A race against time

Rating: 8/10 (28 November 2006)

"A race against time."
That would have made a good, if pretty cheesy, tagline for this Tony Scott helmed Denzel Washington sci-fi actioner. This film is pure Scott--whiplash editing, a constantly moving camera, a grainy, color-saturated presentation. The film tells the story of ATF agent Doug Carlin (Denzel Washington) who stumbles onto an improbable murder in the wake of a terrorist bombing. (Denzel Washington turns in an accomplished performance.)
Carlin soon discovers that if he solves the murder, he'll also figure out who's behind the bombing. This discovery and his display of sleuthing acumen gains the attention of the FBI who enlist him in a top secret surveillance program. Through cutting and pasting satellite photography, the FBI is able to create a composite 360 degree surveillance video at a location four days in the past.
Like Scott's "Enemy of the State," this film features an interesting cast of nerdy techies including Cousin Pam from "The Cosby Show" (Erika Alexander), Elden Henson ("Freak the Mighty"), the welcome return of Adam Goldberg ("Saving Private Ryan"), and a very healthy-looking Val Kilmer. This crew guides Agent Carlin, and us, through the ins and outs of retro surveillance and quantum physics.
The first two-thirds of the film is an interesting detective story which Scott lets us play along with. We get to spot the clues and take an active role in putting together all the pieces. This is some sure-handed direction which lets you participate in the story and expertly keeps your attention. The first two-thirds of the film also has some fun with the problem of interfering in the past. Are you dooming your own future? Is the present inevitable? This all gets scrapped in the movie's final third when the film becomes a pretty straightforward action thriller. That's a shame, but the movie still manages to be pretty fun and gripping. Some critics have complained that the movie is implausible--well duh. Penguins don't sing either and there's no galaxy far, far away waging a magical civil war. This is a sci-fi story--fantasy propelled by some fantastical feats of science.
This is an entertaining film worth checking out