Humans and dancers

Rating: 8/10 (24 January 2012)

An ambitious NY politician, David Norris (Matt Damon) has two chance encounters with a beautiful dancer (Emily Blunt) who inspires him to continue with his faltering campaign. But he rapidly discovers a group of men who are intent on manipulating this love affair, to their own ends. They are the Adjustment Bureau. David learns that his destiny is not with the woman, even though he is certain she belongs to him. The men of the Bureau are nothing less than manipulators of humanity. They possess superpowers, using special interactive maps to pursue & intercept their subjects. They instruct David that any attempt to meet her again could have calamitous consequences for both. However, David has resources of his own, and is determined to find her, though he only knows her first name - Elise. So begins a cat-and-mouse game between David and the Bureau. The agent detailed to follow David, Harry (Anthony Mackie) seems to have mixed feelings about his task, and is far more sympathetic than Agent Richardson (John Slattery). We eventually discover why. But when things get serious, an altogether more sinister senior officer, Thompson (Terence Stamp) is called in to put an end to the affair once and for all.
At the heart of this intriguing sci-fi thriller is a bittersweet love story, played out with great delicacy and panache by Matt Damon and his co-star Emily Blunt. I would go so far as to say that the mounting intensity of the scenes between them, is what makes this movie a cut above the ordinary. Damon is always watchable, but Blunt is a real revelation. Will they, won't they? A good romance, and a good thriller, always keep us guessing right to the end.