Minority Report [Region 2] (2002)

The premise:

It is the year 2054 and the film takes place in Washington D. C. For the past several years, murder is all but a thing of the past. With the advent of the Pre Crime division, where three pre-cogs, see a murder before it happens. Tom Cruise plays the chief of the Pre Crimes division, leading the troops in the apprehension of these criminals who haven't, yet are about to commit murder. His character is plagued by the murder of his son, six years prior and is suffering the emotional damage from that murder. The pre-cogs, foretell a murder and as Tom Cruise is working his amazing futuristic computer to discover who the murderer is, he finds that it is he who is the murderer. And so goes the film as he makes his way out of the Pre Crime building and starts on his quest to figure out who has set him up.

So what is the plot exactly? Well, dear reader, take comfort in knowing I will not spoil the movie for you. In the year 2054, Americans are subjected to Gap clothing stores (that scan your retina and hard-sell khakis by your name) as well as USA Today newspapers with animated front page covers that update in real-time. Tom Cruise is John Anderton, Washington D.C.'s top-cop in the experimental pre-crime unit that seeks out and eliminates would-be murderers through the use of precognitive beings that are able to sense murders shortly before they happen. The premise sounds wonderful until John discovers he's about to murder someone he has never met. This is the story on the surface yet it is not the story. I fear many will avoid this movie because this is all they will expect. I will stump for this movie because it's not just an action-thriller and it's not just a thinking-man's science-fiction movie. What lies beneath the story is much deeper and darker.

You see, even in knowing the future, Mr. Anderton is confronted with an awful dilemma. How can he prevent himself from killing the person he is supposed to murder if he has never seen the person he is supposed to kill or the location the murder is supposed to take place? Is the future preordained or does man create his own destiny? As Anderton uncovers the answers to these questions, viewers will find that this is not the underlying story either.

Minority Report is a dark and disturbing vision of the future made believable with Cruise's much more human characterization of Anderton than his previous Mission Impossible persona. Samantha Morton, Colin Farrell, and the incomparable Max von Sydow all serve to effectively help and hinder Anderton's quest. Are there flaws in the movie? Perhaps. The action scenes are impressive and appropriate, but one particular scene in the LEXUS factory contained so much eyeball-jarring camera manipulation that I felt I was hit by a "sick stick." And speaking of brand-names, reviewers complain of the blatant commercialization of the movie. Without question, an obscene amount of advertising permeates almost every frame. Did Spielberg sell out to the highest bidder or is he making a statement about the not-so-distant future, or even the present? I'll let you decide. Finally, the fact this movie received a PG-13 rating is a statement in itself. I remember all the controversy generated by parent-groups when Poltergeist received a PG rating. It seems so long ago...

Yet credit must go to Steven Spielberg as there was much of this movie that could've been done ineffectively. After the disappointing box-office numbers of A.I., many (including myself) were expecting a dumbed-down formulaic hack to swing alongside the rest of the massives. Instead, Spielberg shows he's master of the technology as the impressive display of visuals serve to add to, not overwhelm the story. By the time the movie ends, you may find yourself pondering the kind of questions only philosophers argued over.

The year is 2054. Tom Cruise is a chief detective Anderton at Department of Precrime, where he and his team are dedicated to their mission; that is, to stop the crimes that have not happened yet. Helped by three "pre-cogs" floating in the water, they can detect the time, and persons that would be involved in the crime, and hurry to the crime scene. But what if there's a flaw in the system? What if the oracle of precogs is wrong, accusing of the wrong person?

Anderton, who has a sad memory in the past (which would be revealed later in the film), could shake off the doubt even before the strong argument from the hotshot agent sent by Department of Justice, Colin Farrell, who obviously does not share Anderton's thought. But still Anderton believed that he could keep on doing his job in order to elinimate all the crimes from his district ... until he is made to see something too unbelievable.

I just introduced the opening part of this long film (running time being almost 150 minutes), but you get the drift. There are great chase scenes, hauntingly realistic picture of the future world, and equally impressive acting from the leading actor Tom Cruise, whose role is not 100% heroic. But it is Spielberg as gifted storyteller who really stands out, leading us to the end of rather stretched story (and, inevitably, the story is greatly changed from the original).

The vision of the future is surely impressive, but if you're looking for the dark images of "Blade Runner", you will be disappointed. Remember, it is Spielberg, and his previous work "AI", which was once attached to Kubrik, is not a good example of describing the relentlessly cold world. It is similar to "Total Recall" essentially, only without the graphic violence Arnie and Sharon had to suffer. But, beware, Tom's character too in fact suffers a very painful scene (oh, eyes).

The film presents effective actions, and as I said, its visuals are impeccable, but as you know, Steven sometimes overreaches himself, and he did it again. To me, those "yoga" and "meat" and, well, as I said "eyes" should have been left in the cutting room. They are his brand of grotesque "humor", I know that, but they are also all out of tune in the final result.

As for Tom Cruise's career, I can say "Minority Report" is the best so far since his film-producing partnership with Paula Wagner started, being much superior to "Mission Impossible" and its sequel. However, it is also notable that supporting roles are a bit weak and unconvincing, even with the inclusion of Max Von Sidow and Lois Smith. It may be batural result for our attentions are all supposed to go to the lead Tom himself, and in this case the story requires so. That is why the conclusion is not as strong as the impressive first half, and even his fans would admit that the latter half of the film need more polishing. The original idea about detecting future gets lost among the muddled wrap-up, and sometimes you wonder at the film's inconsistency, like; "Why can't they think of this while they can do that?"

But as a whole "Minority Report" is a good work, but not as good as raving reviews of some critics suggest. I say so, because I like to see good storytelling, and you can find it there, but there is also too incredible moments and plot holes, which are barely covered by the director's great skills.