Film noir is alive and well in 2054...

Rating: 9/10 (26 July 2002)

Once again we see the proof that God loves us and wants good things for his children, for another Phillip K. Dick story has been ordained to be shown on the Great Silver Screen. Mr. Dick is the man whose sacred writings were the basis for the films Blade Runner and Total Recall, amongst a few others. Not only can we celebrate the visualization of another Dick short, but we can also give thanks that it has been crafted in the blessed hands of Steven Spielberg and filmed by the extremely gifted Janusz Kaminski. This is the movie equivalent of Sir George Solti and the Chicago Symphony Orchestra performing Beethoven --it just doesn't get much better than this.

In the not-to-distant future, human beings with special "precognitive" abilities (whatever the hell "precognitive" means...) will be able to see a murder before it happens. Through the use of some really nifty technology, the police will be able to see the visions of these murders displayed on a screen, hopefully giving them enough clues to find the murderer and the scene of the crime before it even takes place. How successful is this system? In six years, not a single murder has actually been committed in the city where it has been initially deployed, Washington D.C. (Fortunately, they must have installed some sort of filter to keep the "pre-cogs" from seeing the into the inner workings of the federal government, whose crimes would certainly overwhelm the system.)
But of course the questions must arise: just how "perfect" is this system? Is there any way in which somebody with a bit of moxie might be able to take advantage of the system, and commit murders that look as if they were committed by someone else? Is there a way to bait someone into murdering who otherwise would not have dreamt doing such a thing? Well, officer John Anderton (Tom Cruise) -- a "true believer" when it comes to the pre-crime system, now finds himself asking these very questions when he sees HIMSELF on the big screen, blowing holes in a guy he doesn't even know with his police service pistol. So the race is on for him to prove his innocence, and show that the system he once put his faith in isn't so fool-proof after all.
I'm no longer a big fan of Tom Cruise (MI:2 anyone?) and go out of my way -not- to see his films. However, the Spielburg/Kaminski/Dick trifecta had me hooked, so I ignored my trusty "Cruise Control" and went to see the film. To sum up, I might become a Cruise fan once again, for he certainly played the role of Officer Anderton with great intelligence and feeling. He is surprisingly reserved, using emotion and feeling in a realistic and convincing manner. There were even times when I forgot it was Tom Cruise on the screen, and one can't pay a higher compliment than that.
The Spielburg/Kaminski team scores many points throughout the course of movie-- artsy camera angles, tremendous detail, excellent pacing and fine story telling. It seems as if the Dynamic Duo of motion pictures is continuing with a trend that was brought forth in their previous film "AI." In Minority Report, we see the continued evolution of these ideas into even more fantastic organisms and creatures. But best of all, Spielberg understands that CGI is a prop, not a movie enhancement mechanism, and uses CGI in a very intelligent fashion to help tell the story, rather than hitting us over the head with over-done digital potpourri, 'ala Attack of the Clones.
Unlike many of the directors of the last 30 years, Spielburg is getting much better with age. Riddley Scott is the only other I can say that about. (Lucas, & Coppola are most definitely in their descendancy, Scorsese has gotten neither better nor worst...) It certainly seems like he is becoming the second incarnation of Stanley Kubrick, going after more cerebral and philosophic works. With "Minority Report," Spielburg has a story that makes excellent use of his talents. It is now my favorite Phillip Dick inspired film, even beating out BladeRunner.
The icing on the Minority Report cake is the wonderful presence of the greatest actor who's ever walked the earth: Max von Sydow. It's very clear that Max is back! He gives a powerful, controlled performance as Lamar Burgess, the co-founder of the pre-crime unit. Every second von Sydow is on screen is like manna from heaven, and I found myself greedily eating up every bit of it. Whoever made this casting choice deserves a gold star.
But it would not be fair to praise only Cruise and von Sydow, for every actor in this film does an outstanding job. There may be flaws in Minority Report, but performances is not one of them. A special treat is Lois Smith as Dr. Iris Hineman, the person responsible for the initial development of the pre-crime system. If nothing else, go see this film and watch Iris wrap Tom Cruise around her little finger.
This may be billed as a sci-fi film, but it's really just plain old film noir set in the year 2054. But it's one of the best noirs since "L.A. Confidential." And like most noir, it has plot holes that Orson Welles could waltz through and convenient plot twists which the bad guys must always fall into --it just wouldn't be noir without it. But much credit goes to Phillip Dick, Scott Frank and Jon Cohen for writing solid dialogue and creating ideas that help bridge those gaping chasms.
Overall, I sat in my seat eating up every minute of celluloid and ignoring my popcorn. A stunning visual treat for the eyes, a good nutritional feast for the brain, and an exhausting workout for one's emotions. But most importantly, Minority Report is a liturgy of fun, excellence and intrigue that will send your spirit soaring in adoration to the Almighty for blessing us with the incarnation of St. Spielburg. May the Lord be with you.