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Dedications for Scribe Weekly Radio
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After a few misfires (A.I, Vanilla Sky), these two Hollywood giants probably need a hit more than most this summer and Minority Report fits the bill perfectly. Taking place in a Washington DC where personal freedom is somewhat limited by the ever watchful eye of the state, the premise revolves around the fact that murder has become a thing of the past, thanks to a team of 'Pre-Cogs', a team of psychic beings who exist purely to predict murders before they are ever committed. Cruise is John Anderton, a veteran of the Pre-Crime team, who finds that his beloved system is not as perfect as he believed, when the Pre-Cogs determine that he himself will kill a man he has yet to meet, in less than 48 hours. So, the hunter becomes the hunted as Anderton is pursued relentlessly by his former colleagues while he desperately tries to prove his innocence. After a breathless opening sequence, showing the Pre-Crime program in full effect as the team race to prevent a husband from murdering his unfaithful wife, the pace slows considerably as we are introduced to Cruise's character - addicted to drugs since the kidnap of his young son and the break up of his marriage. Once all the emotional baggage has been nicely displayed for all to see, Spielberg cranks the action back up again as the pursuit heats up. The special effects are uniformly top notch, although more 'Phantom Menace' than 'Blade Runner' they never detract from the story being told, as was unfortunately the case in Mr. Lucas' own misfire. The jetpack chase scene is as exciting as anything you're ever likely to see in a sci-fi movie and the scene where Cruise has his own eyeballs replaced to avoid detection by the retina scanners that are everywhere will have audiences squirming with disgust and squealing with delight in equal measures. After 'A.I'., it appears that Spielberg has remembered that special effects should be used to augment the storyline instead of being used as a distraction to the story and this film is far richer for it. On the acting front, Cruise is ably supported by Colin Farrell (who is wonderfully slimy in his role as an FBI agent bent on closing the Pre-Crime department down), Max Von Sydow and Samantha Morton as one of the Pre-Cogs who might hold the key to the entire puzzle. Once again, Spielberg reminds us what a truly great actor's director he really is. Each character is given space to breathe and grow - particularly Farrell's shady Fed. Young Colin has certainly come a long way since 'Ballykissangel', Hollywood's 'A' list can't be far away now for the Irishman. The trouble is, the film tries to say too much about too many different things. Personal freedom violation, police states, inhuman use of those who can't defend themselves....the movie even questions if a man is truly in control of his own destiny. As a result, it does bow under the weight of such a heavy remit and, consequently, is probably a good thirty or so minutes longer than it really should be, as Spielberg tries to wrap all the loose ends up in an acceptable dénouement. As is the case with many blockbusters that want to show intelligence, Minority Report is certainly clever but nowhere near as clever as it thinks it is. Here's hoping for an extra-crammed DVD release in the not -too-distant future..... I really want to see how they did that jetpack chase! 8/10 SeanG
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So
let me get this straight.......Steven Speilberg and Tom Cruise team up
to make a summer Sci-Fi blockbuster. Why not just reach into my pocket
and take the money right out yourselves and save me the
trouble?