Minority Report (A or 4/4 stars)
Tom Cruise tries to clear himself of a crime he thinks he won't commit in 'Minority Report', a sci-fi drama directed by the great Steven Spielberg. The year, 2054: Detective John Anderton (Tom Cruise) works in a division that arrests killers before they commit the murders (thanks to some advanced technology). But John has the tables turned on him when he's accused of a future crime, himself. Knowing it must be true, but hell-bent on reversing the future, John must find out 'why' this will occur, and 'how' to stop it. Spielberg blends top-notch special effects with an interesting story, & thought-provoking philosophies on life. Not only for sci-fi lovers, everything about this futuristic melodrama is intelligent & riveting. Dare I say, I could see a future like the one in 'Minority Report'.
After losing his son 6 yrs. ago, getting divorced from his wife, and turning to drugs, John Anderton hopes to prevent incidents like this from happening to others by joining Washington's new 'Pre-Crime' division. Because of this trial-run division, D.C is the safest place in America. Thanks to 3 supernatural, genetically-altered humans (with special powers to see into the future), Pre-Crime offers a flawless anti-murder system. These 3 individuals are called PreCogs. Floating around in a tank of milky fluid, the connected PreCogs envision forseeable murders. They'll twitch, gyrate, & provide the names of both the victim & the perpetrator as well as hologram-like video imagery of the entire scene of the crime (even the time it occurs). Identification of said perpetrators is done through eye-scanning. If people accept this new system (by vote), the crime rate 'could' plummet. However, will the prisons be able to hold so many 'presumed' guilties?
Head of the Dept. is Director Burgess (Max von Sydow). He's proud of the system, but is bereft at the thought of losing control of it when-and-if it goes national. And when the PreCogs predict that Anderton will commit murder on someone whom he doesn't even know (in 36 hours), he is both horrified & baffled. In order to solve his own mystery, John needs to find the 'minority report'; i.e., Agatha (Samantha Morton), the head preCog, may be able to 'predict' a different version of the future, thus proving John's innocence. Certain that he's being set-up by fellow Detective Witwer (Colin Farrell), this is when Anderton risks it all by stealing Agatha for his betterment. With her sage help, 'perhaps' John can be cleared. But of course, things never go so simply. Time is flying, enemies are pursuing, and the already erratic Anderton may be unprepared for the heap of twists & turns that lie ahead of him. Can he beat the clock and change his fate?
What's so great about this film is that it crosses SO many genres. Not only is it great science fiction, but it's a cop-on-the-run flick, it offers political dilemmas, it offers thought-provoking philosophies ... and it's a thriller of the tallest order. Speaking of political/philosophical dilemmas: If someone is predicted to commit a murder before it has even happened, can they still be accused? How would the arrest be handled? Can the act of accusing someone of pre-murder make the accuser start to analyze his own innocence, thus, leading him/her to the eventual murder anyway? Like I said, fascinating questions to ponder.
Also impressive: the cinematography & special effects. Shot with a monochromatic hue, 'The Minority Report' gives the impression of it being in the future at all times. And the effects are spectacular; shoot-outs, 1-on-1 combat, & car chases (like the one where Anderton leaps from futuristic vehicle to futuristic vehicle, all while speeding downward from skyscrapers ... I was in awe). The effects only enhance what is already a substantial screenplay. Script aside, the acting is also uniformally stellar. Tom Cruise is raw & engaging as the woeful hero. Max von Sydow is great as the omnipotent villain. And Samantha Morton brings amazing depth to what would be an otherwise androidal character. Do some ideas go unexplored? Sure. But overall, this is another alluring, edgy masterpiece to come from Steven Spielberg. Really, it's the perfect blend popcorn fare AND art. It can please both the blockbuster AND art house crowds.
After losing his son 6 yrs. ago, getting divorced from his wife, and turning to drugs, John Anderton hopes to prevent incidents like this from happening to others by joining Washington's new 'Pre-Crime' division. Because of this trial-run division, D.C is the safest place in America. Thanks to 3 supernatural, genetically-altered humans (with special powers to see into the future), Pre-Crime offers a flawless anti-murder system. These 3 individuals are called PreCogs. Floating around in a tank of milky fluid, the connected PreCogs envision forseeable murders. They'll twitch, gyrate, & provide the names of both the victim & the perpetrator as well as hologram-like video imagery of the entire scene of the crime (even the time it occurs). Identification of said perpetrators is done through eye-scanning. If people accept this new system (by vote), the crime rate 'could' plummet. However, will the prisons be able to hold so many 'presumed' guilties?
Head of the Dept. is Director Burgess (Max von Sydow). He's proud of the system, but is bereft at the thought of losing control of it when-and-if it goes national. And when the PreCogs predict that Anderton will commit murder on someone whom he doesn't even know (in 36 hours), he is both horrified & baffled. In order to solve his own mystery, John needs to find the 'minority report'; i.e., Agatha (Samantha Morton), the head preCog, may be able to 'predict' a different version of the future, thus proving John's innocence. Certain that he's being set-up by fellow Detective Witwer (Colin Farrell), this is when Anderton risks it all by stealing Agatha for his betterment. With her sage help, 'perhaps' John can be cleared. But of course, things never go so simply. Time is flying, enemies are pursuing, and the already erratic Anderton may be unprepared for the heap of twists & turns that lie ahead of him. Can he beat the clock and change his fate?
What's so great about this film is that it crosses SO many genres. Not only is it great science fiction, but it's a cop-on-the-run flick, it offers political dilemmas, it offers thought-provoking philosophies ... and it's a thriller of the tallest order. Speaking of political/philosophical dilemmas: If someone is predicted to commit a murder before it has even happened, can they still be accused? How would the arrest be handled? Can the act of accusing someone of pre-murder make the accuser start to analyze his own innocence, thus, leading him/her to the eventual murder anyway? Like I said, fascinating questions to ponder.
Also impressive: the cinematography & special effects. Shot with a monochromatic hue, 'The Minority Report' gives the impression of it being in the future at all times. And the effects are spectacular; shoot-outs, 1-on-1 combat, & car chases (like the one where Anderton leaps from futuristic vehicle to futuristic vehicle, all while speeding downward from skyscrapers ... I was in awe). The effects only enhance what is already a substantial screenplay. Script aside, the acting is also uniformally stellar. Tom Cruise is raw & engaging as the woeful hero. Max von Sydow is great as the omnipotent villain. And Samantha Morton brings amazing depth to what would be an otherwise androidal character. Do some ideas go unexplored? Sure. But overall, this is another alluring, edgy masterpiece to come from Steven Spielberg. Really, it's the perfect blend popcorn fare AND art. It can please both the blockbuster AND art house crowds.