Emancipation

The deplorable history of slavery in the United States has been the focus of many films over the years. The films have been of varying quality, and there have also been various tones and angles to the storytelling. Some, like Steve McQueen’s 12 Years a Slave, are very serious and historically minded. Others, like Quentin Tarantino’s Django Unchained play out more like action/revenge stories. Emancipation, the new film from director Antoine Fuqua (Training Day, The Equalizer, The Magnificent Seven) tries to meld these two approaches together. It is based on the story of a man named Gordon who escaped slavery and served with the Union Army in Louisiana, later becoming known nationwide due to a photo (referred to as “Whipped Peter”) which showed the scarring on his back from his monstrous treatment during his time as a slave. Unfortunately, Fuqua’s film, though harrowing at times, is a disappointment overall.

The film begins with Peter (Will Smith) praying with his family and washing his wife Dodienne’s (Charmaine Bingwa) feet. He is then dragged out by the overseers of the plantation where he is enslaved because he has been sold to the Confederate army. He is brutalized one final time on this plantation, and then thrown into a caged wagon. He is then put to work building a railroad meant to deliver supplies and reinforcements to the front. During his time there, Peter plays a dangerous game by assisting other slaves and standing up in minor ways to the slavers. He attracts the attention of Fassel (Ben Foster), a slave-hunter who is said to hunt day and night. Seeing that Peter is a religious man, Fassel claims that he will be Peter’s God now.

In the meantime, Peter and several of the other men have heard that the Emancipation Proclamation has been issued, and that many enslaved men are trying to escape to Baton Rouge, where the Union army is encamped. When an older man dies while being forced to drag logs attached to a horse collar, Peter is ordered to take the man to a mass grave. Realizing he is about to be killed as well, Peter takes his chance and escapes. In the confusion, several other men run as well. Some escape, while others are shot down. Having gotten away, Peter must now contend with the dangers of the Louisiana swamps as well as Fassel’s pack of hunters. Much of the rest of the film is the trials and travails of Peter as he attempts to get to Baton Rouge in the hopes of then returning to his family.

The film’s primary positive note is Will Smith’s performance. Much of the power of Peter’s character is in his stoic determination and belief that God will get him back to his family. This is a different type of role from most of Smith’s career. Even in more serious films, he typically maintains a charisma that draws the audience. This is a quieter performance that is full of righteous anger and a will to survive. Smith also does an excellent job with his character’s Haitian Creole accent. Unfortunately, there are no other standout performances. Bingwa is commanding but is not given enough to do. By nature of the characters and the type of film Fuqua wants to make, Foster is simply there to be cruel and inflict pain. He is not a character so much as a cardboard villain.

Directorially, this is a mixed, though mostly negative, endeavor. Fuqua does well with the action. A sequence in which Peter fights an alligator underwater is a particular standout. But a choice was made, either by Fuqua or alongside his cinematographer, Robert Richardson, to shoot/color grade the film in a desaturated manner. It is not stark black and white, which would have been a fine choice, but is instead in distractingly muted color. Fire is sometimes orange, blood is sometimes red, and plants are the lightest of green. But sometimes when the camera moves or shots change, colors are stronger just for a moment. It often feels more like an error than a deliberate choice. Fuqua is a solid veteran, and Richardson is a legend in his field, which makes this decision confounding. I’ve never seen another film that looks like this, and I hope not to. The screenplay, from William Collage, is weak overall. There are a few good or surprising moments, such as when Peter is spotted by a young girl while on the run. However, the dialogue is atrocious, often sounding wooden and forced. Smith, by virtue of his character, is spared from the worst of this, but the other actors aren’t so lucky.

Emancipation is currently in theaters and is streaming on Apple TV+