Nowhere near "Bladerunner!"

Rating: 6/10 (5 February 2007)

I especially enjoyed Michael Caine's and Julianne Moore's performances.
I also enjoyed the overall political and philosophical aspect of the movie. Seeing the words "Homeland Security" over an internment camp for immigrants was especially chilling.
The script itself couldn't decide if it was an action movie or a film with higher aspirations. It has often been compared to "Bladerunner." As a matter of fact, that's what got me in to see the movie.
This film is nowhere near the movie "Bladerunner" is. The main problem appeared to be the script. It couldn't decide where to focus and how to progress.
The first thing that struck me was the "Deus ex Machina" evident in several of the action scenes where events appeared to conveniently rescue the characters from certain doom.
The second thing that struck me was that Clive Owen's character didn't progress through the movie. You didn't get a feel for him at the beginning, and you didn't quite understand why he was doing all the things he was doing from his perspective. There is some back-story given, but it is weak.
The chemistry between Clive Owen and Julianne Moore was very good. I could have watched a whole movie with just those two.
The development of the other characters is also weak for the most part. There are the "evil guys," the coworkers, the "evil guys you thought were your friends", etc.
Besides the Michael Caine character, the only other one I really got a feel for was Marichka; a damn fine performance.
Overall, a "meh" and not what I was expecting.