Gotta keep running

Rating: 9/10 (10 April 2010)

One of the best films in the exciting category of "future technology and radical ideas run amok," Director Steven Spielberg's (Saving Private Ryan) Minority Report dazzles through its high-octane action and visuals that are both gritty and fantastically futuristic, while at the same time the film thematically explores the dangerous world of pre-judgment and the quandary of pitting personal liberties and freedom of choice -- not to mention the moral, ethical, and judicial nightmare that is the notion that one may be found guilty of a crime that has yet to be committed -- against the guise of making the world a safer place. While other films similarly explore the dangers and downsides of the role of advanced technologies in futuristic settings, Minority Report proves the best of the bunch for its ability to counter the wonderfully-realized visuals of a bright and glossy utopian future world with an examination of the dark and disquieting elements that under the surface make it so, with superb special effects and exceptional actions scenes in tow to make it a complete Science Fiction picture.
In the year 2054, Washington, D.C. has become one of the safest cities in the world. Premeditated murder has virtually disappeared, and crimes of passion are at an all-time low thanks to the Department of Precrime and the work of the Precogs, a trio of individuals with the capability to see future murders unfold and allow the would-be assailants to be arrested before they've had the opportunity to commit their heinous acts. The Department is headed by John Anderton (Tom Cruise), a divorced man who years earlier lost his son before the arrival of the Precogs. The program having proved a rousing success in the nation's capital, it's on the verge of going national, and Danny Witwer (Colin Farrell), a representative from the Attorney General's office, has arrived for one final inspection of the process. When Anderton finds himself identified by the Precogs as a would-be assailant in a future murder, he must go on the run in an effort to clear his name of a crime he has yet to commit. In the process, he becomes privy to information that could jeopardize the future of the Precrime division while unearthing further disturbing information surrounding the project's origins.
Though perhaps most readily identifiable by its stunning action scenes and nearly impeccable and highly-advanced special effects, Minority Report is, at its core, a cautionary tale that, like the best of Science Fiction, incorporates ideas that may be seen as relevant today but framed within the worlds of tomorrow. Based on a story by the famed Science Fiction writer Phillip K. Dick, Minority Report tackles some hard-hitting questions about not only one possible future of the American justice system, but also the impact of highly-advanced technologies on personal liberties. Is the future set? Is there no personal choice? Is one possible outcome of an as- of-yet physically unrealized future event enough to accuse, convict, and punish a man for a crime that ultimately went uncommitted? Spielberg, through the prism of Dick's story, manages to mesh a brilliant philosophical undertone with a big-budget special effects extravaganza, the film is a rare movie going experience that manages to be both very smart and a lot of fun at the same time.
Indeed, Minority Report's invigoratingly deep and incredibly well-integrated thematic structure only helps in making the picture a complete experience that delivers everything the modern movie going audience could hope for in a film such as this. The tale of the hunter becoming the hunted and suddenly forced to more personally understand what it is he's done to others and experience firsthand how the system he heretofore so enthusiastically embraced can fail when forced to look at it while on the other side of the law lends yet another added layer of tension and purpose to the film, further accentuating the questions raised throughout the story. Featuring a quality cast, Minority Report still isn't a movie that's sold by its stars. Tom Cruise, Colin Farrell, and Max von Sydow don't disappear into their roles, but they do embrace them wholeheartedly and all deliver convincing performances that, again, only accentuate both the heavier themes and exciting action pieces that define the movie. Cruise is Cruise, his character not all that different than other roles he's played (his John Anderton seems at least partially reminiscent of Ethan Hunt), but the actor manages to capture the feel of the movie superbly and convey enough raw emotion in conjunction with his abilities as an Action star to play the part very well in each of its several layers of complexity. Just as importantly, the picture's special effects are not only seamless, they're cool; and in conjunction with the wonderfully-choreographed action pieces and Composer John Williams' (Star Wars) heart-racing score, Minority Report proves a wonderful movie when examined from every angle.