Interesting if low key P.K. Dick SF adaptation

Rating: Null/10 (3 April 2011)

********* Mild possible spoilers ********** A pretty decent low key SF film. Nothing great, nothing earth shattering. But, if you want a break from all the action movies masquerading as SF, it's worth catching.
While based on a (public domain) short story - ADJUSTMENT TEAM by P.K.Dick (read it at wikimedia commons), it's a pretty loose adaptation. The Dick story has much in common with Jack Finney's BODY SNATCHERS which came out just after this tale (something was in the air).
Rather than just being a straight out adaptation, BUREAU tosses in elements of 1984, BRAZIL, IT'S A WONDERFUL LIFE and those 50s stories of secret agents in black hats. In keeping with the low key approach, the relationship between Matt Damon and Emily Blunt (and the one between Damon and his "Bureaucrat" played well by Anthony Mackie) is emphasized over the larger SF elements.
**Mild Spoiler** That's largely a good thing for Blunt is so engaging that you can believe that a man would literally risk his future to be with her (hey, it's in the trailer).
I've had my eye on Blunt's work ever since her breakout role in MY SUMMER OF LOVE. She has an intelligence and sparkle that isn't really matched by the more stolid Damon (and Damon's accent is much more Bostonian than of Brooklyn where his character is supposedly born and bred from). Damon does OK, but it's a lopsided match on screen. Further, the film falters when it tries to explain the nuts and bolts of the Adjustment operation. Better to be ambiguous than to bore the viewer in this case.
The film's ending seems a bit pat, but, somehow, still works due in no small part to Blunt's performance. Rarely, have I seen an actor pull off the tricky balance between bewilderment and resolve.
Worth seeing if you 'adjust' your expectations. If you are a fan of low key SF films from the 60s like the 3 British DAMNED films, THE MIND BENDERS, CHARLY etc., then this is for you to seek out.