what a film.

Rating: 8/10 (28 September 2006)

Set in the not too distant future in Britain, Cuarón's 'Children of Men' is a bleak look at the planet after a virus has wiped out fertility. The film starts with the death of the worlds youngest person an 18 year old boy and quickly goes on to establish a picture of the world as a pretty messed up place. Terrorists, street violence, splinter groups, homeless, armed police, immigration at an uncontrollable level, towns turned into detention centres etc its not a nice place to be. Theo gets by being either drunk or hung-over or both. He hates his job and is haunted by memories of his past and spends his days skiving off and smoking weed with jasper (a nice little turn from Michael Caine). It is only when Theo, the former activist, is contacted by his ex, the head of a terror group called the 'fishes', that his life is turned upside down. They have in their possession the miracle the world has been waiting for, a pregnant woman called Kee, and everyone has different designs on how they should use her baby to help mankind. Julian the fishes ultra cool leader knows that the only person she can really trust is her old flame Theo and so entrusts him to deliver Kee to a group of scientists who may be able to find out how in the world she managed to get pregnant and thus potentially saving mankind. From the start of this amazing film with its washed out hues and run down streets your right in there, in amongst the muck and riots, graffiti and crime, it's a skin crawling feeling. It is acted superbly and has a script that contains bursts of black humour within its dark underbelly. It is littered with clever references to life today and is even satirical at points. But the real treat for any film fan is the direction, it is at all times interesting but particularly in two tracking shots it is breathtaking. The first involving a car chase that is a nine minute long take with such a complex set up you almost sense it an impossibility. The last being an even longer tracking/set piece (that apparently has two hidden cuts) but is still a visual treat that really makes the films ending something to behold. As I think a lot of people have said already this really is the thinking mans action movie. At last a big film with something to say and what a way to say it.