Tubi Treasure Chest: Land of the Free (1998)

You never know what you’re going to find when you open the film & TV treasure chest that is Tubi, but one thing's for certain: it’ll come from an overwhelmingly large catalog with limited commercial interruptions.

Jeff Speakman and William Shatner star in “Land of the Free”

Boy, one bout with (probably) food poisoning and the next thing I know I’m watching a Jeff Speakman action vehicle on Tubi?!

I can’t recall what led me to first add Jerry Jameson’s 1998 action thriller to my Letterboxd Watchlist, perhaps because it’s a film starring the White Guy Karate C-Team Starter, Jeff Speakman (The Perfect Weapon, The Expert) as an ex-Navy man protecting his family against acting legend William Shatner’s crooked, right-wing politician? Yeah, that probably had something to do with it.

Speakman was incredibly prolific in the ‘90s—he even starred in two more DTV films in 1998 besides this one, Memorial Day and Scorpio One, both directed by work-horse film and television director Worth Keeter. Coincidentally, among his massive directorial filmography, Keeter also helmed Unmasking the Idol and The Order of the Black Eagle, a series of trashy Bond knock-offs we’ve been meaning to cover on WHM for well over a decade. Anywho!

Land of the Free is well worth your time. It stars Speakman as Frank Jennings, the most Chuck Steak American name they could think of, I’m sure. Jennings is a former Navy officer—they never mention the SEALs by name, but the way Jennings is kicking serious ass throughout the film, there’s an outside shot—who is managing the political campaign of aspiring California senator, Aidan Carvell, played by an incredibly be-wigged Shatner.

Everything is going great for Jennings: he’s got a beautiful wife and loving son, his political candidate is bound for Washington… until the F.B.I. approaches him with allegations that Carvell is funneling money from the campaign to fund a dangerous, right-wing militia!

At first Jennings doesn’t want to believe it, but little by little, and extreme car chase by extreme car chase, Frank eventually realizes his family is in danger and he needs to act.

I wasn’t joking back there, this film has multiple, excellently choreographed car chase scenes, all packed with several insane auto flips. Indeed, several explosions, bombs, flying cars, squibs, choppers, and even a school bus come together for one wild-ass DTV action experience.

Speakman is delightfully wooden at all the right, unintentionally funny times, and they keep him dressed like a math teacher for most of the movie, with this awful button-down shirt and the most pleated of khakis, but the dude legit brings it when it comes to the hand-to-hand fighting, car stunts, and all other action-related bits in the movie.

But really, Shatner takes home the MVP here. He’s having a great time playing this asshole politician who wants to overthrow the government. This dude is in complete Stop the Steal territory. Wild that those kinds of fellas used to be villains in movies, and nowadays a not-small portion of the nation considers them patriots. Weird!

It was nice seeing The Shat and his wig getting in on a lot of the fights and stunts. Of course he’s not doing all his own stunts, but it did get me wondering if he and the stunt man shared the same wig? Like, for continuity you think?

This DTV gem is currently streaming on Tubi and I highly suggest checking it out. I’m eager to dive into some more Speakman films—any recs as to where to go next?

And if you’re still not sold, here’s a gorgeous moment from Shatner when his character realizes that Chuck Steak Frank Jennings is coming for him:

William Shatner in “Land of the Free”