Tense, fast moving thriller

Rating: 10/10 (9 January 2009)

I haven't seen much of Spielberg's movies. I have had many good things about his movies yet I haven't been in the mood to see them. At least until now. This movie is basically one of the best sci fi movies that have ever been released. That's weird considering I am not a sci fi fan at all. Of all the brainless action movies and pseudo sci fi movies that have come out recently, this is one movie that can actually stop and make you think. It has the usual sentimental moments of Spielberg that the "critics" hate. Instead here it is not an overdose with cute kids and harmless aliens. It is actually a tense atmospheric thriller which accurately portrays the emotions of a man who believes he is innocent and is on the run from the system he once championed. This movie is quite relevant especially in developing countries where the police have more power and people are even jailed without properly establishing their guilt. In this way it is not exactly a science fiction movie and it is more of a movie that can actually appeal to a lot of people who value justice and human rights.
The storyline sounds quite ridiculous. But the execution - perfect. The story is about a policeman named John Anderton who is in charge of a system called Precrime. Precrime is a system where suspects are prevented from committing a crime. John Anderton fervently believes in the system and even justifies it to FBI agent Colin Farrell. He arrests these suspects based on the previsions(premonitions) from Pre Cogs which are three bodies lying in a pool of milk. The trouble here is that John Anderton himself is accused of the crime of murder by the system. He runs as a fugitive from the law and a nationwide hunt is in progress to catch him. The plot is quite confusing because of the advanced technology being described and in that sense it could be described as the most complex movie Spielberg has ever directed. The beauty is that everything comes together so perfectly in the end. The length of the film is not a hindrance at all.
Tom Cruise is somewhat of an underrated actor. Although I don't think he deserves an Oscar, he has had some pretty intense performances. This one, particularly, carries the film and IMO might be one of Cruise's best performances. His confused emotions when his system betrays him are quite good and so is his acting with regard to the scenes with the memories of his son. Colin Farrell is OK but he doesn't have much to do, he should have been given a bigger role. Samantha Morton is also pretty good in her role. The special effects are quite advanced. Even though I don't really care about special effects, the special effects in this are quite impressive. What I loved most about the movie was the cinematography. The dark tinge reminded me mostly of directors like Fincher. The camera-work gives a dark and grainy feel to the whole movie and portrays the mindset of the main character. The complexity of the plot is not a hindrance as it doesn't have many loose ends. For this, praise must be given to the screenplay writers, Scott Frank and Jon Cohen who have written a fluid screenplay which moves smoothly. The background score should also have special mention. I feel this movie also has a feel of a horror film, in the sense that, it has some really tense sequences. The scene with John Anderton in the ice cold bathtub when the spiders check him out is of special mention.
I can't really think of many negatives to this movie. Maybe the number of action scenes could have been reduced. But I still couldn't think of it as a flaw because I really enjoyed them.
10/10