Customer Reviews

Equilibrium [VHS]

5 star:		(382)
4 star:		(126)
3 star:		(56)
2 star:		(34)
1 star:		(35)

 

 

I can understand the urge to compare "Equilibrium" and "The Matrix". Both films feature dark, foreboding cinematography. Both films are about rebellion against a warped reality. Both films feature a reluctant, messianic protagonist. And, finally, both films rely heavily on stylistic, hyper-kinetic combat scenes that can only be described as, well, reverent. That is where the similarity ends because while "Equilibrium" has a few moments of slow-motion it's action scenes are much more original than those of "The Matrix Trilogy". No Wires, just pure crazy choreography which makes the action feel all the more authentic. The environment is also a great deal more organic in contrast to the cryptic automaton of the Matrix.

"Equilibrium", in short, manages to be entirely its own movie. Where The Matrix relies on "bending" the rules of physics in an imaginary construct of a world, "Equilibrium" goes the other way and hypothesizes the "Gun-Kata", a martial arts ballet that allows it's practitioners to predict and anticipate close quarters gun fighting and hand to hand combat. Then, through a series of precise, dance like movements, a person can take on several combatants, using exacting, fluid actions to eliminate his attackers. Given a decidedly artistic presentation within the course of the film, these rapid-fire rhapsodies are exhilarating and oddly beautiful. They glamorize death as an abstract expression of powder bursts and shrieking projectiles. The film features some of the best choreographed shootouts I have ever seen, and ends up putting anything in The Matrix Trilogy to shame.

"Equilibrium" is a film that explores what it theorizes to be the root of all worldly chaos, human emotion. The movie takes place in the near future after a third world war that leaves Earth on the verge of total destruction. From the ashes arises a government that regulates everything and everyone through mind control. The drug Prozium is hailed as the elixir to the world's problems because it suppresses human emotion and thus eliminates the possibility war. All art, music, poetry and any emotion are considered contraband and must be destroyed upon discovery.

The primary clash is between individualism and collectivism -- the notion that each person is an end to him or herself and pursues his or her own happiness, and the theory that the individual exists only to further the interests of the state. In "Equilibrium", the side of "feelings" (the side that promotes painting, music, and literature) is the side of the sovereign individual.

The film clearly suggests that emotions -- the ability to "feel" -- are what make life worth living; yet they are also the source of violence and war. At some level, this is clearly true. The joy of art, the intensity of romantic love, the pleasures of a touch or the sight of a sunrise, the fascination of a great idea -- these are the things we live for. "Crimes of passion" such as murder, domestic violence, and assault generally involve uncontrolled emotions.

In "Equilibrium", murder and war among the civilian population have been wiped out. Of course, they have been replaced by state-sponsored murder and terror. Thus, the film points out the real purpose of deadening people's emotions is to perpetuate state oppression.

This nightmare is presided over by the Big Brother-like dictator Father, and enforced by a quasi-religious order of "Clericks," whose incredible combat skills are unleashed on "sense offenders" who have gone off the drugs that keep the populace docile.

John Preston (Christian Bale) is the perfect Grammaton Clerick (the government is known as the Tetragrammaton). He kills "sense offenders" without passion or guilt ... until he inadvertently fails to take his prescribed tranquilizer dose and events begin to catch up with him. Little by little, he finds himself drawn into "sense crime" and then into the resistance. I hesitate to reveal much more about the plot of "Equilibrium", jammed as it is with surprise and invention -- suffice to say, this is an intellectual rollercoaster ride, as cerebral as it is visceral; both a bleak glimpse into a possible future and a stirring tribute to the indomitable human spirit.

The creators of "Equilibrium" had to take some liberties with the very idea of emotion, of course. The drug really only eliminates the "highs" and "lows," leaving enough emotive strength for the characters to retain ambition and a visceral hatred of their enemies. Plot means conflict and human conflict is impossible without emotion.

The acting is excellent, and if you like Christian Bale as much as I do, he shines above all else. Bale is truly exceptional in bringing a real sense of emotional conflict to the character of Preston, and as the film moves on he gradually brings that emotion to the forefront. At the start of the film, and in it's many flashbacks, Preston is supposed to be this emotionless killer that doesn't realize he's actually feeling subtle emotions. Bale's performance keeps the perfect monotone voice of an emotionless character, but in his eyes shows the doubt, remorse and anger. Then as the films moves on he gradually starts changing his tone of voice, allowing the monotone to falter in key moments, until in the end he completely releases all of his emotions.

As you can tell, Equilibrium's plot draws from a rich variety of sources. There's a lot of Orwell's "1984" and Aldous Huxley's "Brave New World".

True, there are a few minor plot problems, but any movie that treats ideas and symbols seriously these days is a find, and one that pulls off a serious treatment of life's most fundamental questions in the context of a gripping story is a rare jewel.

"Equilibrium" is not science fiction so much as political speculation. It's that mainstay of movies, the cautionary tale, twisted into a decidedly dense and deceptive action thriller. While it may not always deliver in the thought department, we sure get some wonderful visual flourishes. And if a sci-fi film can stir your imagination, it's won most of the battle.

The creation of the enigmatic weapons battle dance, "Gun-Kata", makes the movie a see at least once exercise in speculative movie making.

Sci-fi flick with stunning visuals, "Equilibrium" deserves much more attention not only from fans of genre, but also from general audiences. Sure, its flaws are too visible, borrowing Orwellian ideas from other films like, say, "Brazil," but it is not that ideas themselves but the way they are put into practice that really counts, and on that score "Equiliburium" is a winner. (And critics, please let me know, why do you all praise Steven's "Minority Report" which actually borrows ideas from other films of this genre? So, why not give this one a due respect?)

Well, I admit the opening chapter of "Equilibrium" is a bit weak, introducing us to the dystopia world after the WW3, but soon you will forget that. The totalitarian government established after the war decided to eliminate anything that might possibly make humans emotional, forcing the people to inject a certain doze of [chemical substance] to be unemotional every day. Moreover, it decrees there should be no more music (not only hip-hops, but classic music), no more motion pitures, and no more decorated interiors. Those who love them hide underground, becoming rebels while the authroity set up a super-cop troop called "Grammaton Clerics."

Christian Bale ("American Psyco") is John Preston the best of the Clerics, and dedicates himself to the job until he arrests a woman Mary O'Brien who possessd illegal stuffs. But her strong creed and perhaps beauty make their way into the sleeping heart of Preston, who has been long fighting for his cause.

The film's philosophical messages are in themselves not new at all, and director Kurt Wimmer might have kept his idea a little too long. I say so, because today, in the 21st century, it is not this Orwellian society that we are afraid of most. The story has enough twists to surprise us, but maybe one too many, I think, and the wrap-up part of the film feels a bit hurriedly done.

However, those are noting before the film's sensational action scenes, which can make up for any flawed part of the film. The "Gun-Kata" fighting deserves special mention, using [weapons] like Japanese swords, and its hyper-kinetic movement is very violent and very beautiful at the same time. Incredible it might sound, but Christian Bale shows excellent action star quality here, displaying the beauty of "Kata"s -- and "kata" means in Japanese "style." Yes, there are lots of styles in "Equilibrium."

Other plsyers are also effectively cast, and most unexpected is Emily Watson, who quite naturally becomes the Joan D'Arc-like character. Taye Diggs is good as Preston's partner, and though short time, Sean Bean, cast against type, is also perfect as Partridge who plays a key role in the story.

I was quite surprised and satisfied, and even thrilled to see this neglected film, which should have been more pushed. Again I say, its actions are sensational. Not that this is "Matrix"; rather, it is more unique and has its own "kata" = style, which means a lot these days.

People who call Equilibrium a Matrix rip off really bother me, not only because Equilibrium is a far better movie but because said people are implying that The Matrix was something new and original and different. Riiiiiight.

I won't say that Equilibrium is the most original movie ever; indeed both Equilibrium and The Matrix are amalgams of various films, books, etc. that had come before. And as previous reviewers have stated, Equilibrium relies more on 1984 and Brave New World for inspiration, NOT The Matrix. The two films really have little in common, other than the anti-utopia and martial arts elements.

Personally, I think the future world presented in Equilibrium is a far more powerful and ironic piece of cinema. The thought of robots enslaving humanity is one of those truths that everyone pretty much accepts: "Worlds governed by artificial intelligence learned a hard lesson: logic doesn't care." Hand things over to the robots, and the human element so necessary in government is gone. We know this. Equilibrium, however, portrays the attempt to end man's inhumanity to man by making everyone inhuman and thereby perpetuating an even GREATER inhumanity. It's the thought of saving humanity by destroying it. In Equilibrium The Man not some soulless robot that can't understand feelings; instead He is another human being enslaving and dehumanizing His fellow man, trying to cure the disease by killing the patient.

The story is one of my personal favorite archetypal plots, that of a man who first serves an evil system, then realizes everything he has thought for so long is wrong and turns against said system and fights for its destruction. Christian Bale is incredible, and his character (John Preston of the elite Grammaton Cleric) is brilliantly dynamic. A few minutes into the film, he hunts down and without second thought puts a bullet in the face of a fellow cleric (Sean Bean) who has betrayed the standards of unemotionality the government has set, and all the while his face is perfectly placid and unfeeling, as if the traitor were no more than an insect to be exterminated. But by the end of the film he is the heart of humanity, beating strongly and indefatigably.

Oh, speaking of that scene, sorry, Bean fans; I myself wish Sean Bean had more of a role. I'll tell you, though, the five or ten minutes of screen time he gets is great stuff, especially his reading of Yeats' "He Wishes for the Cloths of Heaven".

Heading up the rest of the cast are Taye Diggs, Emily Watson, Angus MacFadyen, and William Fichtner. Diggs plays Brandt, a subordinate cleric who becomes Preston's new partner and hounds him mercilessly when he begins to suspect that Preston has stopped taking prozium (the government issue anti-emotion drug). Diggs' performance is deliciously insidious, and his unblinking eye and subtle accusations keep Preston on the hop constantly.

Emily Watson is Mary O'Brien, a "sense offender" who helps Preston on his journey to discover his true humanity. She is very sincere and quite unsettling, and her pointed arguments stab deep into what Preston had thought to be his most important values.

Angus MacFadyen plays Vice-Council DuPont, head of the Grammaton Cleric and a member of the ruling Council of Libria (which seems to be a government covering the entire world...which is much changed from the world we know after World War III ripped everything up; for the observant among you, look for the globe of the new Earth, I think it's in DuPont's office somewhere; continents shattered, lots more ocean, it's nifty). DuPont is my favorite character. He is a master martial artist, a brilliant politician, a clever spymaster, and...well...much more. You'll see.

William Fichtner is a cool actor usually, though he doesn't shine too much in Equilibrium, not through his fault but through the fault of his character, Jurgen, leader of the resistance. The role just isn't particularly interesting and really serves to drive the story rather than standing on its own.

The kung fu is absolutely amazing. The Grammaton Cleric created a form of eastern style martial art that specifically relates to the use of and combat against firearms. By analyzing thousands of gun battles, the Cleric determined that the distribution of attacking gun wielders could be statistically predicted. Clerics are taught to know instinctually when they must duck, dodge, shoot, etc. You can't dodge a bullet once it's left the gun, but by knowing who is likely to shoot at you and when and where, you can anticipate the attack and move to avoid a shot that hasn't even been fired yet. It's a fascinating concept. I am told the United States military teaches something like it to elite soldiers.

Anyway, needless to say there are several major scenes of Preston dual wielding pistols and blowing the poop out of tons and tons of people. It's incredible to watch. There's even a scene where Preston and DuPont fight hand to hand, using their pistols like melee weapons. I can't really describe it, but it's ... amazing. And there're a couple good sword fights in the film, too. And a sequence where Preston bashes a bunch of cops using the butts of his pistols. You have to see this jank to believe it.

Lastly, I'd like to mention that the wardrobe is SWEET. The highest ranking clerics wear these black leather cassocks when they're in the office and awesome black suits with high mandarin collared jackets that extend to knee length when they're in the field. I can't decide whether Christian Bale is hotter dressed or undressed (you get to see him naked from the waist up, ye gods, the muscles!!) cuz those suits are just gorgeous.

Anyway, see this film. It's got anything you could possibly want: great plot with twists, compelling characters, awesome clothes, the most creative martial arts work EVER, interesting philosophical issues, a bit of romance, and even a very, very cute puppy. Oh, and did I mention Christan Bale's pecs? Hehehe.

For action sake why this movie was so poorly received by critics? Ok, I'm a huge action fan. I love watching a movie with well-developed characters, great plot, interesting conversations but when I rent something in the action category I am expecting to see a film where the main character kicks some serious butt. Equilibrium was great! It not only satisfied my hunger to see beautifully choreographed gun battles but it also delivered likable characters and an intense plot. Christian Bale shines in his role as the cleric John Peterson. His expression is so cold, his stance with a gun in each hand exudes extreme power and fearlessness. In fact, he doesn't feel fear because he has to take Prozium, a drug that eliminates emotion. Accidentally, however, one day John misses the dose of his drug and starts feeling the world around himself like a true human. This is where the trouble starts and cool fight scenes begin.

If you are an action fan, you will love the fights in Equlibrium. I'm also a big Matrix fan and after watching Equlibrium I have to say the gun battle scenes of this movie can almost put Matrix to shame. For the love of action, do not miss this film! This film does indeed shows us something new.

OK, I read a bunch of the reviews out of curiosity, while I was at the web site to buy the movie after my daughter sat me down and made me watch it. I am happy to see that so many reviewers liked the film. However, even in reading the positive reviews, I am often left wondering whether we both saw the same movie.

First, Equilibrium bears only a superficial resemblance to the Matrix, mostly, I suspect, because the Gun Kata sequences bear a superficial resemblance to the fight scenes in the Matrix. However, 1) the Matrix takes place in a "cyber-dimension" if you will. Neo can do extraordianry things because with the right programming anything is possible in a world where the laws of physics are just a series of zeros and ones. The fight scenes in Equilibrium, although extraordinary, supposedly take place in the real world without time dilation or other tricks, as someone else said, without the cheat codes on. More importantly 2) Matrix is a man against machine story more similar to Terminator (although stated vastly differently) than to the distopian universe of Equilibrium. In Matrix, the great danger comes from outside of humanity, from the machines. In Equilibrium, the danger is in humanity, in the struggle between the individual and the collective. Matrix is frightening, but only like, let's say, a vampire story is frightening. I can't bring myself to stay up nights worrying that my computer is going to turn on me, any more than I worry about werwolves. Distopia I understand, and, yes, I fear it very much. I doubt it will ever appear as portrayed in this film, but all the elements are there, and have appeared over and over again in the collectivist distopias of the real world, from the Soviet "worker's state" to the Third Reich. A matter of degree perhaps, but not much of a stretch. Thus, Equilibrium frightens me far, far more than the Matrix ever could, because it is possible. More trivially, 3) the fashion statements in the two films are not the same, although they use the same color scheme. In case nobody noticed, the clerics in Equilibrium dressed like priests. Which is why they are called clerics and are trained in a place called the monastery. The dictatorship in Equilibrium has obviously borrowed a lot of religious imagery from before the war. Note that I do not believe that the use of this imagery makes this an anti-religious film. There is nothing of christianity here except for the vestments, any more than the evil dictatorship is Khabalist because it calls itself the Tetragrammaton (which is YHWH, the unspoken name of God). I suspect "Father" made use of these symbols because they still had power, and their origin has been lost by the time of the movie. In any event, back to the point, the two movies do not remotely have the same dress code.

(If it makes any difference, I like the Matrix, but found its sequels, hmm, stupid is probably the right word. Between the first Matrix movie and Equilibrium, while the comparison is a bit like apples to oranges, I would take Equilibrium hands down.)

I also do not understand the constant comparisons to 1984. (OK, maybe I do. They are both distopias, and they both feature a Leader (Father, Big Brother) who seems to be electronically everywhere. So there are similarities) However, if there is one previous distopia to which Equilibrium can justly be compared, it is Bradbury's classic Fahrenheit 451. In both, the oppressor state targets specific cultural attributes and artifacts as much or more than the actual enemies of the state, believing that these objects in and of themselves are a threat. Thus books and puppy dogs are both in danger. More importantly, in Fahrenheit 451, and in Equilibrium, the dogs have their day. The state is unable to eliminate the threat, and, in the end, the oppressed outlast it and survive, though in slightly different ways. One must remember that 1984, brilliant as it was, had no remotely happy ending. It was, to paraphrase Orwell, a boot planted on the human face, FOREVER. That's what Orwell was warning us about, and why he is important. 1984 is a cautionary tale. Bradbury, and Equilibrium, choose to emphasize the resiliance of the human spirit even under grinding oppression. Despite the clerics, despite all the armed police, a resistance flourishes in the world of Equilibrium.

Of course Equilibrium is like other tales in its genre. Big deal. There ain't much new under the sun, as Solomon might say. I found it told in a startling, and very emotional, new way.

I generally am not interested in the names of actors. After seeing the movie, I still could not have told you it had Christian Bale and Sean Bean in it. When I was told it did, I could look back and say, yeah, that's Boromir and that's the guy from Reign of Fire, so it must be true. I still don't care. Whoever they were, they did a good job.

The fight scenes were impressive, but I've seen better. They were definitely novel. Gun and martial art deserve to be more closely related than they are always portrayed. But martial arts sequences are only props to a film. They can be as impressive as one likes, but without a plot I might as well go watch my son at the dojo. In this case, I liked the plot.

Or maybe that's the wrong word. I FELT the plot, which, I suppose, makes me a Sense Offender. I'm not even sure I can watch the thing again, because of the deep emotion it produces in me. I would be too apt to cry in frustration or scream in rage. That's what makes a great movie.

In conclusion, I can only say that the silliest scene was when Preston shot out a whole row of computer monitors and thus managed to "turn off" the presence of Father and begin the revolution. (As a computer tech, I am all too familiar with folks who think the computer is the monitor, and that box under the desk is merely the hard drive, but I didn't expect to see that in a movie. Of course, maybe in this world they did build the brains of the box right behind the screen. Who knows?) The best scene was immediately thereafter when you see Preston smiling and bloody. It is truly a s**t-eating grin. He FELT that one, alright. Oh, yeah. And so did I.

Kurt Wimmer's Equilibrium is a good science fiction movie that went fantastically unnoticed. It is not however, in my opinion, "the best Sci-Fi movie ever", or even "better than the Matrix". Common praise, perhaps intended to raise it from its pathetically unfair obscurity. That's not to say it shouldn't be seen. Quite the contrary. Equilibrium is a movie that, from the beginning, surprises with its excellent cinematography, big-budgetesque effects, and admirable performances.

Set in post WW3, Equilibrium portrays a world fed up with violence, so fed up that they turn to imposing a drug that inhibits emotion. This, by theory, would neuter man of his violent tendencies.

Ok, I thought the setup was cool, so to were the excellent performances by Christian Bale and Taye Diggs. There were however some annoying inadequacies. Most notable was the obvious emotion shown by those characters who were supposedly emotion-suppressed. In fact, the enforcers of societies condemnation of emotion are called "grammaton clerics" (of which Christian Bale and Taye Diggs both serve), they're supposed to bring "sense-offenders" to justice (usually by bullet or baking). However, in key scenes, these clerics would carry on like a bunch of pre-menstrual high-school girls on prom night. That really hurt the immersion factor.

Another minor issue surrounded the ability of these clerics to seemingly bend time and dodge bullets. About midway through the movie they give that ability some basis, but it would have been cooler if they beefed the science of that up a bit, and did it earlier, as most viewers will probably be going "um, ok, cool outfits and all, but how come the clerics are dodging bullets, and everyone else is getting mowed"?

Minor gripes. Fact is, I went into this movie with very low expectations, and was completely blown away. I would have watched The Sound of Music in its entirety just for access to the 5 minute fight-climax at the end of the Equilibrium. Truly fantastic!

Anyway, I hope you enjoy as much as I did.

Christian Hunter
Santa Barbara, California

Did you like the Matrix but feel it had just too much loopiness in it's plotline?

Did you like the book Brave New World, but felt at times it lacked a modernistic approach to action?

Did you ever wish to see those two stories in one.

Okay this movie has that kind of feel. It's basically saying in the Early years of the 21st Century, WWIII happened. Since then the world joined together(what remained of it) and created a society where emotions were outlawed because it was believed that emotions cause war. These emotional criminals are monitored and eraticated by these Gestapo type policemen called Clerics.

So it's like BNW in that it's a society hellbent on one ideal. (BNW=Youth alone EQ=No Emotion) and then one Cleric learns what it is to feel and tries to work his way through it all. While there's some incredible fight scenes (no CGI or Wires mind you. Just pure crazy choreography) it's also got a great deal of feeling to it without all the crypticism of the Matrix.

Christian Bale provides an amazing portrayal of innocence through naivity. And while Taye Diggs belied his part by smirking far too much for an emotionless Cleric, he did play a natural bad guy 'just doing his job.'

All in all despite a fairly basic plotline, and Taye Diggs minor slip ups, this movie provides all that was lacking in Matrix and more.

Tired of Wire Fighting and CGI taking over the job of great choreography blended with great acting? Look no further than Equilibrium.

To Kurt Wimmer: Thank you for introducing me to the genuinely new experience of not wanting to leave the theatre! I saw this movie 6 times (a personal first), and each time I was amazed at how I could just sit through it again!
Whenever I tell people about it, they jump in with a comparison to The Matrix, but the truth is, while both films are incredibly exciting to watch, Equilibrium makes you care about the characters in ways the other never did. We never knew why the good guys in The Matrix were drawn to fighting for their freedom, it was never explored. In Equilibrium, Wimmer DOES explore this, and Christian Bale and Emily Watson give fantastic performances that will bring tears to your eyes.
I also found Equilibrium interesting because of the commentary it makes on issues that are here today---the militarization of the police, police raids, victimless crimes, etc. (WACO would have been a lot different with a John Preston around, eh?)
The bottom line is this movie NEVER STRAYS---it's exciting, great gun-kata scenes, thought-provoking subject matter, and all of it balanced with the more human elements that keep us caring.

It's strange, but for the only time in my life I felt like I was going to miss a movie after it stopped playing. I don't think there's a greater compliment than that....

Many people may find the often slow pace of Equilibrium to be a bit tedious, but I find it to strike a good balance between the silly over the top action of the Matrix and the almost painfully slow drama of THX 1138, both films in the same vein.

Of course, this draws from Fahrenheit 451, Brave New World, 1984, Metropolis and countless other repressive future society stories, but it is done so with aplomb. Christian Bale's performance in this movie is downright incredible. He should have played Neo in the Matrix as he is a FAR better actor than Keanu Reeves. In fact, almost all of the acting in Equilibrium is well done. Taye Diggs plays his role very well, even flashing his teeth in emotionless fake smiles.

If the story does not move you, the action will. Not only is the action superbly original and more realistic than the fly by wire act of the Matrix (more on this in a minute), but the actors performed their own stunts and had to memorize the fight scenes (watch the documentary), which certainly made their roles physically demanding.

Many have argued that the "gun-kata" is silly and unrealistic, and they do have a point. But, such study is not totally from the real of realism. Anyone who has studied Japanese sword fighting learns that in order for many people to attack one person, they must be organized or else all they can do is mob him. But the man alone does not have such constraints. Add to this fact that guns create crossfire (you might shoot your comrades) and the "gun-kata" might even be plausible. This combination of ideas make it unique and an interesting study in fighting. Of course, no one can hold a candle to John Preston in the "gun-kata", but that adds to the fun!

All in all, it is a highly enjoyable film, offering fresh insights into one of the most classic genres.

I really liked the film. It's a cult classic

Just wanted to comment that I bought this blu-ray movie from amazon.uk where it is not discontinued and is still in stock at the time of this review. Also, the UK version of this movie is not region coded (meaning it will play in blu-ray players in the US). I don't know why the release in the US was discontinued but those interested in puchasing this film still have the option at amazon.uk.