" gattaca " represents a solid breakthrough in the recent onslaught of science - fiction films -- it 's a genre picture that does n't rely on alien creatures or loud explosions to tell its story .
the movie takes place in a futuristic world where babies are created through genetic tampering and not sexual reproduction .
this allows parents to predetermine what kind of eye color , intelligence and life span
they 'd like for their child , and also eliminates most pesky chances of health defects .
those made the old - fashioned way are labeled as " in - valids " and confined to the lower rung of society .
vincent freeman ( ethan hawke ) is one such person , born not too long before the genetic process was perfected and forced to grow up in a home with his petrie dish - molded younger brother anton .
fed up with being second - rate and enchanted by dreams of one day traveling through space , vincent leaves home and takes a janitorial position at the gattaca aerospace corporation .
everyday , he watches as " superior " folk make his fantasy a reality .
determined to do the same , vincent meets a dna broker ( tony shalhoub in a funny cameo ) who sells fake identities to in - valids .
his counterpart for this scam is jerome morrow ( jude law ) , an ex - athlete left paralyzed in an accident and confined to a wheelchair for life .
for a price and the promise of a caretaker , jerome supplies vincent with his identity , as well as blood , skin and urine samples for all of those pesky on - the - job tests and physical examinations -- this future is one where employees clock in by pricking their fingers instead of punching a time card .
because of his drastically improved status , vincent is quickly propelled to a high position in gattaca , and catches the eye of comely co - worker irene ( uma thurman ) on the way -- obsessed with her own minor heart defect , she 's enamored by his flawless persona
she does n't know is a lie .
but on the figurative eve of his upcoming planetary departure , the mission director is murdered .
two ardent detectives ( alan arkin and billy bathgate 's loren dean ) determine the killer is on the inside of gattaca , and the sole clue they find at the crime scene -- one of vincent 's eyelashes -- threatens to blow vincent 's cover and derail his goal .
even if " gattaca " were dramatically empty , it would still boast a sublime set of production credentials -- the film 's look is dazzling without ever being flashy .
first - time director / writer andrew niccol ( he also wrote the screenplay for the upcoming jim carrey drama " the truman show " ) demonstrates a keen eye for the stylish ;
his collaboration with cinematographer slawomir idziak , production designer jan roelfs and costume designer colleen atwood result in a sophisticated composition that emanates classy , retro ambiance .
an opening credits sequence -- where skin , nail and hair fragments fall in slow - motion through a colored camera lens -- displays these combined talents uncannily .
niccol even utilizes voice - over narration ( a device almost always poorly - employed ) in an effective way .
when it comes to acting ,
the movie is also flawless .
ethan hawke does magnificent work , proving his ability to carry a film and reaffirming his enormously high charisma level .
his chemistry with thurman is a bit on the icy side , but needfully so , adding to the setting 's clinical chill .
as the bitter jerome , jude law has a star - making presence , and it 's his scenes with hawke that give the movie its fine emotional core
.
in " gattaca " 's series of final shots , the fates of vincent and jerome are superimposed over each other , and the effect is sad , lyrical and beautiful
.
things get a little strange as the movie nears its climax , when vincent 's relationship with his brother comes back into view .
the big dramatic culmination is a swim race , which is somewhat silly albeit beautifully photographed .
still , the single most surprising aspect of gattaca is its use of backdrop --
it 's successful sci - fi without showy special effects , it 's a crisp thriller with character - driven thrills , it 's a futuristic fable without blood and guts .
even its murder mystery is relegated to a secondary subplot , ensuring that a smart story about smart people and smart science takes center stage .
although it 's portrayal of the upcoming century is grim , " gattaca " serves up one of the most thought - provoking societal forecasts ever depicted on film .
demonstrates a keen eye for the stylish the film 's look is dazzling lyrical and beautiful one of the most thought - provoking societal forecasts ever depicted on film does magnificent work , proving his ability to carry a film and reaffirming his enormously high charisma level represents a solid breakthrough in a funny cameo result in a sophisticated composition that emanates classy , retro ambiance in an effective way it 's successful sci - fi without showy special effects , it 's a crisp thriller with character - driven thrills , it 's a futuristic fable without blood and guts displays these combined talents uncannily a smart story the movie is also flawless has a star - making presence , and it 's his scenes with hawke that give the movie its fine emotional core