Potential classic ruined

Rating: 4/10 (30 December 2011)

Major, major spoiler alert, because I'mm going to be talking about the ending. Deja Vu has all the makings of a classic, a sort of Memento meets Back to the Future, with twists as iconic and unexpected as the 6th Sense, Shutter Island or The Crying Game. But it all went wrong.
I can suspend my belief enough to cope with the sheer implausibility of the science. Of course it's ridiculous - but this is sci-fi, although just why this amazing technology only works in central New Orleans is somewhat beyond me, presumably only as a pretext for the daft car chase scene, in which our hero manages to kill about as many people as died in the terrorist attack he is so intent on solving! And the way the pieces started fitting together was excellent. As Denzel explores the world of 3 days before, there are plenty of 'ah, now I understand' moments as we discover why his partner's car was on the boat, why his fingerprints are in the girl's flat, etc. The message is clear - no matter what Denzel does, he can't change the past, for his 'past' actions have already happened.
The tension is knowing that no matter what Denzel does, the girl is going to die and the terrorist attack is going to happen. But then, for the sake of a Hollywood feel-good ending, Denzel does manage to change the past. But for the real cinema fan, the happy ending is really a disappointing one. Yeah, it's lovely to see the happy couple drive off together at the end, but that happiness is destroyed by the fact that in order for it to achieved, the whole film no longer makes the slightest bit of sense. A potential cinematographic masterpiece is suddenly no more than Hollywood trite.