Deja Vu
Thursday, 14 Dec 2006 20:32
Denzel Washington steals the show in this sci-fi action thriller
Directed by Tony Scott, out now in cinemas, starring Denzel Washington, Val Kilmer, Paula Patton and James Caviezel, running time 128 minutes.
In a nutshell…
Improbable moody sci-fi action thriller
What's it all about?
Detective Doug Carlin ( Washington ) is called in to investigate the bombing of a New Orleans ferry. FBI agent Andrew Pryzwarra (Kilmer) takes note of Carlin's investigative talents and invites the detective to join a special taskforce with access to state-of-the-art surveillance equipment that can look anywhere four days in the past.
The protagonist uses the machine to watch the final movements of the beautiful Clare Kuchever (Patton), whose body mysteriously washed up in the Mississippi moments before the ferry explosion. Sure enough, she leads them to the bomber, who is brought in and freely admits his heinous crimes. But justice is not enough for Carlin, who becomes obsessed with the late young woman he has been vicariously monitoring.
Following his heart, he uses the mysterious machine to travel back in time in an attempt to prevent the bombing and undo her cold-blooded murder.
Who's in it?
Denzel Washington makes an outlandish plot seem believable with a charismatic performance, Adam Goldberg (A Beautiful Mind, Saving Private Ryan) plays an excellent geeky investigator, the slightly chubby Val Kilmer is understated and James Caviezel (Passion of the Christ, The Thin Red Line) has an unnerving psychotic air.
Relative unknown Paula Patton is also noteworthy for both her striking appearance and her interesting rapport with Washington .
As an example…
Carlin: "What if you had to tell someone the most important thing in the world, but you knew they wouldn't believe you?"
Kuchever: "I'd try."
Likelihood of a trip to the Oscars
Very unlikely. Most critics will likely see the plot's descent into implausibility as a weakness, and there are no truly masterful performances here.
What the others say
"An utterly preposterous but entertaining sci-fi action brain-bender" – TV Guide
"Deja Vu cannot escape the weight of its murky science, action-film formula and preposterous ending" – USA Today
So is it any good?
Deja Vu is like Enemy of the State meets CSI, with a generous dollop of science fiction thrown in.
The main oversight made by the producers of this film was to misjudge the pitch of the trailer, which is almost sickeningly pretentious. As a result, impressionable souls may hope for some spiritual revelation and fans of a clever and well-paced, compelling thriller will be scared off.
Granted, the time-twisting premise of Deja Vu is a tried and tested cinematic trick, but Scott pulls off an original script with panache.
Constant suspense makes the plot compelling and an excellent cast makes this an enjoyable romp, albeit one that takes itself far too seriously.
7/10
James Bevan
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