Time and again

Rating: 6/10 (13 September 2010)

Tony Scott is a funny director, funny in the sense of bewildering at times. He can bang out an instant classic like "True Romance, "Crimson Tide" or "Man on Fire" but also crank out instant turkeys like "The Fan" and "Domino." He also has directed his share of hackneyed Hollywood fare like "Enemy of the State" and "Days of Thunder." In the case of "Deja Vu," this quasi sci-fi effort falls somewhere in the middle. The first half is breathtaking, beginning with the abrupt explosion and sinking of a vessel with hundreds of people aboard. ATF agent Denzel Washington investigates, and soon discovers the body of a woman that has washed ashore in the aftermath, but that was actually killed days before the bombing. He senses a connection. Government types show Denzel a sort of time machine, a device that allows them to view events several days in the past. They use the contraption to try to spot the bomber, and this is followed by a wild car chase wherein Denzel uses the device to "pursue" the bomber prior to the bombing. From there, things go quickly downhill. Denzel figures the machine can be used to actually travel back in time, and does so. His journey into the past is so preposterous as to ruin everything that went before. While there is shifts it focus to a romance angle between Denzel and the mystery woman. My advice: watch the movie up until the point when Denzel takes off his clothes and climbs into the machine. Then go find something else to do. Better yet, watch "Man on Fire" again, which doesn't strike a single false note.