggered by child abuse and kidnapping portrayals. Sound of Freedom isn't an easy film to watch, but it raises awareness of a form of organized crime that is worldwide and growing into the biggest criminal industry with a worldwide reach. Best of all, it shows that even one lone man can find a way to make a huge difference and save lives. As a result of never losing that as the film's focus, everyone involved has created a movie that rings loud and true, capturing the soul without enslaving the heart.