Brilliant

Rating: 9/10 (3 February 2014)

Of all the science-fiction novelists of the 20th century, few have been as prolific or influential on modern fiction and film as Philip K. Dick. The author of 44 novels and 121 short stories, Dick explored the possibility of reality being a vast illusion subjective to man's perceptions. Dick, heavily influenced by Carl Jung, utilized his concepts of collective unconscious and group projection frequently. Plans to bring Dick's 1966 short story "We Can Remember It for You Wholesale" surfaced when Dan O'Bannon and Ronald Shusett (the writers of Alien) bought the rights to the story. The project languished in development hell until legendary producer Dino De Laurentiis took interest in it in the mid-1980s, though it was similarly shelved when another De Laurentiis science-fiction picture, "Dune," flopped spectacularly. The project's potential was finally realized when, after the collapse of De Laurentiis's company, action star Arnold Schwarzenegger prompted Carolco Pictures to purchase the film rights for $3 million. Schwarzenegger immediately recruited director Paul Verhoeven, whose film Robocop Schwarzenegger greatly admired, to head the project. A partnership between Paul Verhoeven and Arnold Schwarzenegger is hardly a recipe for sophistication and wit, but could they produce something beyond the "big, dumb action movie" that Schwarzenegger built his reputation on? Surprisingly, yes. And they did so by bringing the themes built into Dick's work to the forefront.
In some undisclosed future, Douglas Quaid (Schwarzenegger) is an average Joe with a beautiful wife (Sharon Stone) and a job as a construction worker who dreams of visiting Mars. Unable to afford the trip, he visits the Rekall company, which implants a vivid memory of a vacation into clients' heads for a modest fee. Things become complicated when Quaid's dream vacation, which involves him working as a secret agent on Mars, turns out to already be real, buried deep inside his mind. Turns out that Douglas Quaid is a completely fictionalized identity implanted into the brain of secret agent "Hauser." His wife Lori is not even his real wife: she is actually the lover of Richter (Michael Ironside), the man who is leading the team that is now trying to exterminate him. Left with a suitcase full of money, a few gadgets, and a video message from Hauser telling him to "get his ass to Mars," Quaid sets out to bring down his former boss Vilos Cohaagen (Ronny Cox) and figure out just who the hell he is.
The most troubling aspect of the story is the casting of Schwarzenegger as an "average" man. Take Die Hard: the film was originally conceived as a vehicle for Schwarzenegger. By casting Bruce Willis as John McClane instead, the film gained a whole new dynamic, and Die Hard became a story of an average man foiling a terrorist plot, rather than joining the ranks of other mediocre superhero action star flicks. With Total Recall, the reverse is true: the story was originally conceived with the intent of having a more "ordinary" everyday man in the lead. It makes a hell of a lot more sense than having the Herculean Schwarzenegger in the part. It's a testament to Schwarzenegger, however, that the film didn't devolve into another action flick: having unsuccessfully vied for the role when the project was still being headed by De Laurentiis, he was determined to make the film something special. He exercised a great deal of creative control during the entire production, persuading the studio to adhere to Verhoeven's vision when necessary. To his credit, Schwarzenegger does try his best to flesh out a new type of character for himself; it's simply unfortunate that his thick Austrian accent and incredible physique prevent him from flexing any sort of acting chops.
Schwarzenegger's presence does not ruin the film, thanks to the slick direction of Verhoeven and a screenplay that makes use of the themes of Dick's work. In fact, Total Recall may be the best expression of Dick's work I've ever seen put to celluloid. The best example of this takes place during one of the film's most memorable scenes. Quaid is visited by Dr. Edgemar, the inventor of Rekall, and Lori at his hideout on Mars. Edgemar tells Quaid that everything he has been experiencing so far is a part of the "trip" that he paid for, and that he isn't even on Mars at all: he is really just back at Rekall headquarters. The "vacation" Quaid paid for, Edgemar says, has gone wrong, and Quaid's experiences are all a part of paranoid delusions taking place within his mind. When Quaid dismisses this, Edgemar responds with what is possibly the most amazing example of meta ever committed to film:
"What's bullshit, Mr. Quaid? That you're having a paranoid episode triggered by acute neurochemical trauma? Or that you're really an invincible secret agent from Mars who's the victim of an interplanetary conspiracy to make him think he's a lowly construction worker?"
The audience is forced to question the truth as well: despite the fact that we are not part of the events on screen, we are still susceptible to the same illusions that any of the characters are.
This represents one of the reasons I love Paul Verhoeven as a director: despite the fact that his films come across on the surface as pointless exercises in extreme violence, there is substance behind it all. In Starship Troopers limbs came off left and right, but the message that "war makes fascists of us all" was clear throughout. In Robocop, the violence never superseded the various critiques of capitalism and corruption. With Total Recall, the concept of the very nature of reality as subject to question exists even as a midget prostitute stabs a man in the groin. With this film I am allowed to revel in the extreme violence and action that puts it in the category of "big, dumb action movie" while, at the same time, I can appreciate the deeper psychological questions inspired by Dick.