Great sci-fi thriller

Rating: 8/10 (4 August 2009)

This film is an intelligent sci-fi murder mystery with a twist... we know who the victim is, we know who the killer is but neither we nor the killer have the faintest idea why the killing will take place. Set in a future where the future can be seen by three "pre-cogs" murder is a thing of the past as the would be killers are arrested before they can commit their crimes. One day the head of this police department has terrifying shock when the pre-cogs tell him there is going to be a murder and he will be the killer.
From then on the hunter becomes the hunted as Chief John Anderton must run from his own officers to determine why he is destined to kill a stranger before they can incarcerate him. He is never fully sure who he can and can't trust and only has thirty six hours to find out if his destiny is truly written.
The acting is pretty good with Tom Cruise being believable as the fugitive police officer, however the best performance comes from Samantha Morton in the role of Agatha; the pre-cog who Anderton turns to for help and who in turn seeks his help in solving an old case. Steven Spielberg did a fin job directing this. Using just the right amount of special effects he never lets the story be overshadowed by explosions and excessive CGI. When I first watched it I wasn't too sure about the washed out colours used in every scene apart from the few flashbacks it the more of the film I saw the more I thought they suited the tone of the film. If you are a fan of slightly dystopian science fiction I'd certainly recommend this.