Surprisingly good film

Rating: 8/10 (28 January 2003)

The last Spielberg film I saw was AI; the last Cruise film I saw (not being a huge fan) was Jerry Maguire. So you can imagine how I was approaching this film. I am pleased to report that, with the exception of the last ten minutes of the film, both men have managed to step outside themselves. This is a dark, edgy film, and all the better for it. It shows some new facets of the director and the main star which I hadn't come across before. The story is intriguing, the plot twists and turns and keeps you guessing and makes you think. Mr Cruise is ably supported by a decent supporting cast including the ever-watchable Max von Sydow. All in all, a very good, thought provoking package, and how many films released today can you say that about?
And then we get to the ending. (Possible spoiler coming up.)
Mr. Spielberg obviously couldn't restrain himself any longer and just had to fit in some schmaltz right at the end, where it was totally unnecessary and changed the mood of the whole film. I like to think that, at some point in the future, there may be a "producer's cut" (no point in doing a director's cut) a la Blade Runner and we'll have a version of Minority Report that ends 10 minutes sooner. Trust me: it will be a much better film than this, already very good, one.
Having said all that, a big thumbs up to both main guys for bringing us the most interesting science fiction piece since "The Matrix".