"The Fugitive" meets "Blade Runner" in "The Matrix"

Rating: Null/10 (2 July 2002)

MINORITY REPORT (2002) ***1/2 Tom Cruise, Colin Farrell, Samantha Morton, Max von Sydow, Peter Stormare, Lois Smith, Kathryn Morris, Tim Blake Nelson, Steve Harris, Neal McDonough, Patrick Kilpatrick, Jessica Capshaw, Jason Antoon, Daniel London, Arye Gross, Mike Binder, Jessica Harper. Trippy head-game sci-fi/neo-noir based on cult genre author Philip K. Dick's short story hurtles futuristic elite cop Cruise into a nerve-rattling tailspin when he finds himself on the opposite end of the law as a pre-criminal with homicide in mind and only 48 hours to clear his name as well as unraveling the enigmatic powers that be. Filmmaker Steven Spielberg pulls out all the stops thanks largely to the steely cool blue cinematography by longtime collaborator Janusz Kaminski, sleek production design by Alex McDowell and a streamlined screenplay by Scott Frank and Jon Cohen. Cruise is top-notch as the jacked up antihero racing the clock as a fugitive in more ways than one and Morton's ethereal eerie beauty underscores her emphatic pre-cog' character. Look sharp for filmmaker Cameron Crowe and Cameron Diaz (both Cruise's `Vanilla Sky' associates) in blink-and-miss cameos. One of the best sci-fi flicks in years.