An interesting futuristic film noir dealing with moral and emotional issues.

Rating: Null/10 (4 August 2004)

Minority Report is an interesting tribute to film noir, sci-fi and the works of doyle, christie an hammett. But the orwellian vision created by Steven Spielberg owes as much to Kubrick's 1971 classic CLOCK WORK ORANGE as it does to the script by Frank Scott or the original short story by Philip Dick. The basic theme of "how much are we willing to give up to exist in a safe society" was already handled and handled brilliantly by Kubrick in 1971. This film tackles it in a more conventional (commercial) way and works on many levels. The acting is first rate, the plot is involving and intelligent, the atmosphere is haunting and the emotional center is held together by Tom Cruise who does his best to draw us into his world and share his peril. I enjoyed the film, especially Samantha Morton's portrayal of the lead pre-cog, Agatha. She is always mysteriously intriguing and completely balances the pain and sadness of her role. I was especially thrilled to see the visual tributes to CLOCKWORK ORANGE that spielberg laced into the film. Overall the third act does border on melodrama but I found it effective nonetheless. Minority Report is highly recommended for those who want to wrestle with the moral dilemma of solving crimes before they happen and the challenges of keeping a good concept and system honest, in the face of corruption. It also raises the question of how to rationalize the murder of one person for the benefit of the many, all topics that should draw discussion after the end credits fade.