What If You Could Solve A Crime BEFORE It Happens?

Rating: 9/10 (19 March 2013)

Usually, police officers are only able to REACT to crimes and then investigation. However, what if one officer was given the opportunity to stop a crime BEFORE it could occur? That is the basic premise behind "Deja Vu".
For a basic plot summary, this movie begins with the tragic bombing of a ferry in New Orleans. When Agent Doug Carlin (Denzel Washington) is called in to investigate, he discovers that the bombing is somehow connected to Claire Kuchever (Paula Patton). Via a team of secret scientists, Carlin is able to view a live video stream of the past in order to help him piece together the mystery of Ms. Kuchever.
At its core, "Deja Vu" is a very interesting (and fresh) take on time travel. More specifically, the ability to create a "window to the past". It is an intriguing concept from beginning to end, and one has to give much credit to director Tony Scott, who manages to seamlessly weave all the intricate pieces together (no easy task when dealing with relative physics!).
Yet, thanks to a tight story and some incredible acting from Washington and Patton, this is also a very emotional and dramatic film. One cannot help but be sucked into the odd relationship between the two and wonder "what would I do in a similar situation?".
Thus, I consider "Deja Vu" to be one of the most well-rounded films a person could ever hope to find. It has action, adventure, drama, science fiction, and even that smug Denzel Washington humor that always plays so well. Unless you have very little imagination, this film will interest you on at least some level.