Freelancers | |
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Directed by | Jessy Terrero |
Produced by |
Mark Canton 50 Cent Randall Emmett George Furla |
Written by | L. Philippe Casseus |
Starring |
50 Cent Forest Whitaker Robert De Niro |
Edited by | Kirk M. Morri |
Production
company |
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Distributed by | Lionsgate |
Release date
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Running time
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96 minutes |
Country | United States |
Language | English |
Budget | $11 million |
Freelancers is a 2012 crime-drama film directed by Jessy Terrero, and stars 50 Cent, Forest Whitaker, and Robert De Niro. Filming took place in New York City, New York. It had a limited release in theaters in Los Angeles and New York on August 10, 2012 and was released on DVD and Blu-ray on August 21, 2012.
With his two best friends, Jonas Maldonado, the son of a slain NYPD officer, joins the police academy. After graduating, he's taken under the wing of his father's former partner, Captain Joe Sarcone, who invites him to join the Street Vice Crime Task Force. Under Sarcone's tutelage, he becomes part of a rogue task force that consists of dirty cops. After he learns from the District Attorney's office that his father was murdered by Sarcone after turning state's evidence, Maldonado frames Sarcone for a theft from powerful mob boss Gabriel Baez. Baez orders Maldonado to kill one of his friends as a sign of loyalty, which he reluctantly does. With Baez's help, Maldonado then kills the dirty cops responsible for his father's death. At the end, the District Attorney's office approaches Maldonado, urges him not to take Sarcone's place as Baez's right-hand man, and Maldonado ponders whether to go straight or not.
In February 2011, Variety announced that 50 Cent will play a lead role in the film. He will star as the "son of a slain NYPD officer who joins the force and welcomed by his father’s former partner into the ranks of his vice crime task force — and on to a team of rogue Gotham cops." A month later, Deadline reported that Robert De Niro and Forest Whitaker had joined the film.Variety announced in May of that year that Dana Delany would play a lead female role. 50 Cent said that he felt compassion for his character despite the character's ambiguous morality. That and other aspects of the film that he could identify with from his own experiences drew him to the project.