This is a science-fiction movie, just because it happens to be set in a near future but other than that, this mostly is still being a very conventional thriller, with some good moments and ideas but overall is lacking some moments of true greatness and real surprises in it.

It works out somewhat original, mainly due its main premise but other than that, this movie never really feels like one that keeps on surprising and impressing you with its originality and creativity. This all is mostly because it has a sort of underwritten story. Seems to me that writer/director Andrew Niccol came up with a good and original idea one day but was struggling to write a full length movie, based around this one main concept.

It only goes to a certain depth with its story. It isn't a very philosophical or complicated movie so to speak. So if you are looking for such a thing in a science-fiction movie, you could end up feeling disappointed with this movie. There are some emotions and there are some good characters in the movie but none of it ever reaches a truly deep or engaging level.

But yet, on some level, I actually kind of liked it as well that this movie wasn't constantly trying to impress you with its science-fiction elements and kept things as simple and 'small' as possible. No doubt budgetary reasons were also the cause of this. After all, this was Andrew Niccol first movie, so I doubt they gave him an awful lot of money to spend. But this sort of works to the movie its own advantage. I for instance liked the movie its look. So it's set in the near future but the movie never feels too futuristic with anything. This in fact lets the world of this movie feel more real and realistic, than most other similar science-fiction movies out there. The only things that are far fetched are some of its story elements but the overall approach and atmosphere of the movie always makes sure that things still work out within the world of this movie.

I in fact also liked this movie more than I didn't but I still don't regard this as one of the best or most revolutionary science-fiction movies of all time, or even from just the '90's.

And on a more positive note again, the movie has a pretty impressive cast in it. Andrew Niccol must have had a great sales pitch or perhaps he had some friends at the right places but anyway, there are some great actors in this movie. Granted that Ethan Hawke and Jude Law weren't the biggest stars yet at the time but the movie also stars some, at the time, already more established actors, such as Uma Thurman and Alan Arkin as well as other fine well known actors, in some smaller supporting roles such as Ernest Borgnine, Xander Berkeley, Tony Shalhoub and Elias Koteas.

It's a good and also original science-fiction movie, that however never truly impressed me with anything.

7/10

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This always used to be one of my favorite movies to watch, which is something different than saying it's one of the best movies of all time as well. But the movie as it is entertains and I also have to say that it still holds up very well, 16-years later.

Thing you need to keep in mind about this movie was that it got made in 1997, when science-fiction wasn't exactly at its prime. It was definitely considered to be a somewhat of a lesser genre and every big, adventurous and action packed science-fiction movie that came out still got compared to the Star Wars franchise and often was considered to be a lesser knockoff of it. Thing that makes this movie different from most other '90's science-fiction is because it's totally being different and original, both visually and approach-wise.

This is simply not a movie you should take very seriously, as the movie itself isn't taking itself serious at all neither. It's just a movie to have some fun with and a movie that loves to exaggerate and to go over-the-top, with basically just about everything. The characters, the dialog, the action, the movie its look, it's all very deliberate and highly exaggerated, to create an unique world of its own, with its own look and 'rules', that in no way ever looks or feels like a real world at all.

its visuals are definitely a thing that this movie has going for it as well. It's a futuristic science-fiction movie but also with a very comic-book like touch to it, with its use of colors, framing and just overall look. The costumes by Jean-Paul Gaultier are all great to look at. It works great for the movie its comedy and overall atmosphere as well, as all characters are basically looking very goofy in their unusual, 'futuristic', clothing but at the same time in a still very stylish way.

The special effects are also simply great, even by today's standards. It always amazes me that nowadays I get to see plenty of big budget science-fiction flicks, with some absolutely horrible looking CGI, while back in 1997 there were movies like the "The Fifth Element" that were 10 times better- and far more convincing looking movies, with all of its special effects.

It's also one of those movies that makes you forget its plot. This is simply not a movie that is all about its story but it's more like a ride, that you just have to go along with and completely surrender yourself to. Having said that, once you start paying some more attention to its story, you still can't say about it that it's a poorly- or simplistically written one as well. It's filled with some clever little details and developments, that are often setting things up for sequences that are yet to come later in the movie. You could say that everything happens for a reason in this movie, so nothing ever feels redundant or out of place. The only arguably redundant thing about this movie is the Chris Tucker character but I don't know, he sort of has grown on to me.

All of the other actors are pretty fun and at times even impressive to watch as well. Bruce Willis is of course a great leading man but even more awesome is Gary Oldman as the movie its main villain. Definitely one of his most fun roles as well, from the days that every awesome movie villain got played by Oldman. Fun little detail about the movie is that the main hero and villain in this movie never meet or interact in any way or form with each other.

Absolutely still one of the most entertaining and refreshingly original science-fiction movies out there!

9/10

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Well, lets just start of by saying this movie is no way near as good as the original movie "Nattevagten", of which this movie is a remake but it's still being a pretty good and fun whodunit to have a good time with.

Kind of weird to notice how different this movie is in atmosphere and approach, since it actually got directed by the same director who made the original, 3 years prior to this American remake. And it's not just different but also most definitely less effective. There is not as much tension and mystery in this one, also due to some pacing issues (it's too fast paced at times) and a poor buildup to things.

And all while this movie in essence is still being just like the original. Not much had been changed in its story really and I was therefore also quite surprised to find out Steven Soderbergh was involved with the writing. Guess it was an easy paycheck for him, since really not all that much had been changed or added to the movie, when compared to the original movie.

While the original was being a whole lot of different things, this movie is just being a more simple and more straightforward thriller, or rather said whodunit. So really, don't expect this movie to provide you with any horror but as a mystery/thriller, I can still see this movie entertaining a whole bunch of people out there, of course especially those who aren't familiar with the original movie already.

And really, the movie on its own is really being quite good and entertaining for what it is. It really doesn't handle everything well, mainly stuff concerning the earlier mentioned pacing and buildup to things but as a whole it's still being a better movie than just the average genre attempt. There are plenty of thrills and surprises in it, that help to keep you invested in the movie.

It also has a cast to die for. Really an all-star cast, of which some actors are better known now days as back then. Ewan McGregor plays the main lead, while the movie further more stars Patricia Arquette, Nick Nolte, a still very young looking Josh Brolin, Brad Dourif and John C. Reilly. Not that this movie features any of their best or most interesting and challenging performances but still, it's always good to see so many talented people together on screen.

A definitely good enough movie as a straightforward thriller.

7/10

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The movie is basically about growing up under tough circumstance, which is not without its emotional scars and eventually leads up to only more tragedy. It makes the movie sound like such a downer but the movie actually has a sort of light and pleasant atmosphere to it, that is hard to describe or compare to anything else but bottom-line is that it works out well and makes the movie a still mostly pleasant one.

Not that the movie is always easy to watch though. It's still being a bit of a difficult movie to follow at times but it never goes overboard with anything. The movie just takes a too light and simplistic approach for that, which is all something positive in this case.

I didn't really expected this but it really is a movie that is all about its young characters. All of the adults are truly being secondary characters in this and I would say that Eamonn Owens is on the screen for about 95% of the time, if not an 100% but just don't pin me on that. And I quite like movies that are entirely being told from the viewpoint of a young kid. I don't know, it's always easy to somewhat identify with I guess, since everybody used to be a young kid at one point.

You also could say that it's a movie about the loss of innocence. Due to circumstance the young characters in this movie have to mature very fast, while they still have the needs and minds of a young child in them. This leads to some pretty surprising developments at times.

Thing that this movie mostly has going for it is its originality. It's being original with its story but even more so with its approach. It also was the right approach to take in my opinion, since this movie would had been an incredible dry and heavy one had it been done as a completely serious drama.

Definitely watchable but I should still say that this movie most definitely won't be everybody's cup of tea.

7/10

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Not really sure why this movie got pretty much ignored, at the time of its release. Not just by the movie goers, which is perhaps somewhat understandable but more so by all of big award ceremonies. By all means this movie should had swept a couple of them and it truly earned some more recognition.

Drama's normally aren't even really my kind of thing but I just got captivated by this movie and was really liking it. Guess the main reason why I like it was because it wasn't being a pretentious or melodramatic one and it deliberately kept things small, which gave the overall movie also a sense of realism to it.

For me it was a movie about people in search of themselves. Basically all of the characters are unhappy with their current situations and are searching for ways to break out and to get more in touch with themselves. This goes for the movie its youngster, which also makes this a sort of coming of age movie but also for their parents. Every character goes through some sort of inner transitions and the movie does a great job at balancing it all out.

Basically everybody has a fair share of screen time in this movie. There aren't really one or two main characters but more like five or six of them. Every storyline is about as equally interesting and good to follow as the other. At least in my opinion of course. I personally got grabbed by it all, also since it isn't really being a standard drama, that is being predictable to watch from start till finish.

It's also a movie that is being made great and intriguing to watch by its cast-members. It truly has an impressive cast-list, with actors such as Kevin Kline, Joan Allen, Sigourney Weaver, Tobey Maguire, Christina Ricci and Elijah Wood, among many others. A cast to kill for and everybody did a great job, playing their character.

A really overlooked Ang Lee movie, that is definitely worth checking out!

8/10

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