By: debbie lynn elias
Once again this year we are graced with a futuristic sci-fi flick based on a short story by the visionary Philip Dick, this time in the form of “Minority Report”, which poses the intriguing hypothesis: What if we could see into the future and arrest people before they commit a murder, or any other crime for that matter? Set in the year 2054 in Washington, D.C., Tom Cruise stars as John Anderton, who, having lost his son, now does his best to prevent murders before they happen as Chief of the elite Pre-Crime Division of the Justice Department. Assisting him are three genetically altered precognitives known as “Pre-Cogs” who are attached to machines that record their visions of murders which are “set” to occur anywhere from a few minutes to four days into the future. With each vision, two wooden balls roll out of the machine attachment, each one bearing the name of the killer and victim. As a result of this “perfect” system, Washington, D.C. is now murder free. (Let’s face it, given our life and times, Dick should have set this scenario in 3054 to have any plausibility.) Believing the Pre-Cogs infallible, Anderton advocates nationalizing the Pre-Crime system, that is until the Justice Department questions the methods and techniques utilized by the Division and Anderton himself becomes the subject of a Pre-Cog vision seeing him committing a murder. Suddenly questioning the accuracy of the system (since he of course knows he’s innocent and will continue to be innocent), Anderton goes on the run, stealing a female Pre-Cog named Agatha, setting us up for what now becomes a routine futuristic chase movie.
Directed by Steven Spielberg, “Minority Report” reeks of the darker tone and color desaturation found in Spielberg’s last futuristic foray, “A.I.”, a technique that works well in this type of film and once again is executed beautifully by long time Spielberg cinematographer Janusz Kaminski. Hand in hand with Kaminski’s artistic flair, are some dazzling special effects action sequences, including a chase on a vertical highway that is so impressive, you have to see it to believe it. (Warning – those with severe motion sickness may want to cover their eyes at this part.) Not to be outdone, many scenes which one would believe are special effects, are in fact, the result of elaborately and elegantly choreographed camera maneuvers which are expertly executed and utilized for maximum dramatic effect.
Cruise performs admirably as Anderton, using physicality and controlled raw emotion to their best advantage as he manipulates not only his pursuers, but the audience as well. An excellent counterpoint to Cruise’s energetic yet psychologically tormented Anderton is Samantha’s Moore portrayal of Pre-Cog Agatha – tacit, ethereal and seemingly helpless. Max von Sydow, no stranger to the futuristic and fantastic (“Dune”, “Judge Dredd” and “The Exorcist”) steps in as Anderton’s superior, Bureau Director Burgess, exhibiting an almost fatherly pride in his protégé Anderton while relative newcomer, Colin Farrell is perfectly cast as the bureaucratic FBI investigator Danny Witwer who evokes a dichotomy of emotion in his belief and/or disbelief of the Pre-Crime system. As should be no surprise in a Spielberg film, supporting performances all seem to rise to new levels of excellence. Steve Harris, best known as Eugene Young on “The Practice”, is intriguing as Jad, but let’s not miss Neal McDonough as Officer Fletcher. McDonough is a man who has the ability to exude futuristic creepy at the drop of a hat. And of course, nepotism rears its – in this case – pretty head in the form of Spielberg’s daughter Jessica Capshaw who is excellent as Evanna.
Unfortunately, I have the same problem with “Minority Report” as with “A.I.: Artificial Intelligence.” Deviation from the original Dick story leaves huge gaps in the plot which require implausible explanations in order to close out the film. And again, we are left with numerous unanswered questions created by these implausible plot leaps. Although artistically and technically masterful, ambitious and intriguing, “Minority Report” still leaves you looking for the Spielberg of old – where cute and not-so-cute dinosaurs rule the world, even cuter aliens steal our hearts and we can all believe in a joyful place called Never Never Land with the help of a just a little pixie dust and a happy thought.
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BONUS REVIEW: With so many local filmmakers, as well as those around the country and abroad, readying independent short films for the upcoming onslaught of film festivals (including the Los Angeles Independent Film Festival, Los Angeles International Film Festival and LA Shorts Fest), the exposure from which can make a break a career, this week I turn some attention to one such film: IMPERSONAL IMPRESSION – a 6 minute short by local director Shawna Baca which will undoubtedly be making the rounds this summer and fall. “Impersonal Impression” takes a look at a slice of life in the form of a young single woman who experiences one of her greatest fears when faced with the unexpected and her unlikely hero. A perfect example of “a picture says a thousand words,” this is a no frills film using a minimalist approach to “discuss” two social issues that are generally swept under the rug – homelessness and date rape. Hard edge lensing in conjunction with black & white photography proves very effective and only adds to the characterization and intensity of the situations presented. “Impersonal Impression” is topical, timely and much needed. You can view it for yourself at www.IFILM.com.
