07-07-03 Déjà Vu (2006)

Seen: Jun 30th, 2007
Format: Blu-Ray
Rating: 7

I was prepared to hate this film. It didn't get great reviews or stick around long. From trailers it seemed a bit contrived, a bit disjoint and chaotic. While I liked Man on Fire I feared a re-tread in this role by Washington.

My fears were unjustified.

I'm a big fan of science fiction and will generally give films in this genre a little leeway because they are few and far between and when done well, generally not successful at the box office. Good science fiction generally doesn't sell, so producers tend to Hollywoodize them into unrecognizability. This is how we end up with abominations like Starship Troopers, which is an absolute perversion of an outstanding novel.

In this particular case, the candy coating applied by the producers is crime drama, romance and a healthy dose of domestic terrorism. This all make the Science Fiction element go down much easier for the average movie goer.

Coming off the soapbox now.......

The film works and works well. While a similar idea was the basis for The Minority Report, it's different and fresh enough that it doesn't feel re-tread.

The premise is vague enough to withstand moderate scrutiny, but not so vague that we feel cheated. It's nice to see doubt and wonder among the scientists who are "in control". There's a sense of fallibility here that opens up lots of possibilities and introduces tension into the story.

Any film of this nature will contain paradoxes, and these can lead to confusion, disinterest and even resentment in viewers. Déjà Vu does a decent job with these issues. While it doesn't avoid them, it doesn't labor over them either. They're well presented, but not explained, and ultimately not focal, which is a wise choice.

The voyeuristic aspects of the film are interesting, a bit creepy, and not avoided. The incipient romantic attachment which Doug develops seems pure and true. Combined with his concern for Minuti, this drives him forward. It's interesting to watch his dynamic with the rest of his team, and how the actually open the role up for them.

At this point, it should be obvious that I really like this film and could go on analyzing for pages. Basically we've got a strong, streamlined story which is interesting from several perspectives. We've got a very good cast, whom all stick to their roles and don't overplay. We've got good action and effect which serve the film instead of dominating it. Basically we've got Tony Scott at the helm, and he's done this before and well.

See this one if you like action, science fiction or past Tony Scott films. There's a little something here for most.

The Good: Applied Science Fiction. Surprisingly tolerable outing by Adam Goldberg.

The Bad: Voyeurism

The Ugly: Patriotism