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47 of 52 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
It's P.K.Dick: Fugitive in the Future to Unsettle Your Heart, January 1, 2002
Facts first. "Impostor" is based on P.K. Dick's short story and its cast include familiar faces in this sci-fi genre; Gary Sinise appeared in "Mission to Mars": Vincent D'Onofrio in "Men in Black": Madeleine Stowe in "12 Monkeys" and Tony Shalhoub in "Galaxy Quest" and "Men in Black" again. Typecast? You may think. Forget it, and watch the names of director and writers.Gary Fleder is famous for the gripping thriller "Kiss the Girls" but more impressive names are Ehren Kruger and David Twohy. Kruger is responsible for "Scream 3" "Reindeer Games" and that shocker "Arlington Road," and of course Twohy is a guy behind the camera of "Pitch Black." Now you know what I am going to say. "Impostor" is very an unsettling movie, to say the least. And the original short story was written by P.K. Dick, master of creating an authentic view on the future world. The film version respects that merit, and in the first three minutes throws you into the world at a devastating war with aliens in the shortest way. After that, the film follows the protagonist, a scientist Spencer (Sinise), who, without his knowing, got involved in a plot whose nature should remain secret here. As a result, Spencer runs away in a "Fugitive" fashion to prove the truth, hiding from the government agent (D'Onofrio) who is obsessed with hunting down every suspect in an uncompromising way. Here the director Fleder keeps a good, fast pace from the surprising opening to the end, grabbing your attention throughout the movie. The producion designs that realize the bleak future world (including a hospital where Stowe's character works, or ID system that recongize you anywhere you go) are, if familiar, very impressive visually. Though the idea itself is not particularly new, the director guides you skillfully through the maze of the future world. This film has already been released theatrically in Japan with the title "Clone" in the autumn of 2001, and is originally based on a short film Fleder is said to have made. Dimention Films first commissioned omnibus short sci-fi films from three directors, and one of them was Fleder's. The company was so happy about his segment that they made it a feature film, which turned out to be "Impostor." As this production history suggests, "Impostor" suffers a little from the prolonged middle-section. The episodes about stealing medicines, or unlikely friendship between a bounty hunter (Mekhi Phifer) and Spencer seems a bit contrived though still engaging in their ways. And you may think that underrated Shalhoub is wasted again in a relatively minor role. However, as a whole I am satisfied with this adaptation of the sci-fi master P.K. Dick, and if you are interested in his name (or anyone involved in the film), have a look. It is worth that. But beware: this is not a film for everybody's taste.
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