"You think you know what's coming? You don't have a clue."

Rating: 7/10 (5 February 2007)

Tony Scott and Denzel Washington's long-awaited third collaboration (and the much-anticipated follow-up to the brilliant 'Man on Fire') is not precisely the adrenaline-charged, unapologetically-intense thriller that many were expecting, but it is, nonetheless, a very interesting film, and, above all, is a load of fun.
Denzel Washington plays Doug Carlin, a dedicated ATF agent who must investigate the horrific terrorist bombing of a New Orleans naval ship, a disaster that cost over 500 lives, including that of his partner. A sympathetic FBI agent, Andrew Pryzwarra (Val Kilmer), recruits Carlin into his special task force, a team which scans the images produced by a futuristic surveillance device, capable of observing anything within a wide radius four days and six hours into the past.
Carlin decides that the most effective course of action would be to survey a woman named Claire Kuchever (Paula Patton), whose murdered body was dumped in the water two hours before the actual explosion, meaning that her assailant knew of the impending disaster and intended on passing her off as just another unfortunate victim. However, throughout her surveillance, Carlin receives the disturbing impression that Claire can sense that she is being watched, despite her life playing by four days and six hours in the past.
This is an exciting film, and I found myself constantly wondering what was going to happen next. The early events of the film lead inevitably towards a story of time travel, so it's no surprise when, taken off the case, Carlin decides that he's going to go back in time, not only to prevent the terrorist attack, but also to save Claire's life. And, of course, watch out for the most innovative and highly-original car chase since 'The Matrix Reloaded,' as Carlin cunningly pursues a vehicle that is exactly four days and six hours in front of him! As with many Hollywood time travel films, the filmmakers have been forced to substitute the logical ending with a more optimistic one, and the "happy conclusion" seemed like something of a cop-out, especially since the film had tried so hard up until that point to match together the minutest of details. Nevertheless, this is a fun action film with an enjoyable twist of science-fiction, and you shouldn't go home disappointed.