Although many classic and older movies feature Mississippi as a setting, our state serves as the setting for new movies as well. Specifically, over the past year, the movie “Vanquish” has undergone filming on the Mississippi Gulf Coast. This movie will release later this month at certain theaters, and despite the “R” rating (which clearly indicates that this is not a movie for children), this movie also features both Mississippi resident Morgan Freeman and Australian actress Ruby Rose as main characters. While this does not feature Union or the surrounding area itself, this does provide some inspiration for our town. If other places in Mississippi can serve as homes to films, Union could one day as well, which should inspire all Union residents and make us proud of our state.
Down in Biloxi on the Mississippi Gulf Coast during Sept. 2020, Lionsgate filmed parts of the new movie “Vanquish.” George Gallo directed this film, and the movie stars Mississippi resident Morgan Freeman and Australian actress Ruby Rose. Many Union residents will know Freeman from his various roles throughout his career, and some may know Rose from her time on the serious “Orange is the New Black.” Freeman plays a retired cop named Damon while Rose plays a mother named Victoria who used to work as a Russian drug runner. Damon holds Victoria’s daughter as a hostage in order to force her to complete his wishes; she must then utilize all her skills to take out several prominent, savage gangsters in order to see her daughter again (Landry, “Morgan Freeman, Ruby Rose Movie Filmed in South Mississippi to Hit the Big Screen”). For those wanting to watch the film, certain theaters will begin showing the movie on March 16, but this will also release on DVD and Blu-ray on April 27. As a Mississippi move filmed in the current day, this certainly seems to indicate that action-packed movies will always find a home in our state.
As far as specifics to Mississippi, “Vanquish” features a few houses in Biloxi and Freeman. A few pictures from the movie show the antebellum-style houses frequently seen when traveling the Mississippi Gulf region (Landry, “Morgan Freeman, Ruby Rose Movie Filmed in South Mississippi to Hit the Big Screen”), and this may feature some of the surrounding landscape as well. Freeman also perhaps serves as one of the biggest names on the movie poster. Although originally born in Memphis, Tenn., during the Great Depression, Freeman moved to Mississippi at a young age. He always liked movies, and in 1967, he began acting in plays in New York City. During the 1970s, he worked in television, and during the 1980s, he began starring in movies, getting his big break in 1987 in the movie “Street Smart.” He has starred in many big movies since with many other extremely famous actors and actresses. In 2016, President Barack Obama honored Freeman with a National Medal of Arts with a ceremony. Currently, Freeman lives in the Mississippi Delta where he runs various philanthropic organizations. He even owns a nightclub in Clarksdale, and he can also fly an airplane (“Morgan Freeman). With the combination of featuring physical locations in Mississippi and an extremely famous Mississippi resident as a main character, “Vanquish” certainly brings a bit of fame to our state.
Although this movie the rating for “Vanquish” indicates that the movie is not family friendly, many people will still find this movie entertaining. The film features an action-packed story, Mississippi as a filming location, and a Mississippi resident as a primary character. Because the filming of this movie took place recently, this indicates that filmmakers still consider our state as a good place to make movies. Instead of Hollywood, New York City or anywhere else in the world, Filmmakers still choose Mississippi even in 2021. All Union residents should take pride in this, and maybe one day Union will serve as the filming location for a blockbuster movie.
Send your Union community news to Matt Hennington at mch.2000@hotmail.com.
