The best thing this movie has going for it is the premise. What if,
in the future, there were a group of soggy psychics who could see
murder before it happened? What if people were arrested and incarcerated
for crimes that hadn't even been committed yet? Would that even be
constitutional? And, even more unsettling, what if you had worked
for the system for years, what if you were the golden boy of the system,
and your name suddenly came up as one of the suspects?
"Minority Report" is the story of detective John Anderton
(Tom Cruise). He is the man behind Pre-Crime, a unit which arrests
criminals before they have committed the crimes, due to the reports
of three pre-cogs (or psychics). One day, while under investigation
by a federal agent (Colin Farrell) he sees himself in one of the visions
and must go on the run from his own men.
A chase ensues that encompasses most of the movie. The rest of the
film is mostly a cat and mouse game between John and his own men as
John rushes about trying to prove his own future innocence and his
men rush around trying to catch him. ("You don't have to run,
John." "You don't have to chase me.") Max Von Sydow
is on hand, lurking in the shadows and offering support and advice.
Peter Stormare is on hand as a weirdo who does illegal eye transplants
(I'm not explaining that any further, and it wouldn't make much sense
if I did. Just see the damn movie.) Samantha Morton is on hand as
Agatha, the most proficient of the three pre-cogs. All of them are
quite good. (Especially Samantha Morton, she puts the others that
I have just listed to shame.) But none are quite so good as Tom. Tom
seems to have found the secret to bringing desperation to life in
film. He has consistently done it, and so damn well, in so many other
movies: "Jerry
Maguire", "A Few Good Men", "Vanilla
Sky". He is the go-to man for cinematic desperation. But
he shades this performance with so many subtle layers that it is unique
from those others. He is mesmerizing here and, even when the film
turns slightly formulaic and slack in its final act, he still keeps
our eyes riveted to the screen.
The film is well put together. The production design by Steven Spielberg
and associates is impeccable. The future comes to life in this film,
and with just the right touch of gritty realism. The gizmos and gadgets
in this film are wonderfully designed and slightly bewildering. Although
some of them aren't explained well enough to leave us doing more than
just scratching our heads in wonder. But no matter. The film moves
along at such a brisk pace that we are rarely ever wondering at anything
long. For the first two hours of this film, I had no idea what was
going to happen next. I love that feeling. I crave it. I love it when
a movie engrosses me as much as this one did, when it keeps me guessing
so efficiently. For the first two hours, this is a rollicking ride
that has just enough dark subtext to keep you hooked. There are deeper
issues under the entertaining surface of this movie. Things like the
quality of justice and issues of human rights. Things about pre-destination
and destiny and what a person can control and how much control a person
has over their own future. Things of that nature. That is what keeps
haunting me about this movie. That is what keeps it lurking in my
mind.
The formulaic ending, however, which seemed (to me) to borrow a little
too much from "The Fugitive" and "L.A.
Confidential", did not haunt me however. It disappointed
me. Only slightly, but it still disappointed me. I was riveted for
the first two hours of screen time. I was slightly restless for the
last twenty minutes. In this regard, I am noticing a trend to the
last two Spielberg films. "A.I."
had similar problems. That film's ending actually improved on repeat
viewings. Time will only tell on the ending of this one. If you want
a truly dark ride at the movies, "Insomnia"
is your best bet. It's a hell of a lot better than this film. But
it doesn't have as many gadgets. And it's going to be harder to find
in your local multiplex. If you can't find that one, you can do a
lot worse than settling for "Minority Report". Even with
its flaws, it's still a remarkable piece of work.
