Back in 1992 when Emilio Estevez was still a hot property and one of Hollywood’s main leading actors, he decided to do a little movie called Freejack.  In the film, he plays a race car driver who is fated to die in his next race.  But just before he is destined to pass into the great beyond, Mick Jagger pulls him forward in time, thereby saving his life.  At least for the moment that is.  Estevez’s character, Alex Furlong, has been saved from death so that his body might be used to save the life another, after his mind has been wiped of course.  What follows is a game of cat and mouse between Vacendak (Jagger), the cops and the corporation that want Furlong back.  Was it the right movie for Estevez?  No, probably not, but that did not stop him, or the other actors from appearing in this picture.

For a science-fiction film, Freejack has aged terribly.  As more time passes, it gets worse and worse and it looks and sounds utterly ridiculous at times.  Where some films seem fine many years after they have premiered, even those made during the 1950’s and 1960’s, Freejack dates itself with sub-par special effects, sound effects as well as setting itself in the year 2009 which, now that it has come and gone, is probably the worst thing of all.  Now there have been other films that have done the same with exactly the same qualities, yet where they can be tolerated, for whatever reason, this film is terrible in those respects and more.  The directing by Geoff Murphy is decent and he does everything he needs to do to make an exciting little thriller filled with action and it is somewhat fun if you enjoy car chases and mindless violence.  Aside from that though, there is little else to save this picture from itself except for the performances from its leads.

Emilio Estevez is a bright spot in the film, lending the role the same energy he would exhibit in many of his parts during the time.  He would even give a nod to his Young Guns character Billy the Kid, while sitting in a diner at one point, though if you have never seen that film, that particular instance would be lost on you.  Rene Russo was all right, as was Jagger as Furlong’s main nemesis.  Anthony Hopkins would play the big bad of the film, the man behind the scenes and the person for whom Furlong’s body was procured in the first place.  Though only in the picture for mere moments, Hopkins lends his usual class and really adds that little bit extra to keep the picture from being a total failure.

If you like Estevez or Hopkins, Russo or Jagger, it is their performances that make this a film to watch, unless you enjoy sub-par science-fiction movies that is.  There is a lot of energy present and the filmmakers deserve some kudos for at least keeping the pace up so that you never get bored, but with a script that was clearly lacking among many other things, this is one of those films to watch late at night on cable TV when there is nothing else on.

2.5 out of 5