"Careful, Chief. You dig up the past, all you get is dirty."

Rating: 7/10 (21 June 2007)

'Minority Report' is gripping and intelligent for most of the film but the impact falls away towards the end.
First of all, the premise is cool and so is the way the film handles everything. We all know Spielberg is a capable and quality filmmaker and the whole pre-crime concept is introduced and explained well. There are nice touches here and there such as 'conducting' the search for the murderer. Its true that some aspects of this film like plot devices and technical choices (all films agree that the future will have cold, blue light) are kind of standard and not that original. Not only that but red herrings like new alphabet letters and pills that make time pass faster were promised beforehand.... However, this doesn't really rankle that much. Spielberg doesn't go overboard on the futuristic gadget stuff but concentrates on the characters/story instead.
What's irritating, though, is that some of the plot turns are inconsistent and fairly implausible. I mean, at the start we're told the pre-cogs can only see murder because murder is what most affects the metaphysical universe, however the filmmakers don't stick to this rule later on.
However, As Anderson hurtles towards the future murder he is accused of, the film is mostly tense, thoughtful and gripping. Some of the best scenes don't have to do with chase scenes but character interaction such as Anderton's meeting in the greenhouse and a discussion about his son later on. Unfortunately, after the main event, the film becomes sort of unnecessary and overblown. The ending (concerning pre-crime) isn't very believable at all when you think about it. The early 21st century films - 'AI: Artificial Intelligence,' 'Catch Me if you Can,' and this one seem to be good/great Spielberg. Its nice to see him back at the top of his game, though, with the absolutely heart-stopping 'War of the Worlds,' and the extremely intelligent, respectful and courageous 'Munich.' Spielberg's usual pals in cinematography, score and editing do nice work here but nothing that will blow you away. Cruise does a fairly good job but sometimes seems stretched in some scenes - his 'War of the Worlds' performance is much better. The acting star of the film is Samantha Morton as pre-cog Agatha. She shudders, gasps and sees murder over and over again with wide eyes and raw believability. Colin Farrell also shows smarmy promise here.
In conclusion, a great Spielberg film would probably be considered a triumph for most other people. I recommend you watch this film.
PS: One last thing. If you were Anderton, wouldn't the best thing to do to clear your name be to hide out somewhere and lock the door? That probably wouldn't make for a very interesting film, though, would it?