Arnold Schwarzenegger's most thoughtful movie.

Rating: Null/10 (12 November 2001)

Total Recall works for most of it's length as a convoluted Hitchcockian science fiction thriller. It's only at the denouement that things become...despite an indulgence in sadism that would offend delicate sensibilities...cartoonish and unrealistic (e.g., exposure to the Martian environment would in truth be a swift race between suffocation and freezing to death). While as a whole the film has flaws--things that tend to ruin the suspension of disbelief--that aren't easy to overlook, there are a number of individual scenes that I particularly cherish, rewarding repeat viewings. There is, for instance, Doug (Schwarzenegger) Quaid's visit to Rekall, Inc., and the salesman's pitch that slyly reveals the entire plot of the movie beforehand. Another is the encounter in the Martian hotel room where the possibility Doug is unwittingly undergoing a dream--in the form of synthesized memories--is brought up, and another set of predictions particularly covering the third act is expounded. Lastly, the scene in which the villainous mastermind (Ronny Cox) reveals his stunning machinations qualifies as a mindbender. One more note: it's appears that almost every significant character in the film is not who he seems to be at first glance. Some other items in the movie's favor is the musical soundtrack by Jerry Goldsmith and spectacular special effects. Again, Total Recall is not greater than the sum of its parts, has patent absurdities that insult intelligence, and bloody violence. Still, it remains Arnold Schwarzenegger's strongest...and most thoughtful...film.