Did you have Sound of Freedom on your cinematic radar six months ago? Neither did I. However, since its domestic release on the 4th of July, Sound of Freedom has become a cultural and box office phenomenon in the US. Regularly beating big budget fare like Indiana Jones and Mission Impossible at the US domestic box office, the film has taken on a life of its own, as well as garnering the attention and praise of those who occupy the world of conspiracies. 

 

But all the noise aside, while Sound of Freedom has minimal character development, it is a tough but necessary watch, exposing the very worst of humanity's depravity anchored by a solid performance from Jim Caviezel.

 

Based on the incredible true story, Sound of Freedom shines a light on even the darkest of places. After rescuing a young boy from ruthless child traffickers, a federal agent learns the boy’s sister is still captive and decides to embark on a dangerous mission to save her. With time running out, he quits his job and journeys deep into the Colombian jungle, putting his life on the line to free her from a fate worse than death.

 

The first half of Sound of Freedom is mostly exposition, focusing on Jim Caviezel’s federal agent Tim Ballard seeking to catch paedophiles within the United States, helping to set up the narrative thrust of the film. Then, at Ballard’s colleagues questioning of him, Ballard sets out to free the children trapped in the sex slave trade. 

 

This is Sound of Freedoms strongest and most arresting aspect. The exposure of the audience to the plight of one particular brother and sister is confronting, heavy, and utterly heartbreaking. Sound of Freedom helps to put faces to a depraved trade that we know exists in the world and in doing so not only helps to personalise it but get us mad as hell that this still happens in our world today. 

 

The only critique is that the majority of the characters, especially Caviezel’s Ballard, are pretty one dimensional, painting him as a flawless knight in shining armour. With a subject of this kind of gravity, it needed more than surface level characters to help give it further depth. Caviezel gives it his all with what he has and manages to anchor the film with humanity, heart, and a whole lot of heroics. 

 

While Sound of Freedom has minimal character development, it is a tough but necessary watch, exposing the very worst of humanity's depravity anchored by a solid performance from Jim Caviezel.