Impostor

Plot synopsis:
The film takes place in the year 2079. Forty-five years earlier, Earth was attacked by a hostile and implacable alien civilization from Alpha Centauri. Force shield domes are put in place to protect cities, and a totalitarian global military government is established to effect the war and the survival of humans. The Centaurians have never been physically seen.
The film follows Spencer Olham, a designer of top-secret government weapons. He is arrested by Major Hathaway of the Earth Security Administration (ESA), being identified as a replicant created by the aliens. The ESA intercepted an alien transmission which cryptanalysts decoded as programming Olham's target to be the Chancellor, whom he was scheduled to meet. Such replicants are perfect biological copies of existing humans, complete with transplanted memories, and do not know they are replicants. Each has a powerful "u-bomb" in their chest, which can only be detected by dissection or a high-tech medical scan, since it only assembles itself when it gets in proximity to its target. Detection via the special scan works by comparing against a previous scan, if there was one.
Major Hathaway begins interrogating Olham. As he's about to drill out his chest to find the bomb, Olham breaks loose and escapes, accidentally killing his friend Nelson in the process. With the help of underground stalker Cale, Olham avoids capture and sneaks into the hospital where his wife Maya is an administrator to get the high-tech scan redone and prove he's not a replicant. But the scan is interrupted by security forces before it can deliver the answer.
Olham and his wife are eventually captured by Hathaway's troops in a forest near an alien crash site, close to the spot where they spent a romantic weekend just a week or so before Olham's arrest. Inside the ship they discover the corpse of the real Maya, and Hathaway shoots the replicant before she can detonate. Hathaway thinks he has killed the true imposter, but as his men move debris away from the Centauri ship, the real Spencer's body is revealed. At that moment, Olham realizes aloud that he really is a replicant, and the secondary trigger (his awareness of what he truly is) detonates his u-bomb, destroying himself, Hathaway, his troops, and everything else in a wide area, in a fiery nuclear explosion.
In the final scene, the news announces that Hathaway and the Olhams were killed in an enemy attack, as if the government was covering up the truth, or didn't know what actually happened. Cale wonders if he ever really knew Olham's true identity.

Tags: anti war, murder, flashback

Review:
And one major credit of the film is that it could capture quite obviously the feel of paranoia that's been the mainstay of Philip Dick's most stories.Gary Sinise is always pleasure to watch on screen.
The one scene that hints at her acting talent occurs when she confronts her husband at the abandoned park.Granted, the film does start out like it's going to be typical sci-fi schlock, but once it was past the first 15 minutes, I almost forgot it's science fiction.The bottom line: This movie WORKED for me!
(Dick's stories were also the inspiration for Blade Runner and Minority Report.) In my opinion Impostor is a solid science fiction film.
Of all the movies based on Philip K Dick stories, this one actually is most true to the plot line.
I even put off watching it for awhile because I did not have very high hopes for it, but it turned out pretty decent.Gary Sinise plays Spencer Olham, a doctor along with his wife, Maya, played by Madeleine Stowe.
Major Hathaway, played by Vincent D'Onofrio, claims that the cyborg is merely programmed to act human, as if it really wants to live.The special effects here are pretty good as well.
As much as that movie had going for it (great visuals and action, leavened by the right amount of humor), it let the viewer off the hook at the end by resolving the story with a tidy, happy, feel-good ending.
this is a terrific,well acted movie.it has plenty of action,a very good storyline and is also realistic.it asks many questions and leaves the viewer to answer most of them.i was drawn into this movie right from the beginning until the very end.there are some great,and unexpected (for me,anyway)plot twists.the ending i thought was brilliant.i felt the writers really captured the look and feel of a futuristic earth at war with the enemy.i also liked the fact that you never really know who the enemy is,until the very end.even then,i wasn't sure.if you are looking to be entertained,you should give this movie a try.if you like compelling and thought provoking action and drama,you should also give this movie a try.this movie has some intelligence behind it,which many movies today are sorely lacking.this is one of the best movies of the Sci/Fi genre i have seen to date.
Not surprisingly, critics were harsh on this one, and while many of the complaints are valid, Impostor is still a bit better than its reputation.The film's concept, that of a seemingly normal man accused of being a replicant, is a fascinating one, but it's unfortunately drowned by director Gary Fleder's obsession with shaky camera movements and quick cuts.
The world the movie is set in is quite acceptable, mixing many of P K Dick movie gimmicks (hover-cars from Blade Runner, personal identification similar to Minority Report, an Orwellian government presence similar to Total Recall).By the time the movie reaches its climactic finale, I was very thrilled and also very excited.
It does not quite fit into the usual Hollywood scheme of things and had a tough time, being released in the same year as Minority Report, but to me it definitely wasn't inferior to that much anticipated and overhyped movie...One warning though: Near the start, there is a particularly gruesome and gory scene that fully deserves an 18-rating in my opinion, instead of the 15 rating the movie received.
More science fiction as well done as this film should be made, considering far worse movies, make far more money.The special effects were 1st rate, locations, cinematography, acting, all very, very good.
The story was compelling, lots of action and kept you guessing the entire movie, right up until the very end!
Dick (also responsible for sci-fi classics such as "BLADE RUNNER" and "TOTAL RECALL") and is actually the second story in a trilogy titled "THE LIGHT YEARS TRILOGY", loosely based on the relationship between humans and aliens.Originally planned to be released as a 30-minute short, Miramax was apparently so impressed with what they saw, they requested extra footage be shot so that it could be released as a full-length feature film.Unfortunately, "IMPOSTER" would have been better off left as a 30-minute length feature.Several problems plagued the production of this film, including several attempts to 're-title' the film as "IMPOSTOR", "THE IMPOSTER" and "CLONE" and the infamous release dates that were juggled around based on the general public's appetite for a film of this genre."IMPOSTER" could be described as a sci-fi thriller mixed with some drama.
Gary Sinise portrays Spencer Olham an engineer who has the perfect life: a good job, a loving family and a beautiful wife (Madeline Stowe).
It appears that he has been accused of being an alien spy and he spends the rest of the film trying to prove his identity and innocence while also dealing with paranoia."IMPOSTER" certainly isn't a slick piece of work, but it wasn't the worse thing that I've seen either.
This time he plays a nasty man named 'Hathaway' who makes it his mission to hunt down Sinise and have him bought to justice.The whole outcome of this movie feels like something that was intended for a 'straight-to-video' release.
"Imposter" is an entertaining, old-fashioned action sci fi flick, based on a Philip Dick story that I had to track down in an out-of-print book because I wasn't 100% sure I got the final twist.Good cast of Gary Sinise, Madeline Stowe in her usual wife role, Vincent D'Onofrio in an unusual sort of bad guy role, and Mekhi Phifer in I think his first non-teen role.The futuristic special effects and constant chase scenes are ably handled by a director formerly of TV's "Homicide."The search for a terrorist and images of ruined cities ring differently now than they might have before 9/11.(originally written 1/13/2002;.
The special effects and cinematography are believable, the acting is top rate and the cast is even filled with one or two inspired choices (i.e. then-up-and-comer Mekhi Phifer as "zoner" Cale).Yes, it's true that "Imposter" loses something on a second viewing (what "twist" movie doesn't?), but as a first watch, the film is an excellent sci-fi diversion..
What happened was, they set out to make a short, the studio liked it for good reason, had the film makers expand it to a feature-length film, and the end product was the dog of film that failed with critics and audiences and goes down in history as a big collection of mistakes.But if you rent the DVD, the original short is on there.
Adapted by director Gary Fleder's buddy Scott Rosenberg from a Philip Dick (BLADE RUNNER, TOTAL RECALL) short story, it was originally intended to be a 30-minute episode in a 1999 movie trilogy.
My favorite part about this movie is the way it explores a Dick theme that Blade Runner fans will no doubt recognize: What makes us human?.
It's the kind of movie where every money shot is seen from a wide angle as a spaceship lands, but the characters exist wander through sets built by the lowest bidder.The year is 2079, and Earth has been at war with an alien race for the last 29 years.
Impostor belongs to the latter category.Spencer Olham (Gary Sinise) is accused of being a walking bomb made by enemy aliens the world are at war with.
Since the bomb can't be traced by any normal means, he seems to have no way to prove he is the human he claims to be.Although the plot has promise (as it is based on a short story) it is not enough for a feature-length film.
However, the film tedious; aside from the twist at the end, the majority of the movie is extremely predictable.'Impostor' would be good to see if there was nothing else playing in theaters, and science-fiction fans will mildly enjoy it.
Very Over Directed and Disappointing Over All. IMPOSTER is based on a short story by Philip K Dick whose stories have been used for the rather underrated TOTAL RECALL and the rather overrated BLADE RUNNER amongst others so hopefully we'd have if not a classic movie then a memorable and thought provoking one .
While Earth wages a war for its survival scientist Spencer Olham is arrested and interrogated as being a suspected traitor working for the other side and we've got got all the makings of a very good sci-fi psychological drama Oh dear , this is not how IMPOSTOR works out at all because the story soon turns into a sci-fi version of THE FUGITIVE with Spencer Olham on the run from his interrogator who looks far too much like George Michael for my liking .
At least none of the action takes place in a LA public toilet and for what have could have been a very involving , intelligent story we're left with a runaround plot that we've seen far too often before Yeah the screenwriter Stuart Rosenberg should carry much of the blame but it's the directing style of Gary Fleder that spoils much of the movie .
It should also be pointed out Fleder seems to have been inspired by Michael Bay since he uses a ridiculous amount of cross cuts and slo mo filming techniques many of which seem to have been used simply because it seemed like a good idea at the time So what had the potential to have been a good movie is ruined by the screenwriter and director .
Okay for starters the script wasn't the best, the actors were alright, though not bad enough to have to comment on, the plot was awesome, of course as it's based of my favorite author's short story-by the same name (philip k.
dick) who has inspired the classic blade runner and other good movies like minority report and total recall.
I don't think the screenplay was that bad, the script wasn't the best, the twist ending was my favorite part of the movies because i didn't suspect but there wasn't that many clues after all, unlike something like fight club.
I was entertained throughout the movie, with non-stop action, great acting, and also a good story.
Dick, the acting is good, with solid actors doing solid work.I can't really tell too much of the plot without spoiling the movie.
The end was pretty predictable to me, but I don't think this applies to most of the people, and the path to the climax was an interesting trip.The atmosphere is dark and the movie makes you think about people and human nature much more than most of the sci-fi of the day.
Blade Runner is a classic, while Minority Report and Total Recall were both good examples of film-making also.
While Imposter, like Paycheck, isn't a complete dead loss; it never really impresses either and despite some nice special effects, you always get the impression that the movie is happy to simply sit on the sidelines and just be an OK film.
Despite being made on an obvious low budget, the high-tech special effects look good and are the best thing about this otherwise low-key movie.
The film takes place in a time in which the Earth is under attack from an alien species that is genetically superior to the human race, and we are, therefore, losing to them.I've never been a fan of Gary Sinise; like this movie, he just isn't interesting.
Dick and thought that a 30 minute film would not have done it justice.Aside from the fact that I can name other things Gary Sinise has done besides this movie: Ransom, The Stand, CSI: New York, The Dress Code.
Gary Sinise is good, Madeleine Stowe is underused, Vincent D'Onofrio chews the scenery a bit, but he's supposed to, Tony Shalhoub and Mekhi Phifer were excellent, and almost against type for them, too bad they were in it so little.
The special effects were kind of cheesy for this day and age, and, unless you are Elon Musk, it is more than a little ridiculous to think that science and technology will advance this far in mere 60 more years; however, the tech stuff that will never actually happen is not really a problem, because these fictions were only plot devices so that the story could explore deeper ideas about existence and identity.
Impostor was only one of Dick's short stories, but it is every bit as good as his better known works, which of course include; Blade Runner, Total Recall, and Minority Report.
The movie settings were kinda dark, and given the budget, they could came up with something more colorful, although it represents dark future, so it's forgivable.Overall, this flick is mean to sci-fi stories buffs, not that it is really original one, but simply that you don't get many sci-fi flicks often, and this one is not bad, it's a B movie sci-fi flick that you should watch without high expectations, and could be surprised..
IMPOSTOR is a good movie, a solid and effective adaptation of Philip Dick's short story.
A secret government weapons designer Spencer Olham is forced to go on the run when he accused of being a replicant assassin created by the aliens to kill the Chancellor.Impostor is an overlooked adequate science fiction based on a story by Philip K.
In addition, it has a fitting score, the camera work was ahead of its time using a style that has become common place since.Wisely Imposter doesn't feature the Alien race and the action follows Spencer Olham (Gary Sinise) on his search through the domed protected city and outskirts to find out the truth while being tracked down by Major Hathaway excellently played by Vincent D'Onofrio.
Dick's story is adapted here, and while there are certainly extraneous elements, including some kind of silly fight scenes, it makes a sufficiently interesting movie.I'd personally like to see more movies like this:  inexpensively made, with skilled cast members doing their jobs without emphasis on glamor, interesting plot and effects that are clearly 'scenery' rather than being used to carry things on their own.
In many ways, the fact that the movie is such a "think piece" is/was it's downfall...the current standard in Sci-Fi requires spending as much or more on computer-generated special effects as it does in scripting, character development, and editing.
It wasn't until his character escaped from Vincent D'Onofrio that the movie started to get interesting.The one thing that I look for in Sci-Fi films is cool gadgets.
I thought that the acting was very good and the characters were well developed.All of the critics who refer to things like, "if this is the future, why didn't they catch him faster?" Well, if they caught him faster, then the movie would be over.
What had looked like a good episode of the "Twilight Zone" turned into the "Fugitive" in a future setting, (done much better in "Total Recall" and "The 6th Day").See Gary run.
Watch the "Original Short Film" on the DVD, or, better yet, get "Blade Runner," (which has a story with some character development with its "replicants")..
Gary Sinise and Madeline Stowe are first-rate, the lighting and special effects are first rate, the story -- beginning with major buildings coming down before our eyes, then the rise of martial law as humanity deals with constant warfare with an alien force which uses, among other things, replicant homicide bombers to assassinate earth's security forces and leaders-- well, it seemed a little too much like our future.
well i watched this a couple of days ago thinking this will be poor, but was very surprised to see a film with a very good story line fairly good acting and some nice effects i liked the twist at the end even though it was easy to see the whole way through the film.
Dick's fiction, Impostor asks questions about identity and the nature of reality - how do you know you're you, how do you know what's real - and this is what makes the film interesting and pack the punch it does; even though the closing sequences seem almost perfunctory (apparently the film was cut to win a PG13 rating), this is a movie well worth seeking out, with strong performances from Gary Sinise and Vincent D'Onofrio..
I looked forward to their likely contribution to a good science fiction film, and the fact that the excellent Tony Shalhoub was in it too could only help.
Dick, though, and I'll place it on my list of movies that I enjoy--but recognize as not very good films (right alongside Screamers and Total Recall)..
Just a good movie if you like sci-fi or not..
If I go further back i'm talking about the Alien-series, and that's been a while right ?Impostor is an action-packed movie with an interesting plot, good special effects, and even Gary Sinise acts good IMO !I gave this movie a 8, and if you're even slightly interested in science-fiction, I think this is a must-see !!!.
In this movie based on the short story, Gary Sinise is a government worker mistaken for a bomb-carrying alien.Since this movie is set far into the future, the usual futuristic gadgets are shown, including implanted devices in the small of people's backs that track where they are at all times, flying buses with rooftop stops, and many other nifty gadgets for a movie set 70+ years in the future.This is pretty much your typical sci-fi future movie, but the ending got me a little confused.
A good way to end an interesting movie..
Great plot, but should have been a short-story film.
Hard to write a good review without spoilers, but here goes: this movie has some great special effects and excellent acting by Gary Sinise (Doctor Olham) and Vincent D'Onofrio (Major Hathaway) as the doctor and the major.
This was a good movie, as I've come to expect out of Gary Sinise.
For those that are unwilling to give an unknown film a chance, this was the story of Gary Sinise playing the role of Spencer Olham.