The air you breath

Rating: 10/10 (31 December 2017)

Total Recall is one of the great action movies of the 1990s. Director Paul Verhoeven delivers a layered plot, bone crunching violence, state of the art special effects, satirical swipes at right wing corporations. In Arnold Schwarzenegger he found an actor who could deliver the action and the violence.
Based on a short story by Philip K Dick, 'We Can Remember It for You Wholesale.' Total Recall is set in a future where corporations run amok. Douglas Quaid (Arnold Schwarzenegger) is a hard working construction worker who visits a company called Rekall. They implant fake memories of a holiday to the planet Mars despite concerns expressed by his wife Lori (Sharon Stone) and his work colleague.
While undergoing the process Quaid upgrades his trip as a spy on a mission. However it seems Quaid's memory has already been erased and his existing memories were recreated.
Now Quaid is on the run with plenty of bad guys after him. With no one left he could trust, Quaid sets off to Mars to find the truth about himself. In Mars Quaid finds he is someone who was feared and not liked. Quaid decides there is a secret about Mars and Quaid leads the resistance group against the greedy corporation that runs the planet and controls the air supply.
The violence is visceral and strong. The action is very well paced. Total Recall also has a terrific story, the plotting is complex and always keeps you guessing whether it is a dream or real.