Minority Report
3.5/4
Starring: Tom Cruise, Colin Farrell, Max von Sydow, Samantha Morton, Kathryn Morris, Neal McDonough
Rated PG-13 for Violence, Brief Language, Some Sexuality and Drug Content
An action movie with a brain...now there's something you don't see every day! "Minority Report" is a rare movie that it is built upon ideas. Science fiction writer Philip K. Dick, who wrote the stories that were made into such films as "Blade Runner" (an overrated movie if you ask me), "Total Recall" and "The Adjustment Bureau," had built his career mixing philosophy and plot. Here, it's no different. The two are inextricably linked; the plot of "Minority Report" is a philosophical experiment come to life.
Free-will versus pre-destination. Are we free to make our own choices, or has history been written in stone long before we were born? It's the penultimate philosophical question of all time, and one that cannot be answered. There are people who are on both sides, but it's a question that cannot be answered definitively. This question fuels the engine of Steven Spielberg's film.
In 2054, there is no murder in Washington D.C. This is because it is looked after by the Pre-Cogs, who can see murders before they happen. Pre-Crime Chief John Anderton (Cruise) runs the unit. It's his job to piece together the Pre-Cogs' visions to solve the crimes before they actually happen. But Pre-Crime is about to go national, and an agent from the Justice Department, Danny Witwer (Farrell) is snooping around. When Anderton is labeled by the pre-Cogs as someone who is going to commit murder, he goes on the run. He is convinced that Witwer set him up to take his job. But is he right, or is he actually going to commit murder?
How is it ethical to arrest someone for a crime that they didn't commit? Well, yet at least. Anderton uses gravity to explain it. He tosses a ball across a desk and when it falls off, Witwer catches it. Gravity caused the ball to fall, but Witwer caught it. If he didn't, it would have fallen to the floor. But just because he caught it doesn't mean it wouldn't have fallen had he not.
The film is filled with variations on this theme, and they are expertly woven into the story. The script throws a number of twists and turns into the story (so many that the film is more of a film-noir than an action movie), all of which center on this philosophical question. Although there are a few times where the script stretches this a little too much, for the most part it's perfectly constructed.
Steven Spielberg has crafted a film that is not only a feast for the intellect, but also the eye. Three years before production began, the director hired a number of future experts (including two from MIT), and all of them were put to good use. This is a visually dazzling new world that is both inventive and grounded in reality. I believed that in 50 years, Washington DC could look something like this. But these gadgets and gizmos and unique highways and cars are not mere eye candy; Spielberg makes the most of them in inventive ways.
Spielberg has assembled a cast of more than capable performers. The biggest name is Tom Cruise, who gives a terrific performance. After the death of his son, Anderton's wife left him and he fell into drug addiction. The death of his son drives him to protect others, but he is also a self-preserver. Colin Farrell makes for a slimy villain who is as smart as Anderton is. Max von Sydow, great actor that he is, is a good father figure to Anderton. Samantha Morton, who took over the role from Cate Blanchett (who had to turn it down due to scheduling conflicts), disappears into the alien role of Agatha. If there was any doubt about her capabilities as an actress (how could there be?), watch this.
It's not often that we get a movie that engages both our minds and our eyes. This one does.
Starring: Tom Cruise, Colin Farrell, Max von Sydow, Samantha Morton, Kathryn Morris, Neal McDonough
Rated PG-13 for Violence, Brief Language, Some Sexuality and Drug Content
An action movie with a brain...now there's something you don't see every day! "Minority Report" is a rare movie that it is built upon ideas. Science fiction writer Philip K. Dick, who wrote the stories that were made into such films as "Blade Runner" (an overrated movie if you ask me), "Total Recall" and "The Adjustment Bureau," had built his career mixing philosophy and plot. Here, it's no different. The two are inextricably linked; the plot of "Minority Report" is a philosophical experiment come to life.
Free-will versus pre-destination. Are we free to make our own choices, or has history been written in stone long before we were born? It's the penultimate philosophical question of all time, and one that cannot be answered. There are people who are on both sides, but it's a question that cannot be answered definitively. This question fuels the engine of Steven Spielberg's film.
In 2054, there is no murder in Washington D.C. This is because it is looked after by the Pre-Cogs, who can see murders before they happen. Pre-Crime Chief John Anderton (Cruise) runs the unit. It's his job to piece together the Pre-Cogs' visions to solve the crimes before they actually happen. But Pre-Crime is about to go national, and an agent from the Justice Department, Danny Witwer (Farrell) is snooping around. When Anderton is labeled by the pre-Cogs as someone who is going to commit murder, he goes on the run. He is convinced that Witwer set him up to take his job. But is he right, or is he actually going to commit murder?
How is it ethical to arrest someone for a crime that they didn't commit? Well, yet at least. Anderton uses gravity to explain it. He tosses a ball across a desk and when it falls off, Witwer catches it. Gravity caused the ball to fall, but Witwer caught it. If he didn't, it would have fallen to the floor. But just because he caught it doesn't mean it wouldn't have fallen had he not.
The film is filled with variations on this theme, and they are expertly woven into the story. The script throws a number of twists and turns into the story (so many that the film is more of a film-noir than an action movie), all of which center on this philosophical question. Although there are a few times where the script stretches this a little too much, for the most part it's perfectly constructed.
Steven Spielberg has crafted a film that is not only a feast for the intellect, but also the eye. Three years before production began, the director hired a number of future experts (including two from MIT), and all of them were put to good use. This is a visually dazzling new world that is both inventive and grounded in reality. I believed that in 50 years, Washington DC could look something like this. But these gadgets and gizmos and unique highways and cars are not mere eye candy; Spielberg makes the most of them in inventive ways.
Spielberg has assembled a cast of more than capable performers. The biggest name is Tom Cruise, who gives a terrific performance. After the death of his son, Anderton's wife left him and he fell into drug addiction. The death of his son drives him to protect others, but he is also a self-preserver. Colin Farrell makes for a slimy villain who is as smart as Anderton is. Max von Sydow, great actor that he is, is a good father figure to Anderton. Samantha Morton, who took over the role from Cate Blanchett (who had to turn it down due to scheduling conflicts), disappears into the alien role of Agatha. If there was any doubt about her capabilities as an actress (how could there be?), watch this.
It's not often that we get a movie that engages both our minds and our eyes. This one does.
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