Cack

Rating: Null/10 (11 May 2004)

What an over-rated movie this truly is. That was my first thought when the credits rolled, but for the life of me I couldn't work out why. The story was very original, it was directed by Steven Spielberg and it had a huge star taking the lead in Tom Cruise. Ah, I thought. Therein lies the rub.
I think there is a lot to be said for casting unknowns in certain lead roles. Detective John Anderton is a shining example of such a role. You see, the problem in this instance is Tom Cruise. Undoubtedly a massive star and fantastic in Top Gun and A Few Good Men, Cruise nevertheless is essentially a one trick pony. And if you cast an actor with limited range in such an original movie (especially someone as big as Cruise), then, in this case, it turns into just another Tom Cruise action/drama picture. In every scene we see a bit of Maverick, a bit of Ethan Hunt and a smattering of every other character he's ever played.
Now, consider Minority Report with a carefully chosen but unknown actor in the lead. Suddenly, the film is purely about the story; the unknown brings something to the lead part that no-one has ever seen before. A perfect example would be 28 Days Later - a tremendous film, but would it have been as good if someone like cruise had played the lead? I doubt it.
Don't get me wrong, the big-budget, all-star action movie has it's place in the cinema. It offers the viewer a chance to escape for two hours without having to think too hard. The problem arises when the John Woos and Jerry Bruckheimers try to turn it into something it's not. They should just stick to blowing stuff up.
So there.