We All Run
Every so often, a science-fiction movie will come along and break the mold. It will offer a glimpse into the future that is dark, gritty and realistic enough to keep us grounded with enough new-age gadgets to keep us astounded. Minority Report is one of those movies. Brought to us from Steven Spielberg, with Tom Cruise leading the cast in a powered performance, this is one science-fiction that will stand the test of time.
In the year 2054, the city of Washington D.C. has a murder rate of zero. To what is this amazing fact attributed to? The precognitives, three humans (or much more than that) dream murders, and as it happens, these dreams are real. So a unit called Precrime is set up, and they stop the murders before the happen, arrest the perpetrators and incarcerate them for the rest of their lives. So it comes as a shock to Chief John Anderton (Cruise) to see himself in an image that has him murdering someone. What would you do? Would you surrender yourself, knowing there was no way to change this future. Or would you run, try and stop the murder, thus bringing the system you believe in to a crashing halt. This is just one of the many questions this movie raises.
The atmosphere of this movie is terrific. Set in the seemingly peaceful of DC, we are given sights of the future that very well could come into effect. Instead of cars, we travel along magnetic railways, making accidents a thing of the past. You dont' even have to drive them. Since there is no killing, this means the police don't carry firearms as well. Instead, they carry batons, which when struck with, induces massive vomitting. Also present are guns that fire a sonic blast of some sort, which sends the victim flying through the air, but won't kill them. It's fascinating to watch.
The acting is incredibly well done. Tom Cruise is brilliant as the Precrime cop on the run, and Colin Farrell is also very good as the agent pursuing him. I would go so far as to say this is Farrell's finest work. Had Cruise not been at the top of his acting game, the stole would have been stolen for sure.
This is very interesting and exciting movie. Sci-fi fans will love it, but everyone should be able to appreciate the genius behind it. It truly is a break-through film.