Emancipation
Emancipation
Inspired by the gripping true story of a man who would do anything for his family—and for freedom. When Peter, an enslaved man, risks his life to escape and return to his family, he embarks on a perilous journey of love and endurance.
Kevin Ward reviewedJuly 5, 2025
Beautiful cinematography and an all-in performance from Will Smith are the highlights, but Emancipation misses the mark at delivering anything that might resonate past the rolling of the credits. I know the desaturated look tends to divide viewers. It nearly always works for me, though, and I thought it looked rather stunning here. And Will really turns in a great performance. The films rings a bit hollow considering the subject matter. The first half of the movie is just a long and tense chase sequence. Ben Foster and his hounds are relentlessly tracking Smith’s Peter who’s on the run after finding out that Lincoln had declared that all slaves be free. But when the chase is resolved the film completely shifts gears. Peter poses for the now famous photograph Whipped Peter—an image that depicted the inhumanity of slavery and galvanized support in the north for the Union. And from here story turns to a war film. Peter takes up arms with the Union to fight for emancipation and, ironically, a whole bunch of liberties are taken.
It’s an engaging watch but I feel like it’s for the wrong reasons. It felt like the most important part of the story was relegated to a single scene and 2 lines in the epilogue. There’s just not much to take away from any of the rest of the film.