“Sound of Freedom” is a rather benign title for what is an intellectually-challenging, emotionally-gripping and profoundly-disturbing movie.

The “sound” is the gentle but insistent drumming of the hands and the singing of a girl, Rocio (Cristal Aparicio, TV’s “Stolen Away,” 2020), as she sits in her home in Honduras. Rocio and her brother, Miguel (Lucás Ávila, in his acting debut), are kidnapped and taken to Colombia and sold for international child-trafficking.

“Sound of Freedom” is said to be based on a true story about Tim Ballard (Jim Caviezel), a United States Department of Homeland Security agent who saved children, mostly from outside the U.S., from sex traffickers.

In “Sound of Freedom,” Tim Ballard rescues Miguel. After meeting the boy’s father (José Zúñiga), he feels compelled to rescue Miguel’s still-missing sister, Rocio.

Ballard discusses his plan with his wife, Katherine (Mira Sorvino). He teams up with Vampiro (Bill Camp), a reformed cartel kingpin. They enlist the help of a Colombian law enforcement official, Jorge (Javier Godino, “The Secret in Their Eyes,” 2009).

“Sound of Freedom” has the sense of a South-of-the-Border crime-thriller, with the intensity of “Sicario” (2015), the insanity of “Fitzcarraldo” (1982) and the self-sacrifice of Charlie Allnut (Humphrey Bogart), admittedly on another continent, in “The African Queen” (1951).

It’s a police-procedural on the order of “Law and Order” SVU.” Call it “SVU: Child Trafficking.” There are not graphic scenes in the film.

“Sound of Freedom” has the foreboding of Joseph Conrad’s novella, “The Heart of Darkness” (1902), in its exploration of the nature of evil and the path taken to embrace it or battle it. Symbolically, Simon and Garfunkel sang about this aspect of human nature in “The Sound of Silence” (1965): “Hello, darkness, my old friend.”

Jim Caviezel (Jesus, “The Passion of the Christ,” 2004; “The Count of Monte Cristo,” 2002) is compelling and convincing as a man on a mission. Caviezel plays the role as an unassuming yet intense action hero.

Bill Camp is comedic as the former drug kingpin Vampiro, who has confronted his own evil nature and now is on the side of good. Javier Godino is superb as the Colombian law enforcement official and provides a nice balance. Along with Jim Caviezel, they are a kind of real-life “Three Amigos.”

Each among the supporting cast, including Mira Sorvino, Yessica Borroto Perryman, Kurt Fuller, Eduardo Verástegui, Gerardo Taracena, Gary Basaraba, Manny Perez and Gustavo Sánchez Parra, is excellent.

“Sound of Freedom” writer-director Alejandro Monteverde (director, “Little Boy,” 2015; “Bella,” 2006) moves efficiently from dialogue to action to silence (augmented by music). He’s a film-maker whose career bodes watching.

The screenplay by Monteverde and Rod Barr (screenplay, “Is That You?,” 2014) provides memorable moments of conversation, action and is compelling and purposeful.

The cinematography by Gorka Gómez Andreu (“Anybody Seen My Girl?,” 2020) gives the dark impression, at times, of a horror film, appropriate given the grim subject matter. The editing by Brian Scofield (“The Tree of Life,” 2011) even has some scary jump cuts.

The score by Javier Navarrete (Oscar nominee: “Pan’s Labyrinth,” 2006; Primetime Emmy Award winner, music composition, TV’s “Hemingway & Gellhorn,” composer: “Antlers,“ 2021; “Wrath of the Titans,” 2012) effectively utilizes brass, violin and piano to underscore nuances of scene and character.

“Sound of Freedom” is deserving of several Oscar nominations (director, original screenplay, actor (Jim Caviezel) and supporting actor (Bill Camp).

“Sound of Freedom” is not an easy film to see. You may be moved to tears at the inhumanity of man toward man, and by the courage of one man. Don’t miss it.

“Sound of Freedom,”

MPAA rated PG-13 (Parents Strongly Cautioned. Some material may be inappropriate for children under 13.) for thematic content involving sex trafficking, violence, language, sexual references, some drug references and smoking throughout; Genre: Biography, Action, Drama; Some scenes are in Spanish with English subtitles; Run time: 2 hours, 11 minutes. Distributed by Angel Studios.

Credit Readers Anonymous:

“Sound of Freedom” filming locations included Cartagena and Isla Barú, Colombia, and Calexico, Calif. The end credits include a list of names of thousands of those said to be investors who contributed an estimated $5 million to market the film with each said to get a revenue share in the project. During the credits, Jim Caviezel thanks those involved in the film, talks about human trafficking, and urges movie-goers to tell friends to see the movie. A QR code is displayed on-screen for “pay-it-forward” movie tickets for the film. A documentary film, “Operation Toussaint: Operation Underground Railroad and the Fight to End Modern Day Slavery” (2018), tells the story of Tim Ballard and Operation Underground Railroad, which he founded.

At The Movies:

“Sound of Freedom” was seen at AMC Center Valley 16. The sound volume and image were excellent.

Theatrical Movie Domestic Box Office,” July 21-23: The “Barbenheimer” phenomenon took the top two places.

“Barbie” starring Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling in the comedy fantasy directed by Greta Gerwig about the Mattel doll toys come to life, opened at No. 1 with $155 million in 4,243 theaters.

“Oppenheimer,” starring Cillian Murphy as J. Robert Oppenheimer, “father of the atomic bomb,” opened at No. 2 with $80.5 million in 3,610 theaters.

“Barbenheimer” boosted the biggest box office weekend of the pandemic era and the fourth-biggest overall weekend in box-office history.

“Barbie” had the biggest opening weekend for a film directed by a woman.

3. “Sound of Freedom” dropped one place, $20.1 million in 3,285 theaters, $124.7 million, three weeks. 4. “Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part One” dropped three places from its one-week at No. 1 with $19.5 million in 4,321 theaters, $118.7 million, two weeks. 5. “Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny” dropped one place, $6.7 million in 2,885 theaters, $159 million, four weeks. 6. “Insidious: The Red Door” dropped three places, $6.5 million in 2,554 theaters, $71 million, three weeks. 7. “Elemental” dropped two places, $5.8 million in 2.720 theaters, $137.2 million, six weeks. 8. “Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse” dropped two places, $2.8 million in 1,669 theaters, $375.2 million, eight weeks. 9. “Transformers: Rise of the Beasts” dropped two places, $1.1 million in 834 theaters, $155.6 million, seven weeks. 10. “No Hard Feelings” dropped two places, $1 million in 1,017 theaters, $49.2 million, five weeks.

Movie box office information from Box Office Mojo as of July 23 is subject to change.

Unreel,

July 28:

“Haunted Mansion,”

MPAA Rated PG-13: Justin Simien directs Rosario Dawson, Jamie Lee Curtis, Winona Ryder, Jared Leto, Owen Wilson, Danny DeVito, Tiffany Haddish, LaKeith Stanfield and Dan Levy in the Comedy, Drama. The movie brings to life the popular attraction at Disney theme parks.

Movie opening date information from Box Office Mojo as of July 23 is subject to change.