Simmering racial tensions boil over with terrifying consequences in Freedomland, a gritty thriller based on the novel by Richard Price. Unfortunately, the build-up to this explosion of pent-up emotion is rather pedestrian, despite the casting of Samuel L.Jackson, who has never been one to deliver a quiet, introspective performance.

Adapted for the screen by Price himself, the film lacks any sense of urgency or suspense. Julianne Moore fails to anchor with her portrayal of an emotionally unstable mother, struggling to cope with the abduction of her four-year-old son. Her performance is mannered and forced. Director Joe Roth demonstrates fleeting skill behind the camera: the climactic skirmish between housing project residents and the police is well orchestrated, but arrives far too late to save the picture from the dull gloom.

New Jersey woman Brenda Martin (Moore) is discovered in a state of distress at Dempsy Medical Center, claiming that an African-American carjacker stole her vehicle, with her beloved son Cody in the back seat. Detective Lorenzo Council (Jackson) and his longtime partner Boyle (William Forsythe) are assigned the case; both men have close ties to the urban housing projects where the kidnapping took place.

During the interrogation process, Lorenzo begins to suspect that Brenda might not be telling the truth. Racial tensions within the Dempsy explode as the police begin an exhaustive search for the culprit, led by Brenda's hotheaded brother Detective Danny Martin (Ron Eldard), who hails from the neighbouring white-collar suburb of Gannon. Brenda's friend Felicia (Aunjanue Ellis) and her troublesome boyfriend Billy (Anthony Mackie), who both live on the Armstrong housing project in Dempsy, are caught in the upheaval. As the hours tick by, the situation deteriorates and Council is forced to make difficult choices to expose the truth and prevent a full-scale riot. He enlists the services of Karen Collucci (Edie Falco) and the "Friends of Kent" volunteer search team to find the missing child.

When it was published in 1998, Freedomland attained bestseller status in America. But it's difficult to believe that such a turgid story could sustain readers for 550-odd pages.

Moore's unconvincing performance undermines the mystery of what happened to little Cody Martin, so by the time Lorenzo stumbles upon the truth, our only abiding concern is for the end credits to roll. As swiftly as possible.