"Total Recall" - 10/10

Rating: 10/10 (13 December 2003)

I have to make a confession that I have a serious lack of knowledge concerning the workings of revered science fiction author, Philip K. Dick. However, I do know that three of his workings have been turned into some of the greatest science fiction action set-pieces of the last 21 years. The first was Ridley Scott's "Blade Runner," which was released in 1982 and is the obvious best Philip K. Dick adaptation ever. The most recent was last year's "Minority Report," which starred Tom Cruise and was directed by Steven Spielberg. Somewhere in between there, was Arnold Schwarzenegger's action epic, "Total Recall," which was released in 1990 and was directed by Dutch filmmaker Paul Verhoeven (RoboCop, Starship Troopers).
"Recall" (adapted from Dick's short story "We Can Remember It For You Wholesale") starred Schwarzenegger in the role of Douglas Quaid, a construction worker who goes to a place that sells you fake memories and Quaid opts for an implant of the planet Mars. However, a mishap occurs during the implantation and it is discovered that Quaid is actually a secret agent. Quaid's journey then concerns him having to leave Earth and returning to Mars to find his true identity.
If "Total Recall" is the least successful of the "Big Three" ("Recall," "Minority Report," "Blade Runner"), then it is at least the most inventive. The movie has such a wondrous vision of future Earth and a production design that no one can beat. Paul Verhoeven injects his usual gratuitous bloodshed here (a number of scenes were edited to remove excessive violence), while also carefully planting little bits of social satire. The Oscar-winning special effects are another one of the great highlights of this film, too. Though dated, they still look pretty convincing, even today 13 years later after this films release.