A Schwarzenegger film with a brain

Rating: 9/10 (20 July 2013)

Many of Phillip K. Dick's stories have been adapted into films and a number of them been turned into excellent films. One of them is the 1990 version of Total Recall, a gruesome violent, entertaining sci-fi action flick with plenty of substance.
In the future Dennis Quaid (Arnold Schwarzenegger) is construction worker on Earth, longing for more and having recurring dreams of being on Mars with a brunette woman. When he watches an advert for Rekall, a company that can implant memories into people. But the worst happens when during the Rekall process Quaid freaks out and it is discovered his memory has been wiped. Even worst many people are out to kill Quaid, including his wife, Lori (Sharon Stone), his co-worker (Robert Costanzo) and a man called Ritchter (Michael Ironside). Quaid has to go to Mars to discover the truth about his identity as Mars is in the middle of a violence Civil War.
Total Recall was directed by Paul Verhoeven and he is a man with a reputation for making action films with substance. That is certainly the cast with Total Recall and it worked on a number of levels: it is a mystery about who Quaid really is and as a futuristic spy flick, a bleak sci-fi film which acts as a criticism of big corporations and exploiting native people or the underclass and the health effects on them to simply being a gore-fest. Verhoeven is great the world building, showing the political situation of Mars.
Total Recall is brutally violent and it is a shame that this type of film is no longer made. There are great action sequences that are bloody, with people getting shot to pieces and has excellent gun battles and fight scenes. There is a great use of practical effects during the film whilst also using some early CGI which surprisingly holds up today.
Schwarzenegger is not the best actor but he has screen presence and he can deliver a one-line. When the material is there to back Schwarzenegger up there is no stopping him. Schwarzenegger was also supported by a fine cast, including Ronny Cox and Ironside in villainous roles, Stone in one of her best roles and Rachel Ticotin was very good as both the love interest and a woman of action.
Jerry Goldsmith supplied an iconic score for the film with a memorial theme.
Total Recall is a classic sci-fi that has aged very well. It is successful both on an action level and on a more thematic and intelligent level. It is to me the best Arnie film outside the Terminator series.