Another film about fate vs choice

Rating: 8/10 (31 October 2010)

It's the year 2054; crime and murder are predicted before they happen by special human beings called precognitives. There are three "precogs" that are kept in some type of white creamy substance in a room. The visions from their brains are produced as an image on a screen in the Pre Crime division of the police station. It is here, where Chief John Anderton, played by Tom Cruise, searches for clues to murders and the locations using these images. Anderton is painfully reminded by his work and his faith is tested by this system. He lost his son, Sean, six years prior and divorced from his wife. To handle his day-to-day pain he resorts to drugs to help keep him in control.
However, Anderton's life turns one day when the precogs see a vision of him killing a man. Anderton is on the run and must prove his innocence by investigating if this murder was a rare instance to which the precogs don't have the same vision, called a Minority Report The theme is the one of fate versus choice, asking the question of whether humans are ruled by fate or do they have free will. From the opening scene sequences the PreCrime division received a "pre-vision" that says a man will be murdering his wife and then the lover upon discovery. The crime was prevented as the man pleas that he wouldn't have killed them however he is still arrested and imprisoned. This theme is similar to that of the Matrix. In the Matrix, Neo, played by Keanu Reeves, must make a choice between the red or blue pill.
In one scene of Minority Report, shows one of the many motifs of the film. The scene involves one character trading one set of eyeballs for another set. This really shows, darkly, how the movie is revolves around new ways of "seeing". The lighting and gritty cinematography is haunting and forces the viewer to dark and familiar places. The lighting casts dark shadows, allowing only partial facial recognition. There are many instances where special lighting effects were used during the retina scans, especially when Anderton walks through the mall. The camera angles are placed below and above eye level from the view of the spider-like robots to the above shots dwarfing Anderton.
The director brings to life the struggle of fate versus choice by his use of camera angles, lighting, and the many motifs proving that everybody runs.